The night started off with Phoenix regulars Wanted For Fraud, a NOFX influenced four piece. Unsurprisingly, most of their set yet again consisted of NOFX covers, which is a real shame, because the songs they played that were actually their own I really enjoyed. I think this band has the potential to be very good, but they are let down immensely by the lack of their own material. They are all very talented at what they do, and I was real impressed by the singers hard hitting vocal skills, but they have to sort themselves out with an entirely original set.
Next up were comic legends S.L.O.T. I always expect a lot from them, so it’s a shame when they don’t play perfectly up to scratch. Tonight was one of those nights. They were good, but not to their usual standard. Tonight’s set consisted of many new songs, which I maybe why they were a little rough around the edges. After practice though, I’m really looking forward to hearing these songs again, especially their song about Russian Communist bastards, which was excellent! Classics were played, like ‘Cool In A Band’ and ‘Punk Rock Pirates’; however, there either a lot of S.L.O.T virgins or everyone was real tired, cos there definitely wasn’t as much enthusiasm from the crowd as I usually expect for them. Not a great set, certainly not as tight as usual, so I’m anticipating Friday’s gig to go much better.
Once Over took the stage. I was kind of confused as to whether TOOT had decided their name was too long and shortened it to this! However, turns out they were a band all of their own, and a good band at that. Third punk band of the evening, littered with a fantastic brass section and great songs. I was so impressed by this band I dug into my hard earned cash and bought myself the EP! They seemed slightly nervous to begin with for some reason, and the crowd weren’t very receptive at first, but soon warmed up and by the end, various members of the band were dancing on the main floor. Fantastic song at the end of their set, with great R rolling skills –ever since then, I’ve been trying (and failing) to do it myself, but sadly I can’t!
Finally came Vanilla Pod. Last time I saw them I couldn’t wait to see them again, and finally they returned! There’s something about Vanilla Pod that really made me want to dance – I didn’t, for fear of looking stupid or getting hit in the face, but that’s not the point. I love the music of Vanilla Pod: they are one of those bands that have real catchy, jump-around-like-a-kangaroo type songs, yet still have meaning and aren’t your usual whining ‘got dumped and mom grounded me’ kind of pop-punk that’s becoming more and more frequent! I love Vanilla Pod; they are right up their in my list of favourite bands with Two Day Rule and 24/7 City Blueprint. Rachael – book them more often!!
Written by Luce
