There are a few things occurring to me as I head for Wigans Boulevard. I’m not sure how these events are going ahead, the rules are slightly different in Wigan than the Liverpool area but I’m not sure how a seated, socially distanced gig can happen. When I arrive I can see that KDS Promotions have made a big effort. There’s masks everywhere, people are escorted to their appointed table, there’s distance between tables, but still, it doesn’t seem right. They did a good job though, as alcohol flowed a few attempts at dancing and mingling were stifled quickly, announcements were made from the stage by the bands to remind everyone of the rules. it wasn’t perfect but it was better than I expected.
So with this apocalyptic background, pop punksters The Big I Am stride onto the stage. The sound engineer is good, it all sounds loud and clear and this adds sharpness to the three minute bursts of melody. They can really play but use their musical aptitude to serve some nice tuneful songs rather than overawe the audience and its a good half hour of fast singalong and very catchy punk.
Fat Albert have me confused at first, I’m not sure what to make of them. They come across as old school punk but as their set progresses I’m starting to get more into them. The drums are tight, the guitar can do the acrobatics but (and possibly because I’m stuck in a seat facing the guy) the bass player starts to fascinate. He makes the straight forward punk sound a bit different, a bit more unique. Something in his style draws me into the songs more and adds an extra layer of interest.
MC16 are a bit different, there’s a pos punk feel to them, I even think I can hear elements of Gang of Four or even Wire in there. They are prepared to let the extremely tight drums and pounding bass take over for long sections of the song whilst the guitarist builds up a vocal frenzy before throwing everything at the audience. Its a dark sound and they frequently shout politics at the audience before letting their musical whirlwind explode.
Potential Victims are just great. I saw this band in Molly’s in Birkenhead and they wear their Motorhead influences loudly and proudly. Speed rock n roll punk, a bit of crust core thrown in, tight and fast, what more could you want? They are interrupted by the management in an effort to get people to sit down as they’ve started to dance at the front. Some notable lead guitar work and double bass drums played violently and fast keep it all moving and needs must but it was a shame to be sitting down.
The Sentence have great songs played well. The band know what they are about and they’ve been making a name for themselves (well up until Covid stopped play) over the last few years. The vocalist prowls the stage, is on his knees, running around his bandmates delivering passionate lyrics covering everything from bad politicians to the police to wife beating and the band are slick. For some reason I thought of Wonk Unit as a comparison, more for the slickness and ease that The Sentence play their more complex songs than musical style. This is vastly entertaining, people know their lyrics and are chanting them back, chorus’s are big and tuneful and immediately memorable.
KDS have done a great job here, I still have reservations but they kept the event functioning well enough that the Police were satisfied rules were being followed and stayed outside.
Words and Photos: RBY.
The Sentence Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northwestpunkband/
Potential Victims Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/potentialvictimsuk/
MC16 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MC16band/
Fat Albert Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fat-Albert-punk-rock-uk-139482472787982/
The Big I Am Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebigiampunkband
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