Reviews

On a night originally billed as punk versus metal the scales were tipped, somewhat unfairly, only days before the event when My Last Victory pulled out of the show (due to their drummers injured shoulder) leaving If All Else Fails to square up against three very varied punk bands.

So the idea of punk versus metal was out the window, but that doesn't mean we weren't in for a fantastic evening’s entertainment. First to hit the stage were new metalcore faces If All Else Fails and, this being one of their first shows, the band did admirably.

Charlie from If All Else Fails.

Heavier than when I last saw them, with much more of the roaring vocal style the metalcore genre is known for, IAEF had a tough time getting through to the audience tonight. The primary reason for this is probably the position they had on the bill, opening shows is never going to be the easiest job as the crowd had yet to warm up, but I also feel that, for all the shape pulling, the band still don't quite have the necessary stage presence to grab the crowd like the music they play demands.

That being said they are still new on the scene so hopefully this will come in time. By the end of their set If All Else Fails had succeeded in getting a few members of the fairly unenergetic crowd going and with time I could see them becoming a metallic force to be reckoned with.

Next the ever-interesting Vietnameasles took to the stage to start the punk section of the night in earnest. Definitely back on form after their fairly disastrous outing at The Carlton last month the band bristled with the shambolic energy that has marked them in the past.

The only way to describe watching and listening to this band is as an 'experience' as they tore through fifteen blasts of hardcore chaos and it wasn't until their eighth tune, 'Rag Week', that one could split the tracks apart. This isn't too say all the songs sound the same, just they're played in such a way that one never knows if a song has finished or if its just a break mid track.

Andy from Vietnameasles.

Highlights of the Vietnameasles tonight came in the form of 'Emma Is A S**t', their anti-racism rant 'Go Back To Europe' and their two covers of Minor Threat classics 'Filler' and 'In My Eyes' for which they were joined by former Limefire vocalist Neil Etasse and Spat front man Jack Sunderland.

As ever the bands set veered close to stand up comedy at times with heckles being thrown both toward and from the stage between, and possibly during, songs.

The crowd were once again not totally convinced by Vietnameales, but with the style of music they play, and the way they choose to play it, they aren't destined to become superstars but those who enjoy it do so passionately and certainly make up for their small numbers.

Pop punk-ers Goldfish Don't Bounce were up next and seeing them tonight was once again like seeing a different band compared to last two times I've seen them.

Rhys from Goldfish Don't Bounce.

They've always had the confidence in what they do but in the past their music has often let them down by being too light weight sounding, tonight however that was not the case as, though they were playing mostly the same songs, the sound they were creating tonight was much deeper than usual and this really showed in the crowds reaction to it.

Getting a good chunk of the audience dancing by the mid point of their set the band even managed to get a proper circle pit of decent size going before inviting any audience members who knew the words up on stage to help out with their last track 'Used'.

One of those who made it up on stage is a young man who has become quite a fixture in front of the stage at gigs recently. Going by the name of Little Jon, tonight he excelled himself dancing for almost every song from the start of the evening and even getting a round of applause from Goldfish Don't Bounce, which he followed with a stage dive! (Who'd have thought I'd be starting to review audience members!?)

Last up were Spat, whose Brit punk stylings continue to make them stand out from the crowd, and the pink liberty spikes on bassist James Burton help too. Over their past few shows I had started to worry they might be resting on their laurels and becoming a bit too much style and not enough substance.

James Burton of Spat, with Liberty Spikes.

Tonight however, they proved themselves to have the sounds to back up their style. While they played a similar set to previous outings their new songs, such as 'Jerks at Work' really play up their old school punk influences while slightly older original tunes like 'Ipswitch' show they have the typically sick sense of humour often seen in the genre.

Even if tonight’s performance wasn't, technically speaking, one of Spat's better outings they more than made up for it with their energy, it’s just a shame the same can't be said of the crowd, most of whom seemed to have left before Spat got on stage, once again displaying the 11 o'clock curfew problem that seems to exist in the under 18 section of local audiences.

In the end it was Goldfish Don't Bounce who stole the night, though Spat gave them a close race with Vietnameasles not far behind and all three bands proved that if you want to hear some punk rock, Guernsey's music scene can provide it in many different forms. If All Else Fails didn't really fit in with the rest of the bill tonight however it didn't deter them from putting on a good show as well and they could definitely have a promising future.