Reviews

Mention the word “ska” and images of the Specials and Madness flash by on a wave of nostalgia. Luckily, tonight’s event is not a step back into time, but a demonstration of how the sounds and attitudes of the ska field have found a comparable stable mate in the punk scene.

Sounds Of Swami (c) Ged Camera

Whilst a lot of the emphasis back then was highlighting the lack of life opportunities, this modern day variant is all about vibrancy and enjoyment. Judging by the youthful - and sizeable - crowd squeezing into the venue, there is still a fresh demand for the music.

As they take to the stage, someone in the crowd announces that the Keighley-based Sounds Of Swami, are now “on the right side of the Pennines”. Suitably admonished, they launch into a fusillade of noise and spewed out vocals. 

Harijan (c) Ged Camera

The only thing - thankfully - preventing it resembling a typical punk thrash is the absence of gob and phlegm. It focuses more on the physical side of enjoyment; the dancing, the exhortation of the lyrics rather than an emotional attachment to the words. For the majority here, that’s fine by them.

Adopting a more middling approach to the two extremes, Harijan smooth off the round edges, and even appear to indulge a more indie, guitar approach. And it works well, especially if you judge a gig by the number of people topless – that’s blokes, obviously.

I suppose it was always going to be a tricky balancing act if your birthday falls on the same day as you are playing a gig. After all, how drunk can you get before you are physically incapable of strapping your guitar on?

Revenge Of The Psychotronic Man (c) Ged Camera

Well, the guitarist from Revenge Of The Psychotronic Man tested that theory to the limit. After barely getting through the first song, he danced with the crowd and generated a bit more chaos to the proceedings as his band mates played on.

It might not have made for the most together set but it did create a party-like atmosphere and the cleaners will have their work cut out in the morning as they try to clear up the beer-sodden floors.