REVIEWS

 LIVE IN BERMONDSEY 2       26 September 2005         Rogue studios Bermondsey

Sometimes I feel very lucky to be part of the London punk/Oi! scene, and very lucky to have such good friends that let me come to events like this, the MENACE live possible DVD and album shoot for live in Bermondsey 2.
Arrived in Bermondsey about 18:30 (just a short hop over the water from the pretty side of the river for me) and found the studios straight away, after finding the band (hard at it rehearsing) me and my Lynne took a short stroll to the chip shop, to line that rather large stomach of mine. On arrival back at the studios we caught the band rehearsing their last three songs and I tucked into the beer which was supplied by the boys in very nice containers filled with ice. When they had finished rehearsing it was time to have a nice chat with, ODDY, NOEL, CHARLIE and the brand new guitarist JOHNNY.


19:45 the band played a full set which was both filmed and recorded for possible later use, with Oddy sounding as good as ever on vocals, Charlie driving it all along with his bass, Noel creating claps of thunder on the drums, and Johnny fitting in with the boys like a finger in a glove on lead. a short break of approx 15 minutes was taken for some more refreshments and a break from the sauna which was the studio. 21:00 Menace return to play another full set encouraging crowd participation all their best songs including C&A, GLC, LAS YEARS YOUTH,SCREWED UP,PUNK ROCKER and many more all played and sung by a band that really know how to rock, and have a great sound, try to catch them at WASTED THE LONDON ASTORIA 11/12/2005 where unfortunately they are one of the first bands on, a very bad bit of scheduling on the promoters part, for a London band who draw a crowd, who have earned the right to be further up the bill than scheduled.


I’d like to thank Oddy for inviting me along to an evening of great entertainment, and for giving me a chance of an insight into one of the great original punk bands, and to thank all of the boys, Noel, Charlie, Johnny and Oddy for your hospitality and for a very nice evening’s entertainment.


Thanks lads Jim & Lynne      Thanks Jim and Lynne for the review  Noel

 

 

 The North Bar Blackburn 27th Feb 2004 Cometh the hour and cometh the man or some bollocks like that, with the crowd eagerly anticipating a great night MENACE  took to the stage. I myself had been eagerly awaiting this moment for the past two months seeing one of the greatest punk bands of all time on my home turf. To me bands like menace are and have always been what punk was originally about. They may have aged , they may have two new members but boy they can still kick ass, from the opening chords of  the crowd were putty in their hands.

With bands like Menace you always get the feeling that they are playing for their fans, and unlike some bands not for the money!. The set consisted of old classics like "Screwed up" " Insane Society" " Electrocution" mixed with the newer stuff like "rocks and dust" and "C & A" each song was played as fresh and as energetic as if it was 77 all over again. The crowd fed off the band and in turn the band fed off the crowd , when the band launched into "Punk Rocker" new front man oddy was mobbed and joined in the pogoing frenzy at the front of the stage with various members of the crowd doing the vocals. In fact oddy spent the majority of the rest of the gig off the stage and in the crowd at times it was hard to spot him under the mass of bodies.  With the front section of the crowd already reaching fever point the place erupted when the the opening chords of "GLC" started. To be honest I haven't seen a band whip the crowd into such a frenzy at a gig in Blackburn like this, the place went mad. 

At the end of GLC with bodies all over the place, the band reacted to the cries for more by doing one more song . Despite being veteran's of the punk scene Noel and Charlie are still playing as fresh ever and from the looks of it still enjoying it.

This was probably one of the greatest punk gigs ever in Blackburn, everything was just right, the venue suited the band with it's intimate atmosphere, the band were up for it and the crowd were up for it and everybody enjoyed it. What a great night. It took some balls to put Menace on in Blackburn and credit has got to go to Noize Anoize for taking the risk. For me the only downer was that the place was not packed out, so for those of you that missed it , tough shit you should have got off your arses and got down there! you wouldn't believe what you missed..

  
   
   
   
     
  Ady  
 
Punk Aid 1999

WestcliffonSea (17, 18 & 19 September)

 

Punk Aid was started in October 1998 following the collaboration of various punk bands. Their aim is to put the ethics back into punk and help people less fortunate than ourselves. through illness or disability. Punk Aid 99's proceeds went to programmes for children with cerebral palsy and their pa rents, and people with mental health problems. The event was well attended and Punk Aid as an organisation, aims to repeat the experience as often as possible.

Saturday 18th September
Eddie And The Hot Rods, Menace, TV Smith, ATV, Spizzenergi, Bollock Bros, Special Duties, Gertrude, Guitar Gangsters, Red Letter Day, Instant Agony, Squad 96, Airbomb, All U Can Eat, Norma Jeans.

The festival is a bit of a 3headed monster and I decide that Saturday alone will do nicely. Arriving at midday, we catch the Norma Jeans. Looking like the early Jam, they deliver a powerful set, finishing off with White Riot. Not the best of time's for a punk band to start entertaining, we head straight down the sea front of this typically rundown coastal town. A vague suicidal impulse creeps in when I reach the beach watched Quadrophenia too many times for my own good. Luckily the sea is out and the coast is as flat as a pancake . No mud bath for me, this is not Glastonbury thank fuck!! Best to go back and start drinking instead. The festival takes place in a club adjacent to a pub where most of the crowd have gathered: I haven't seen so many 'postcard punks' in years and the majority won't even bother to attend the gigs at all. Just shows how the notion of punk have degenerated punks are no longer who you think they are. I must admit that it's already 5 PM and I've missed loads of bands, not very good for a re viewer, but there's no way I'm going to stand watching 14 bands in a row, and I let the organisers know that. Red Letter Day are on. Not my cup of tea, they take them selves far too seriously and are not very pretty to watch, a crime if you lack humour. John's Children (Marc Bolan's old band) couldn't make it because two of their members who play with Morrissey had to go to America, see Brian Young's column and see what we've missed! Gertrude, the only female band of the day, replace them at the last minute. 5 young ladies appear on stage and gain instant interest from the audience: they are instantly mesmerising. Their sound is a mixture of early Banshees and The Slits, the best of pedigrees in my books, but highly personal and original at the same time. They're not dressed up as 'punks', are quite theatrical and use a cello and a clarinet in their set. It was refreshing to see girls doing their own thing with such talent, contra sting with the overwhelming male presence on stage and in the audience. Girls are usually 'girlfriends/wives' first. I love them instantly and they get an enthusiastic response from the crowd. Great to know there's some new sounds to be discovered; Definitely a band to watch out for. See my inter view with the band. I miss Special Duties but I'm told they played a terrific set, shame but my stomach couldn't handle the waiting any longer. By now the atmosphere is electric and the crowd is pretty hyped up, Spizzenergi take the stage, the first of the famous bands on show tonight. A totally original sound characterises their set. What Spizz lacks in height, he makes up in energi (ha ha). 'Soldier Soldier', 'Amnesia', 'The Model' a Kraftwerk number and 'Where's Cap tain Kirk'. A memorable set from a great performer. Visit his site, 'Where the past is news again': i.am/spizz. ATV is next, Mark Perry having edited a special issue of Sniffin' Glue for the occasion (with contributions from yours truly and Andy P.). John Lacey of Menace decides to make his own contribution to the set and gets up on stage for the first number 'Love Lies Limp'. I suspect he's 'forgotten' the words but steals the show anyway in an inspired attempt to stir things away from the predictable..What a star.. The version is brilliant and will set the tone for the rest of the evening: a terrific synergy between bands and audience, rarely experienced in most venues these days when bands are kicked off stage as quickly as possible to make way for some awful dance club. Tonight Mark Perry is on top form, haranguing the crowd, raging and ranting, finger pointed the enemy is still out there. 'Unlucky Stars', 'Apollo', 'The Return Of The Crack', 'Communication Failure'. The sound is tight and aggressive. They finish off their set with a blistering rendition of 'White Riot', sign that ATV can't quite forget what punk was all about, and who's to complain. Some one told me later that's the best ATV gig they've seen in ages. Soon after TV Smith launches into his set and what a revelation this is. I last saw him in the Adverts exactly 20 years ago and I was expecting an old rocker, long lanky hair and an acoustic guitar, gone all folksy and boring. Instead a skinny, all wired up dynamo comes on and starts to sing like it was his last hours on earth ever. One guitar, punky an them delivered in an epileptic like fit with a gravely and powerful voice, TV Smith will knock you out. His set is an unexpected tour de force. Second from top of the bill is Menace and rightly so, not least because they're deeply involved with Punk Aid itself. If your faith in punk ever fails you, Menace will soon restore it, not only because their set is packed with mighty anthems, but their attitude on stage blows all prejudices against comebacks to pieces. Menace are alive and now. We've had ATV + Menace earlier tonight, time for Menace + ATV. Mark P. joins them on stage for their la test single 'Punk Rocker' dedicated to the man himself "Mark Perry and a second-hand guitar". And that's what tonight is all about raw emotions and spontaneous performances. They play all their finest tunes and finish off with 'Babylon's Burning', receiving the best response from the audience so far. See our review of the recording of their live album. It's almost midnight and Eddie And The Hot Rods soon follow. They open their set with a gem 'The Kids Are Alright' and will continue to mix 60's classics with their own until the end of an electrifying performance. And incredibly, the band succeeds in capturing the crowd's enthusiasm with a song list spanning the last 30 years of R&B. The finale sees a punk with a Rancid T-shirt joining them on stage for a 'Gloria'/ 'Satisfaction' medley. Now, that's what I call attitude! The Hot Rods still rock, dismiss them at your peril. The whole evening was a knockout, and I can only recommend that you keep your eyes open for the next PUNK AID, because I guarantee, it'll be even better! Punk Aid 2000 will take place once again over 3 days and will involve reggae.
 		  
  [Review of Crisis in Swedish]  
     
  [Interview in Czech]