 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
| CONTEMPT
The Alexandra, Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton Saturday 9th April 2005 FREE!!! Must say I was looking forward to tonight’s gig for a lotta reasons. Firstly, it’s Contempt’s first real homecoming to their former Wolverhampton stomping ground, in what has gotta be decades? These long running vet Anarcho’s formed in the St Marks Rd squat just up the road from tonight’s bar. Back in the hot sticky summer of ‘84. So it was a neat return to the scene of the crime as it were. And as they’ve now re-recruited their original singer Stan (better known round these parts as Borstal) it seemed fitting this gig got captured for posterity. Borstal has been hastily drafted back into this reality protest unit for a new term of angst and touring. Griff the giant West Brom (boooo hissss!!) fan, who had been fronting em for the past 5 years, seems to have decided to call it quits and form his own band. So the old gold ‘n’ black majority has finally been re-installed into their Black Country psyche. And rightly so! As well as reacquainting old collaborators. Martin the guitarist and original mainstay of Contempt’s 21 year old hierarchy, is still running the show. Resplendent in his favourite blood red Brigade Rosse t-shirt, he still commands a sturdy presence with those trusty black Gibson riffs. He’s supported on his left flank by his long serving lieutenant, the laid back Trogg on bass. They both continue the long standing lineage of this band with surprising vigour. So fair play to em for gritty determination. However they have also drafted in some new blood to up the ante since the last time I seen em. Paul the youngest member and from tonight’s performance their most enthusiastic is more than capable of pounding out the beat on drums. He’s also responsible for giving em a much needed web presence so fair dues. There ain’t a support band tonight which was a trivial setback, considering the new breed of Wolvo punk bands like Radiation Angels who might’ve been brave enough to have flexed their wings in this jam packed bar. But from what I witnessed, Contempt didn’t really need any warm ups. They jumped right in and kept their loyal band of punters (and some new devotees) entertained throughout the night’s proceedings. They got old blokes dancing like young kids, and young punk birds jumping and singing along like old timers. We were treated to two confident sets, resulting in a few solid hours worth of punk on a Saturday night. In fact I've never seen the Alexandra so packed for a band night, and all with virtually no publicity. You had faces sprouting up from the past looking older, but none the wiser. It proves Punk bands of this calibre can still create interest even in such unglamorous locations as Wolves. Which has gotta be optimistic for our new punk renaissance. On that note tonight’s gig is probably the last before Contempt head off to Europe on the 29th for a 2 week jaunt with the Drongo’s, so the omens were looking good. Contempt for all those who don’t know, bring us a convincing medium paced set of powerful street punk that comes with beefy garage fuelled tunes and enough suss to get em never ending tours on the Euro squat scene. There’s even talk of a US invasion, if Borstal can overcome his fear of flying tee hee. I can’t remember exactly the order of what they played, but they give us some rather good live versions of their by now well known back catalogue. Rowdy street anthems and sharp observations are the order of the day. With songs like ‘Semtex Solution’ exploding in our faces, or the blitzin bass driven ‘War On The Poor’ with its clever breakdown, they simply can’t fail! One of the crowd faves ‘Cardboard City’ that features one of Martin’s impressive gutsy guitar breaks deserves a mention too. And alongside the prophetic ‘No Id Cards‘ they instil the big brother vibe that dogs us in everyday life these days. Lead singer Borstal, complete with Wolves top (yeahhh), skull tattoos and a goatee beard (that give him the resemblance of some sumo biker) seemed to enjoy himself. He’s still getting to grips with the newer numbers, hence the lyric sheet. But on old standards like ‘Materialism’ he comes back into his old roley poley self. A Contempt gig ain’t the same without some football repartee as the highly recommended ‘Glory Seekers’ sets its telescopic sights on the fickle fashion fans that frequent today’s game. And before we knew it they’d finished the first half of a winning set. We then had a 15 minute break as the band took on liquids and regrouped. By the time I ordered my next Carling, they were jumping back into the fray amid catcalls and some derogatory abuse off their hardcore fans who greeted Borstal's between song banter with loads of piss taking, much to our amusement. It was fast turning into a rowdy set which was more like it. And in tune with the sardine can atmosphere, a small scuffle broke out in the front rows as some rabid dog tried to take a chunk out your favourite reviewers cheek, (bloody yobs tut tut). It bought things to a premature standstill for a moment. However the ever present biker contingent soon policed matters and things were once more bought back on course. We were then witness to unruly versions of the anti religious number ‘Born Again’…with out a brain” and of course their anti-Fox Hunting rally cry '’The Animals View‘. Which got a particularly animated response from the direct action groups present. Its nights like this that makes you realise just how good some of the local talent are in certain settings. We are then finally given a political party broadcast against the insufferable Tony Blair, Count Drac and all the other electioneering scum via ‘I Hate New Labour‘. Contempt completed probably their longest spell under lights in many a year, leaving the band, the pub and its audience thoroughly satisfied. Let’s hope they don’t leave it quite so long before they darken the streets of Wolverhampton once more. Coz Chapel Ash got rocked, the bar takings must’ve tripled and lets not forget familiarity don’t always breed Contempt!!! PETER DON’T CARE |
 |
 |
 |