The Fight

THE NOT KATIES
FAILURE BY DESTINY
DEAD BOB
Little Civic, Wolverhampton
Ł5.00
December 19th 2004
Last gig of the year for Nihilism On The Prowl!
(or me at least), and it's good to end it on
home turf with some fresh local talent. A
healthy attendance in this cosy upstairs venue
on a cold winters night can't be sniffed at can
it? I ain't seen the Little Civic this full since
the Prefects a few years back, and it shows
you there is...despite popular belief, an eager
'Forgotten Generation' here in Wolves. The
omens were looking good. The crowd is very
young, ranging from pimply faced skate kids,
pseudo punkers of the Green Day persuasion
and everything in between. I'm probably the
oldest punk here tonight, although I think a few
of the Fights parents who were present by
default could've beaten me by a year or two,
and it showed by their obvious unease amidst
the young atmosphere ha!

First band up were Dead Bob?, who were
just terminating their twin guitar set, as I
strolled into the venue. They sounded a lot
better from outside down on the street, than they actually were. After ordering a lager and upon closer inspection Dead Bob looked like an inevitable Brit., emo-inspired, Uni. cluster of stoods. No danger, no aggression just basically safe blandness going through the
motions. They had a singer that had spectacles on and almost
certainly some fake, yank whine. Their songs were well played
and tight, but veered into that usual, sickly, nerdy style that
you associate with the new breed of kids that litters the pages
of Big Cheese and Kerrang! And they looked positively
uncomfortable, as they squeezed their 5 piece chassis onto the
tiny stage. A pretty forgetful opening slot by all accounts.

Next up were Failure By Destiny, who failed miserably too!!!
These jokers thought they sounded really worthy of our
undivided attention, and even asked for any record companies
present to sign em up! Someone must've forgotten to tell em
that they ain't really very good at all. In fact they were the
worst band on tonight's bill, and most certainly on the
evidence they displayed on stage, won't be having their door
hammered down just yet. The crooning singer who had his
finger up his lughole for most of the gig and a nasty habit of
showing us his back for most of the set, just loved himself
totally. He did entertain us though, with his most promising,
well rehearsed rock star poses. And was pretty funny in an
embarrassing kinda way. Coz you knew, the crowd had
sussed him, but he obviously didn't have a clue. The songs
they gave us were a weak, flailing, jangling bloody mess, and
verged on rehearsal quality. They reminded me for a brief
moment of These Animal Men? But without the edge and
most certainly without the musicianship. However the singers
ever growing confidence gained momentum as the clock
ticked by. So maybe a job as a compare would've been more
his forte. I think everyone was glad when they finally fucked
off to their bogus destiny.

The quality control improved vastly with the arrival of a trio of
seasoned pro's from Southampton of all places. The Not
Katie's are a very tight and compact outfit. You can
almost smell "session musicians" in their superior
stage technique. You can also see why these are the
resident tour support to the Fight, coz they warm up
the arctic confines of the Little Civic very well indeed.
They deliver a beefy powerchord set and looked
every inch the part all dressed in black. I'll have to
check these out on record, coz I'm sure they must be
able to produce the goods in the studio too. However
their dire name is a definite turn off to the casual
passer-by. And the lead singers penchant for
creeping up tonight's headline band, needs to be
ousted fast if he wants to walk away with any respect!
Coz until he can incorporate a bit more snot and less
boy next door attitude, the eternal support slot will be
their resting place for ever. Lets face it, nobody likes
a good guy, let alone one who creeps. They could do
with a load more edge in their attack to be worth
your attention in the bigger scheme of things. But
they kept it short and sweet with an impressive set of
rifferama action that you couldn't fail to notice.

The Fight were what most of us had come to see
tonight. And although we didn't get blood, we got lots
of sweat and hardwork. After Trev Hagl passed on
their 'Home Is Where The Hate Is' (see review) tape
to me last year, I've been a big fan of their well
crafted, addictive punky anthems ever since. And it
seems I ain't the only one. They're due to embark on
a massive US tour early next year to promote their
recently released debut album 'Nothing New Since
RocknRoll'. Having only played the UK sporadically
besides their short high profile Rancid support slot
earlier this year, the Fight have finally gotten their
arse in gear and are hitting the road with a
vengeance. They took to the stage with a can of
Stella in the lead singers hand, and a red guitar
hung around her neck. They are a band who becoz
they're so young, and were in the right place at the right
time have picked up a manufactured vibe! Tonights gig however dispells all that from my point of view. They may not be as hardcore as some, but I prefer engaging bands of their standing to some of the crud currently playing under the punk banner. Either you stick to punk picnics and get respect by the true but loyal few, or you go for a bigger
audience and lose credibility. Ahhh
the pitfalls of infamy. These kids are
too young and clean to be DIY, and
too raunchy for pop. It's definitely a
two edged sword being in The Fight.
But what they do produce is
appealing, gutsy punk with tunes.
The Fight can also do it live, and
that's what counts. They may still be
leaning their stage craft, but I gotta
say they impressed and entertained
with their easy going astute manner.
No big egos on show tonight, just
energetic action. They do have that
something special in the form of Kate
their lead singer/guitarist, who is
quite possibly the black country's
answer to Penelope Houston in her
confident vocal delivery. She's a
Dudley girl and she's got her feet
firmly on the ground, which can only
save her loads of aggro later on
down the line. She's also witty and
approachable...and even helps load
the equipment! All their highlights were showcased off their first and most impressive EP. Spikey anthems like 'Dead End Generation', 'Fish Gang' and my fave track the poignant 'Home Is Where The Hate Is' which were all delivered with gusto. I was surprised to find I was only 1 outta about 5 hands that went
up when asked if "anyone had heard their debut EP?" Well I bet quite a few more have since. Wasn't too keen on a newer version of the dubby white skank of 'Stage School Kids' which lost it's way a bit during the dropouts. But Kate matches her classy vocal delivery with a friendly, no messing disposition, that even got the cold hearted crowd warmed up. And along with her dark good looks and tomboy antics she is definitely the bands focal point. She ripped those chords and sung her heart out so much so, her voice
was giving out towards the end. But she was supported well by Scott an accomplished lead guitarist for his years, who can provide the catchy and sometimes Pistolian chords to the riffs. He's joined by hyperactive bassplayer Matt, who really goes to town making a good foil for Kate's diminutive spotlight. Talking of which appologies for the Fight picture quality as that spotlight and my flash fucked up my pictures grrr! The two guitarists both supply some great back up vocals, that gives the Fight's songs that much needed atmosphere. Kate's brother Jak is the drummerboy, so it's proof that talent runs in their family as he beats up his kit to varying degrees of excess as the set progresses. I'd say the Fight do have a very bright future, but one warning sign was hovering over their set tonight. And that was on first impressions, the newer songs from the debut album don't quite match the pulling power of the first EP. Maybe touring will remedy that problem. It'll be interesting to see how they sound and feel after playing to the Barbarians for 3 months. So as their revolution calls "Boy bands fuck off!"...we'll settle for the Fight!!!!
PETER DON'T CARE