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| No support , No Encore , No audience THE SAINTS the Limelight, Belfast, March 2nd 2005 This gig was originally scheduled for Belfast's newest venue, the Spring & Airbrake but just four days before the event was due to take place the promoters announced that the gig was cancelled. It seems they took cold feet due to the slow ticket sales! I was gutted. I had been looking forward to the gig for ages as The Saints were one of my favourite bands from the 70's punk era (their first 3 albums are all classics in their own right) and Belfast punk supergroup Shame Academy were to provide the support. So I resigned myself to the fact that I was gonna miss out on another class act once again. Tuesday 01/3/05 11.pm - checking through my emails. Opened one from Fortune Cookie Music - The Saints gig is back on! Different venue (the Limelight), no support band so price was reduced to £7. Fuck me, I was gobsmacked! A bit late notice but hell, I was going to get there somehow. Spent the day of the gig phoning round mates to tell them the good news but not unexpectedly they'd all made other arrangements. I finally managed to talk my brother into going (and giving me a lift, cheers our kid) and got hold of my old mate Dutchie at about 8.40pm and at 8.50pm we set off for Belfast, arriving at the venue some 30 minutes later (had to take it easy due to the snow on the motorway). On arrival we were greeted by a sparse crowd and some choice punk tunes blasting out over the PA including The Outcasts - 'Self Conscious Over You'. Not a bad start to the night. So pints in hand we settled into a good vantage point and eagerly awaited our Aussie heroes. When the band eventually took to the stage they were given a rousing welcome by the small but enthusiastic crowd. After all the - is it on? is it off? is it on again? shenanigans, a large turnout wasn't expected - (the night before the gig was way too late to get the word out that the gig was on again!). It would have been understandable if the bands' hearts weren't in it and they produced an under-par performance, but thankfully that wasn't the case. Instead we were treated to a full on set of top-notch buzzsaw garage-punk tunes, choice cuts spanning the bands 30 year career. Obvious highlights were the early singles 'Stranded' and 'This Perfect Day' which sounded as fresh today as they did over 25 years ago. I don't recall a duff song in the entire set, even the slower ballady numbers were top quality and played with a passion that other bands could only dream about. Other standout tunes were 'Just Like Fire Would' (a personal favourite from their New Rose days), a couple of songs I hadn't heard before 'Waiting On Godot' and 'Bang On' (a real manic punk stomper if ever I heard one which saw the band go absolutely mental on stage), and 'A Madman Wrecks My Happy Home' (from the recent 'Nothing Is Straight In My House” ...CD. The band genuinely seemed to be having a great time and the banter between audience and band was good natured and highly amusing (Chris Bailey is quite a funny bloke). I can't fault this performance at all, this is without a doubt one of the best live performances I've ever witnessed. Bailey has put together one of the tightest powerhouse units imaginable. A big plus factor is Marty Wilson-Piper (ex The Church) on guitar who plays off Bailey so well. The band ignored calls for an encore preferring instead to join us gobsmacked fans down at the bar for a few drinks and a bit of craic. I had a good chat with Chris Bailey who came across as a real decent down-to-earth bloke (nothing like the arrogant S.O.B. he was made out to be back in the 70's / early 80s). Great band, great gig, wish you could've been there! "The Saints are coming, The Saints are coming ...." Go Fucking See 'Em! Guy Trelford |
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