BETTY SWOLLOCKS
Queens Hall Nuneaton, UK Friday 21st April 2006 999 are in town and as always I cannot wait. I e-mail Arturo of the Lurkers who is now on bass duty with 999 a month before the gig to ask if the Lurkers would be on tour soon? He cannot put a date to it but he asure's me that they will be playing a venue near you very soon. My day starts with the fortnightly signing and its round to the venue for the obligatory 9 or 10 pints before the gig even starts. There's a few faces from the past in their which for love or money I cannot recall? Then the penny drops, it turns out to be Brendon McGrath who played bass with The Crux after Higgy called it a day. We get chatting about The Crux and Punk in general, it seems that he is really missing strapping on the bass and knocking out the rallying call to all the Skins and Punks of Nuneaton, with "You got Liddle Towers but you won't get me!" or their much loved battle cry of "C.L.A. OK!" It seems that any time I meet up with one of the old boys I get very nostalgic and this carries on through the night reminiscing with Gibbo, Buck, Bronto, well to be honest who the fuck would listen because one thing in life I get passionate about is my love for this mind blowing music and the other point is that I'm now 3 Sheets to the wind. I head off up to the gig room to chat even more but this time it's to Arturo and Nick of 999 and shoot a few snaps while I can still see. Then off to the bar because I've spotted a Mohawk chick that I would like to bury the bone in (tee hee - PDC), but she's a nice lass who's dating the bass player from Betty Swollocks, and for once I can honestly say that they are a very good support band at that. They are a kinda covers band which rip though a great set of Punk Rock classics and their version of the Anti Nowhere League's 'For You' is a far better version than Lars Frederiken and the Bastards, (Rancid) who this band must like with covers of 'Time Bomb' and 'Roots Radicals'. Great to see a band that for once I would say go and see them if they're in your neck of the woods. To contact the Swollocks or even book em you can always phone this number if your interested 02476456305. By the time the Swollocks are coming off stage there is only about 50 people in. The turn out for this gig maybe low because Glen Matlocks here for an all dayer on Sunday. But those who have turned out are having fun, Skinheads, Punks, Bikers all along side each other having a great time. By the time 999 are on stage I'm well fucked, a quick dance and its pacemaker time for me. I got that hammered that I thought the film in my camera went for a bollocks just as the boys are on stage. It turns out that it was only a 24 exposure and not 36, so sorry about the shortage of 999 pics. Nicks on fine form and dishing out those timeless classic like 'Feeling Alright with the Crew', 'Homicide', 'Emergency', 'Nasty Nasty' It's a pity they never did 'No Pity' as that would of wound up my night with a cherry on the cake, not a long set but they sound the same as they did way back to when they formed on Sunday 5th December 1976. Nick winds the night up with the encore of 'I'm Alive' the first song ever written by the band and an all time classic! 999 are Alive and I feel like death warmed up, so till Sunday and Mr Matlock, I'm out of here. Written by Siddeny Punk Rocker (Nuneaton) |
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