 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
| Doghouse
Empire, Belfast 20th May 2006 You can always depend on Doghouse for a good night out. I doubt there's a better punk covers band out there and tonight as always they didn't disappoint. They're a very talanted band who can turn their hand to any style of music. We took up our vantage point at the foot of the stage which in retrospect was a big mistake considering the unexpected size of the very large audience. Unknown to us punch ups and drink spilling would all become part of the evenings entertainment to follow. I think I would be right in saying this is the biggest indoor crowd Doghouse have played for yet, a volatile mixture of old punks, young punks, ex-skins and spides. After a punky reggae ska disco during which the dj played some very wobbley sounding vinyl. Doghouse took to the stage and tore into a bunch of Ruts, Clash and Jam tunes followed by a set of 13 Ska revival classics by the likes of the Specials, Madness and Bad Manners which had the crowd skanking along happily. Next up was the punk set and as it progressed and the drink kicked in some dicks who hadn't a clue what real punk was like started getting a little over excited and rowdy on the dancefloor which was pissing off the other dancers and scuffles were starting to break out. By the end of the night I had seen at least four incidents which the usually over zealous Empire security quickly dealt with including some twat trying to headbutt my mate Facer who proceeded to give him a few smacks round the head. The cops were in the hall following up complaints as we were leaving. Fantastic covers of Sex Pistols, Damned, Blondie, Stranglers, Undertones and SLF tracks followed one after another in quick succession, as the one time national punk of the month pin up Buck (ex Defects) held out the mic with an open invation for the assembled throng to come up and join in. This is one of Doghouse's many strong points they love and openly encourage drunk ex punks to shout into the mic in a vain attempt to sing a long to their faves. The band finished with a nod to the 80's punks with a ferocious Exploited, Anti Nowhere League double header then that was it! Great band, great night out! You can't help but enjoy yourself when the band is cranking out tunes of this calibre. I'd love to see Buck and the boys introduce a couple more NI punk classic numbers including the Defects anthem 'Dance' into the main set though. One last serious point though, we could do without the fisticuffs and I hope this is not going to become a trend at future local retro punk gigs in Belfast. It's not big, its not clever and fighting doesn't make you more punk than the next guy, actually having been there when it mattered does that ha! ha! ha! I'm only joking punk whippersnappers. Make sure to check out Doghouse if you get the opportunity. Joe Donnelly Belfast 23/5/06 |
 |
 |