Lost Cherrees

LOST CHERREES
PAUL CARTER
BARNYARD MASTURBATOR
1125
ANTIBODIES
Market Tavern, Brum may 28th Ł5.00
Earlier this year Birmingham’s punk scene lost its prime city centre venue, the dank subterranean Royal George. So it was touch and go as to where the punks were gonna get their next fix from, besides the expensive Academy 2? But thankfully it didn’t take long before the Brummies relocated back to the much loved Market Tavern. The Tavern now back under new management (The Beats guitarist) is once more punk friendly. And by far the preferred choice by all in the know. And despite its backstreet location, and a bit of a trek for us strays coming in from the city centre, everyone’s chuffed. So fast forward to tonight, It’s just gone 7 O’clock as I sit downstairs in the Market Tavern bar with a Ł2.10 pint of Carling sat before me, a bored looking barmaid, and a Tutankhamun doc. on the big screen for company. Not a punk in sight! I’m beginning to think I’ve got the wrong night. Then who should stroll in but Pete Antibodie himself. I recognised him straight away coz he was wearing a fucking great ‘Anarchy’ Shirt, which I later found out had cost him Ł25 nicker. I offered him a pint which he declined coz he was itching to get his gear sorted out. So I directed him to the upstairs venue where the bands play. As he went to inform the other Antibodies he pressed into my palm their brand new 4 track demo. Which I can confirm is definitely ‘Anti By Nature‘, review up soon! Soon after the rest of the Antibodies came in carrying various weapons for their assault on ear drums, along with their new roadie Becca Puke, they went off upstairs to sort out the gear. Next to arrive were a few stray Poles from 1125 (dunno if that number is an emergency number in Poland or their secret code for a fruit picking job in blighty?). Whatever the case these had somehow hitched a ride on tonight’s bill through the backdoor of someone’s conscience? Ahhh the intricacies of the Birmingham punk scene eh! Not long after and by no means least were tonight’s headliners the Lost Cherrees. They had apparently got LOST and overshot the Birmingham M6 turnoff. Well they’re here now so with all of the bands accounted for, apart from the Derby contingent who were already upstairs it was all systems go.
Becca Puke who helps put together these eclectic bills
gimme a call earlier in the week to tell me the Antibodies
from Harlow, (one of the UK’s best kept secrets) were
coming up and actually playing a last minute arranged set!!!
They’re filling in for local outfit First Offence who pulled
out. I’d been singing the Antibodies praise since the
Suffragette days when I first heard their ‘England’s
Atrocities’ demo tape. So it was a result to see em live ‘n
loud after an 8 year wait. This bit of tantalising news in
itself was enough to drag me over on the train to Brum,
never mind the Lost Cherrees who I was also itchin to see.
Anyway I digress. Tonight’s bill promises to be a really good
snapshot of the punk species currently residing in this
septic isle of ours. So when at last I heard some noise
coming from upstairs, I realised it wasn’t the plumbing and
went up to view the carnage.

As I ordered a pint from the Penthouse barman who’s the
spit of that Johnny character from Menswear, remember
them? I was approached by Hardcore Dave and asked if I
was gonna pay? As if I would’ve snuck in tut tut. So I hand
over a fiver to Miss Puke who places it in her trusty plastic
margarine tub collection box. Must say on scanning the
room, the 25 or so turnout this early in the evening ain’t too
clever. It seemed I was in exalted company with only the
bands and their entourage making up the numbers. But
Birmingham missed a nifty little set by the Harlow harlots,
who were busy from the off welcoming everyone to
England’s human Barb-E-Q! You want some jagged, sarcy
and highly entertaining punk rock for ya aural diet? Then
look no further than this Essex trio. Pete Antibodie has
done his time in the punk rock scene (remember the
Obscene Toys circa 82'...anyone?). He's now not only
nicked from his past adventures, but he’s also bought his
spot on observations bang up to date, with witty and often
cutting political and social observations. Antibodies songs
make for a gritty take on life in general. And it ain’t good to
witness a band who ain’t quite like the rest! They’ve got
their own bitter agenda along with their discordant concrete
rock. And it's all doused with a snotty nosed vocal on top of a slashing guitar canvas of distortion. Ken’s throbbing bass work booms underneath, while drummer Iain’s militaristic workouts add to the mix. New song ‘Fuck This For A Game Of Soldiers’ is one that really stands out as it pokes holes in the “bits of kids who get blown to bits in a ghetto“. And when they break it down into an atmospheric dropout as Pete becomes the bogey man and sneers “be very, very quiet witch hunting we will go” it can only create a stunning bit of
tension. In between telling us “were a beautiful audience”
and dedicating my fave song the ultra catchy ‘Wotappen’ to
yours truly, you can only admire their bottle. Antibodies give
you a highly entertaining set of punk, with a few laughs and
some wicked home truths. They did stumble on the last song
which turned into a surreal comedy sketch, but by then they
could do no wrong and were sent off with a healthy applause by
all in attendance. They gotta be the best opening act I’ve seen
in a long time. So if they’re playing near you, go witness their
‘Semtex Halo‘ coz you won’t be disappointed.

Next up were a whole different ballgame. 1125 hail from Poland
and are over here doing a short UK tour? They are best
described as a rumbling grind core outfit, who look like they just
crawled out from under a lorry at Dover! They produce a loud,
synchronised metallic sound, which the readers of Terrorizer
magazine would drool over. If their hair was another 12 inches
long! But I'm afraid this kinda punk just sounds the same to me.
I do admit they create an almost lullabied vibe as I watched the
twin guitarists move slowly from side to side in synch to the roar.
And talking of roar, Count Orlock the leader singer, who looks
like the bastard son of Max Schreck and Micky Fitz with a
broken nose, added sufficient gusto and growls to their
performance. As he beat his chest in time to the tribal rhythms
and swaying guitars, it was pretty amusing. But when you have
to contend with that whhhoooarrrrgghh!!!! kinda vocal,
it become weary very soon. Well it was all sung in Polish
anyway, so it didn’t really make much difference. After a visit to
the bathroom by the time I came back, they’d thankfully
disappeared off stage, just before the Customs arrived.

We were then charmed back from the bar by Barnyard
Masturbator who sound on paper like a crew of dreadful
spandex metal heads outta some Alabama backwater. In actual
fact they’re a two girl (drums/vocals), two men (bass/guitar),
setup and come from the tropical delights of Derby. Lead singer
the buxom Scarlet the Harlot is in actual fact the token American
in the band, and also co-editor of the rather shitty 'Sag Till I
Drop' fanzine. So with those credentials to her name, I wasn’t
really expecting too much from this combo. But you know what
they ain’t that bad after all. They certainly added a bit of fun
to the evening in a droll kinda way, as they spat out some
midpaced rough ‘n’ ready punk tunes. Which on reflection
wasnt bad at all, and dare I say it showed some promise. With
song titles like ‘Plastic Surgery Nightmare‘, ‘The Scum Between
My Toes’ and ‘Useless Flesh’, they ain’t gonna get signed up
by Mortarhate, but if your inclined to pissed off punky outbursts
on top of a hardcore backbeat you’ll like these. Like all new bands
these rural wankers do need a load more gigs outside the hayloft
and way more rehearsal time under their studded belts, just to
get rid of some of the one dimensional standards they exhibit,
but they managed to create some pretty beefy power chord
attack along the way. It would be interesting to see em again
in about 6 months just to see if they‘ve turned into a real
nightmare. After their set the lead singers Bo and A&R man
Lazza Ogden done the rounds selling their 3 track CD called
‘Unleash The Cock’ for a giveaway price of a quid. Maybe he
knew something we didn’t?

Fellow Derby punker Paul Carter was on next and dressed in
orange pantaloons and t-shirt that read ‘sinner‘. He’s a lone
acoustic strummer in case you didn’t know, and amid tonight’s
electric battlefield he seemed to go down well with the audience,
which were slowly growing by the hour. However he certainly
ain’t no TV Smith and don't offer a performance to get
mesmerised about. His almost Vic Reeves persona that I
witnessed at a punks picnic about 3 years ago has all but
vanished without a trace. He’s now a reformed character and
actually seems a tad more serious these days. And we all know
serious means boring. Maybe its coz he’s got an album coming
out and has to live up to his artistic integrity? But from where I
was standing I soon lost interest and after half an hour he really
outstayed his welcome. When the crowd cheered as he
strummed his last ode, I wasn't sure if it was due to relief than
actual pleasure. Time for more refills and another Carling…
cheers Ali!

Only recently found out The Lost Cherrees had played their last
80’s gig in Birmingham approximately 20 years previous, which I
missed. So now they’ve reformed and rejuvenated themselves.
Tonight’s performance gives me and others a chance to catch
the band live at last. It seems quite fitting they have returned
to the scene of their demise, totally re-energized and a lot wiser.
They hit us immediately with a matured approach and one that
really works quite well. Whatever these Surbitan punks were in
days gone by… when they sported giant Mohicans, studded
belts and gave us their rendition of ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’,
they were always gonna be tagged as an Anarcho band. This
was more by association than by design. However the Lost Cherrees still have a conscience as well as an ear for melody. And tonight they gave us more of the same with
only their black banner draping the wall behind them to
remind us who they are. I wasn’t really geared up for
what we got tonight, half expecting to be disappointed
maybe, as most reformations don’t improve with age. But
I found myself wanting to hear more as their set
progressed. They give us an addictive punk rock beat
with strong vocals, good hooks and a novel balance
between the old and the new. There’s only Bev on vocals
these days, but she’s an excellent front woman. She
don’t scream or growl but looks positively confident with
herself and her band. And from the opening number
creates a focal point with her easy going approach. She
gets good support from lead guitarist Andy who steers
the songs along with razor guitar work and inventive
back up vocals. The rhythm section of Steve and Nuts
create the pulsing beat the Lost Cherrees thrive on.
Although I ain’t as familiar with their sound as I should
be, they certainly have a more addictive punk edge than
I ever imagined. Half their set these days is peppered
with new numbers which is promising to hear. And it’s
always a good sign when a band is still in progress after
so long. Of those new songs ‘Apathy In The UK‘,
‘Whose Punk Rock’ and ‘State of The Nation’ sound
first-class. These and more will soon be coming out on
a new album 'Free To Speak......But Not To Question',
which is set for release on Mortarhate as we speak.
The older highlights like ‘The Wait’, ‘Blasphemy’ and
‘Living In A Coffin’ are still worthy of your attention
even in 2005. The crowd lapped em up and so did I,
leaving me with no doubt about losing my own
personal cherry tonight! And for those who weren’t
there, well shame on you coz you missed a good un!!!
PETER DONT CARE