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| $HAME ACADEMY The Dangerfields Ulster Hall, Belfast 9th March 2007 Back in Feb '78 after a couple of gig cancellations in the previous 4 months by big name punk bands (Clash/Buzzcocks) which I was set to attend. SLF were the first live punk band I had ever seen and now they're possibly the last. So it was with more than a hint of deja vu I went to this show tonight. The hype in the local media concerning this show has been massive and the 30th anniversary nostalgia tag has certainly helped to shift a shit load of tickets and make this gig a sell out where previously SLF were resigned to playing the much smaller Empire music hall with their gold curtain Christmas bashes each year. If it wasn't for $pikey $teve wanting to attend this and $hame Academy in a support slot, I would'nt have touched this gig with the proverbial punk bargepole! You might have guessed I'm not a big SLF fan. I would have sold my ticket happily to one of the many ticket less punters willing to part with their cold hard cash outside. First up we got the Dangerfields. Thankfully I was late and only caught their last song. The band are down to a trio and now like to indulge in heavy metal posturing, I'll try to forget the headbands and tacky leopard print drum kit. Awful!!! I was in the foyer nattering to a pal I hadn't seen in a while when $hame Academy took to the stage and kicked off their short 45 minute set of songs we know and love with the Rudi song 'Excitement'. The hall immediately came to life and a group of young and old disco dollies who looked to have turned up at the wrong show were handbag dancing on the balcony next to my seat to each and every familiar tune. I fully expected $A to go for it with a vengeance tonight. So maybe its just me but I thought something was lacking? The band seemed unusually nervous probably as its been many years since they graced the big Ulster hall stage in their previous legendary outfits playing the very same classic punk tunes to a big audience like this. I hoped pre gig they would resurrect one or two more of the other old noisy classics lurking in their back catalogues ('Mania' / 'Yummy') in place of a couple of the tunes included, as this is always a highlight of any $A gig and this was a special occasion, but it didn't happen. Anyway regardless of my minor gripes this was a solid enough band performance but after the full $A experience at the great pre Xmas gig at the Pavilion this show was a bit subdued for me. I know only too well that they can mix it up with the best of them when everything clicks into place. Youngsy in a comment directed towards SLF made sure everyone knew Rudi were the first Belfast punk by announcing it from the stage closely followed by good natured jokey replies from Greg and Petesy saying they thought their bands the Outcasts and Stalag 17 were the first. The 3/4 of the sell out crowd who watched $A throughout their support set gave the band a good response and had a mosh pit going that got increasingly rough and dangerous as the night progressed. I even witnessed some new young $A converts buying the album at the door at the end of the gig which was a good sign. The band finished on a high with the number one Belfast punk song 'Big Time' complete with a view of Petesy's arse and the 'Cops' medley which always guarantees an anti establishment punk rock reaction. $hame Academy have no bigger fan than me and I love some of their songs dearly but that spark and infectious energy the band have when they are really on fire was missing. But hey these guys were in Rudi, the Outcasts and Stalag 17 and they still connected with the assembled punters and definitely made some new fans, quality still shines through. Before I forget I'd like to thank the band for dedicating the Outcasts 'Teenage Rebel' to $pikey $teve who had turned 13 on Wednesday 7th, Cheers lads! Spied friend of the Stiffs Alan Parker lumbering around the hall during the interval between bands and being embarrassingly fawned over by a local super punk. Met Don Letts who was also here to film SLF for an upcoming SLF documentary. Nice guy signed an autograph and posed for a pic with $$. A rasta punk legend without pretensions. The place was heaving when SLF took to the stage and their crowd went mental from the word go. My first reaction on seeing them take to the stage was good to see Ali (who gave 100% all night) back but what the fuck are they wearing? They were clad in almost identical horrible nightmare SLF show band tacky shirts, what were they thinking!? That old Irish folk song (Jakes words) 'Suspect Device', 'Wasted Life' and 'At The Edge' were fan favourites, but they could have played anything and still done no wrong for this audience. Every song sent the SLF zombie crowd into raptures. The highlight of tonight's set for me which included a nearly complete performance of the 'Inflamable Material' LP minus 'Closed Groove' was the brilliant 'Alternative Ulster' one of the top three local punk songs of all time! This was a pretty rough overexcited crowd, there was constant pushing and bottle throwing throughout the show which was pissing Jake off! Eespecially when one missile hit his shoulder just missing his head. I got hit by a bottle and I was on the balcony! It was probably a pot shot by some disgruntled band member I've slagged off in the past? The Ulster hall security did a fantastic job off controlling the crowd without going overboard and were even handing out water to the punters wedged to the barrier at the front. There was another rubbish local election here this week which was concluded on the day of the gig. So for a supposedly politically aware band like SLF you would have thought they would have had something to say about it? After all they built a career preaching about life in NI during the troubles!! But Jake never mentioned it preferring to slag off nasty Simon Cowell instead of the local so called politicians. How times have changed. Wheres Gordon Ogilvie when you need a script? 24 songs later including 3 encores one of which was the Thin Lizzy classic 'The Boys Are Back In Town' and that was that. Jake said it has been 30 years in the blink of an eye (it has been!!) and he'll see us again next year. Sorry but he'll not see me. I still don't understand their enduring appeal but plenty of punters still rate them very highly even if they seem to me to be going through the motions. Overall it was a reasonable enough night out if a bit like preaching to the converted, but this gig for me was never gonna live up to the overwhelming local hype attached. $pikey $teve who was wearing his original 70's punk era studded leather biker jacket and 100 punks Johnny Deluxe (London) 'Eater' shirt was in his element as the youngest punk in town when various SLF fans asked to take his pic, one even calling him a young Sid Vicious, is that a compliment!? I'm sure he'll be back next time but without his old man tagging along. Joe Donnelly (Belfast) 11th March 2007 |
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