The great thing about punk nights, as well as the bands of course, is that there’s always a good vibe about the place and this rings true when it comes to punk at the Barn – and with free shots on offer for early starters a good crowd had gathered for what was to be another quality night out.
SECOND HAND CITIZENS
With frontman Richie attending pretty much every local punk gig it was maybe inevitable that his group Second Hand Citizens would open proceedings for this six band affair, and the local boys got the night off to a good start with a combination of bouncy punk songs and sing a long tunes such as “We Will Not Fall” and their answer to Jilted Johns “Gordon is a Moron” in “Harry is a Nazi” before ending on the sounds of Play Up Pompey ringing out from the guitarist.
GEEZAPUNX
Basingstoke’s Geezapunx stepped in as a late addition to the bill, with a set of short and to the point punk rock songs – some of which were aimed at specific individuals who have caused offense, whilst others such as “I Haven’t Got Tourette’s, I’m Just a Nasty Man” had a slightly more comical appeal.
The bands frontman may not have had as many years behind the microphone as the other members had on the road but this was far from obvious as Geezapunx definitely made the trip worthwhile and have a natural musical bond crafted from long standing friendships
It was also nice to see them finding time to pay homage to those bands of yesteryear hailing from their local area with great cover of a Mutant Babies track as well as re-writing a tune by The Urge, rather than covering more obvious punk classics.
STRENGTH IN BLUNDERS
It may be an old saying that you should never judge a book by its cover but with Strength in Blunders taking to the stage in black and red, complete with shirt and ties, I couldn’t help but think Green Day… but luckily that’s not what this three-piece are about.
Hardly coming up for air Strength in Blunders upped the tempo and certainly delivered their set in a fast paced and energetic fashion, sounding tight and well-rehearsed, whilst keeping the sound nice and raw at the same time.
MAID OF ACE
Whereas other all-girl families may spend time choreographing dance routines and using hair brushes as microphones, the four sisters from Hastings have been busy making a name for themselves supporting the likes of the Vibrators and the Buzzcocks.
I overheard someone describe bass player/lead vocalist Amy as Suzi Quatro on acid, and although I can see where they were coming from ultimately Maid of Ace are playing what they love, and luckily for the audience what they love is damn good rock n roll – utilising loud dirty guitars with superbly growled vocals Maid of Ace had the crowd getting closer to the front as the room had filled out, and I for one certainly look forward to these girls hopefully making a return in the near future.
DIRT BOX DISCO
Talking of making a return, another band from out of town made it back for a superb set at the Barn, and if you don’t already know them it only takes one look at Dirt Box Discos stage clothes to realise they don’t take their punk rock too seriously which made for a good contrast to those that played before them.
It was definitely party time as Dirt Box Disco have a real feel good factor about them, great stage presence and interaction with the crowd making them larger than life in all senses of the word, but it wasn’t all about face paint and balaclavas, they have catchy well written tunes as well in “My Dad’s Bigger Than Your Dad” and “Let’s Get Wasted” that you can happily bop along too, and with their new album “People Made of Paper” on sale it was a necessary purchase to commemorate the night.
DRAGSTER
It was always going to be difficult to take to the stage after Dirt Box Disco, but the party certainly wasn’t over as we had one last band to make our ears bleed bringing the fun element back down to earth with raw punk rock attitude.
Almost a band split in two, Dragster have on one hand a guitarist and singer who very much look and act the rock n roll lifestyle whilst having a rhythm section who appear more down to earth making for an ideal balance for a live outfit ending the night as it had started.
So with DJ Vinnie Void spinning top tunes in between bands and as always the Milton Arms Barn providing a great sound system and atmosphere for a night of live music, here’s to the next one with the fantastic Pussycat and the Dirty Johnsons headlining.
