It had been 31 years since Portsmouth legends the Caravans made their debut at the Barn and they have continued to make a name for themselves ever since, as such the much anticipated return to the Milton Arms was always going to be a busy one…
Resident DJ Vinnie Void got things underway with some specially selected pyschobilly tracks alongside the classic punk of New York Dolls and such like before the first of the live bands took to the stage.
Opening act Lucky One Dies First have gained a dedicated following on the local hard-core scene and weren’t going to let a night normally associated with that of punk rockers stop them showing the packed venue what they have to offer.
The last time I had seen Lucky One Dies First it had been part of a slightly messy affair, but within the early stages of this evenings chaotic set the loyal fan base of LODF had already built the third human pyramid I’d experienced within a week, setting the tone for what was to follow.
The confidence of frontman and guitarist Ollie Cooper showed he felt at home in front of some familiar faces, opening up the pit as LODF performed songs from their superb “Live, Learn, Crash, Burn” album along with tracks both old and new, before ending with a constant hum of feedback and before long they had won the crowd over – although I’m not quite convinced all those in attendance purely for the Caravans necessarily approved.
The second support act of the evening were BullyBones, a garage rock n roll band who probably weren’t even born when the Caravans first took to the stage and with the less punk rock appearance that these nights are used to it was going to be interesting to see how they went down amongst the regulars.
Initially BullyBones singer was very much a Mick Jagger meets Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist from the Hives in both vocal delivery and stage presence as he claimed “I’m not quite Iggy Pop… yet” – although here’s hoping the rock n roll lifestyle doesn’t kick in too quickly. Musically it took the Isle of Wighters a little while to get going but once their Rolling Stones cover was aired it soon became a definite highlight of the set and went down well amongst the crowd.
Not that I think anyone was keeping track of numbers but when the Caravans were ready to play if the Milton Arms barn wasn’t already sold out then it couldn’t have been far off. There felt to be something of a certain vibe in the mixed crowd making you part of something special, that occasion was to celebrate 31 years of the Caravans.
It didn’t take long though until this was purely about the music and rock n roll meeting the rockabilly sounds of the 1950’s, with Lee Penington fronting up the band he formed back in the 1980’s on this very stage all those years ago.
When I had the privilege of seeing the HeadCat, Motorheads Lemmy described Slim Jim Phantom of being the “Best stand up drummer” he’s ever played with… well it could be a big ask but Lee Barnett certainly brings to the Caravans what the Stray Cats drummer brought to the HeadCat and this comes from a true love for the music, great playing and the fact these guys were there when it all started.
Double Bass player Paul Choppy Lambourne apparently gets sponsored for playing his flame covered upright bass, which if that’s not enough to convince you that he’s something pretty good then watch Choppy up close when you get the chance as it doesn’t get much better than this.
With sing-a-long songs such as “Get a Head” and some dancing that would give the earlier hard-core fans a run for their money this evening had certainly been a success.
So although the last time I’d seen the Caravans they for some reason didn’t really do it for me, after this evenings performance let’s hope we can see them play the Barn again in another 31 years, because after tonight it definitely looks like there’s a lot more mileage left and much psychobilly fun to be had along the way.
