Academy In the UK @ Carling Academy
everyone, from Mohican'd devotee to fathers bringing their sons along, heard something to delight and excite.
| 11 Jan 2007
By including a diverse range of bands - from the fiery Meteors through to the quirky pop-punk of the Rezillos, Academy in the UK manages to celebrate thirty years of punk without falling into the "faster, louder" trap of hardcore or losing focus. While there are no surprises across the evening - except perhaps the friendliness of a supposedly threatening sub-culture - the large number of bands ensure that everyone, from Mohican'd devotee to fathers bringing their sons along to their first gig, heard something to delight and excite.
Since the gig lasts for only six hours, the bands performed short sets: Straw Dogs and GBH are blasts of old-school, crowd pleasing energy, and the unannounced Clash tribute balances between homage and passion. The Meteors still terrify and enchant in equal measure, taking raw rockabilly rhythms and snarling their way through a concise set. The Damned, perhaps the most commercially successful of the first wave of punk, prove that it is possible to mature beyond two minute bursts of energy without compromising, evoking an updated 1960s garage punk. The Beat skank their way across the stage, provoking outbreaks of frantic dancing, and Blood Or Whiskey make the connection between Irish folk and punk that the Pogues firmly established.
Academy in the UK insists that pure punk - regardless of the various scenes that it has inspired - retains its energy and enthusiasm. With so many bands returning to tour after years of inaction, it is refreshing to release that some music has never really gone away and that punk - albeit in a more family friendly and less revolutionary form - is vital. [Margaret Kirk]
Since the gig lasts for only six hours, the bands performed short sets: Straw Dogs and GBH are blasts of old-school, crowd pleasing energy, and the unannounced Clash tribute balances between homage and passion. The Meteors still terrify and enchant in equal measure, taking raw rockabilly rhythms and snarling their way through a concise set. The Damned, perhaps the most commercially successful of the first wave of punk, prove that it is possible to mature beyond two minute bursts of energy without compromising, evoking an updated 1960s garage punk. The Beat skank their way across the stage, provoking outbreaks of frantic dancing, and Blood Or Whiskey make the connection between Irish folk and punk that the Pogues firmly established.
Academy in the UK insists that pure punk - regardless of the various scenes that it has inspired - retains its energy and enthusiasm. With so many bands returning to tour after years of inaction, it is refreshing to release that some music has never really gone away and that punk - albeit in a more family friendly and less revolutionary form - is vital. [Margaret Kirk]