Beat The Red Light | Bananatown

BTRL / M3L / David Cameron Diaz / 7 Day Conspiracy

Posted by jamie on Apr 24, 2012

Our dawgs at Shufflecore have told us about this show they’re putting on. It looks ace!

Anyway, just letting you know that I’ve got another gig coming up with some quality ska punk - Beat The Red Light, 7 Day Conspiracy, My Third Leg and David Cameron Diaz are playing on Friday 4th May.

Leo says:

Pretty excited about this one, would you be up for sharing it through bananatown? I’d be really grateful if you could!

No problems, dude. We’re here for all good DIY promoters.

Artwork: the wonderful AnaSera Chambers

See it on facebook here.

Like Bananatown on facebook here.

Posted in Beat the Red Light, My Third Leg, Tours and Shows || No Comments »

TNS: All-dayer 2012

Posted by jamie on Mar 6, 2012

TNS records all-dayer

Kraak Studio, Manchester

3^rd March 2012

Rosie

First problem of the day struck very early on. Where the hell is the venue? After being asked by band members who were also lost and making jokes about dodgy back alleys we eventually found it. The jokes became some sort of reality, however at least there were signs the whole way to this bizarre venue. It was like no other…apparently it was formerly used to display art work, so I can sort of see why they changed it. An arrangement of random sofas around the place with some atmospheric (but purple) lighting was not what I’d usually expect at a punk gig!

First act of the day was Bootscraper performing a stripped down acoustic set as only 3 of 7 members were present. This certainly didn’t mean they were lacking in sound, with their line-up containing accordion, harmonica and what looked like a banjitar, it was certainly a feast of sounds, with contrasting vocals from the extremely gruff to the surprisingly soulful/mournful, complimenting the folk line up and twangy complex banjitar parts, placing them between a youthful Seasick Steve and the excitement of Gogol Bordello. They were rhythmically very tight, also a real bonus with such an array of instruments, especially when lacking a drummer!

It’s not long before Rising Strike burst on to the stage, declaring some kind of new syntax (what) and kick in to their form of extremely fast, hardcore ska with intense horn parts and screams a plenty, their sound is reminiscent of very early Capdown which I’m putting down to all the sax’s dotted rhythms as much as anything else. There’s a lot of anger in this band: they launch aggressively in to songs and often add an odd sense of confusion portrayed by the saxophone as its chromatic nature makes it sound like some kind of weird headache. This band is as mad as their sound, which appears from everywhere, like a whirlwind, destroying everything in its path.

Sounds of Swami are next to face what is a rather busy crowd for about 3pm. Originally I wasn’t taken in by their strong vocals, it seemed somewhat uninspiring, with the choruses really having to bring the songs together and a reliance on the bassist, because although I couldn’t hear him overly well I got the feeling he could carry them through. However, they progressed so much through the set. The Lions Share was a personal favourite as the bass lines did finally become apparent and the sound seemingly expanded all of a sudden, with harmonised vocals and chanty “hey”s, it felt more fuelled by emotion and definitely was a standout track from their set. The final track which I’m fairly sure they named In Retrospect also continued to redeem the earlier parts of their set as everything really did come together, so much so that the crowd felt the need to show their appreciation by creating a circle pit. No, I’m lying, apparently in Manchester they prefer human pyramids…If anyone could tell me why I’d be grateful: I’m quite intrigued as I saw about 5 throughout the day.

The Kirkz appear next, another very fast punk band, with some very bouncy guitar and bass parts and excitable vocalist really trying to involve the crowd. A semi circle of space in the crowd seems to form which he then strides around in, trying to round everyone up, ringmaster style. Their songs are particularly catchy, though I’m not entirely sure why - it could be the gang vocals as they definitely have a sing-a-long vibe to them. Either way, they are extremely engaging, the singer makes sure of that…I was just left wishing he’d actually sing a bit more because the few times that came through it was extremely enjoyable.

Sense of Urgency are driven by their horn parts, and that is by no means a bad thing. They’re the first band of the day to really get the crowd involved and have people fully singing along. Think early Less Than Jake or [spunge] if Less Than Jake had more angry, raspy vocals combined with more of Reel Big Fish’s horn parts. The Night We Exploded exposes some epic bass lines with driven horns and lovely harmonies. I can’t help but feel the vocals are somewhat out of place because the instrumental interludes are so tight and the sound is so well fused. However, I suppose that would just leave “another boring ska band”. The vocals add in an extra element that throws them further despite the fact it’s not the kindest on the ears.

Most dance-y act of the night goes to Black Star Dub Collective. So many people were in the room by this point that I could barely see the stage. With their blend of dub/ska and the featuring of melodica, keyboard and saxophone, you’d almost think the Skints had entered the room without you noticing. They had a variety of contrasting texture invading and creating a kind of chilled atmosphere with their raw vocals breaking it up somewhat. They really did get the crowds going, my only complaint being their songs were long and featured numerous interludes which often had nothing to define one from another. This aside, once their set was over there was a clear chorus of “that was amazing” from various crowd members so it seems they pleased!

I’m sorry to say that I think Hated Til Proven were the biggest disappointment of the day, whilst their songs are extremely punchy and driven, with their hardcore punk influences being very apparent, their breakdowns into more ska elements seemed to work better. Whilst they seem to be trying to do something different, it just didn’t really work as it just didn’t blend.

Faintest Idea bring what feels like the 20^th wall of death of the evening with their raw vocals, brass focused ska punk. They‘re another band that seem to progress throughout their set as after a couple of songs in they suddenly achieve a massive sound with their harmonised horns (I really wish they’d tune properly next time though…), claiming a rougher sound using these instruments to really punctuate the overall sound.

Revenge of the Psychotronic Man are intense. Really intense. They display an older sound comparable with their incredibly speedy punk rock. This band is certainly not here to settle you, expressing a lot of rage throughout. I had a couple of favourite points in this set. One was the awkward moment when the vocalist states “I don’t know how to say this, but this one’s called Tramp Rape”. Suffice to say, the song contains plenty of chanting of “tramp rape” which seems to get the crowd all the more involved. The second highlight was the wheelbarrow of death for Felch Death Fuck Storm which shows just how much Manchester party it up as circle pits and human pyramids appear throughout this song.

Penultimate band of the night Beat the Red Light provide us with really loud punching horns, beating through the screams with amazing themes coming through from the bass and heavy guitar parts, contrasting to the staccato nature of the horns. It’s a complete mix up of metal, ska and punk. Their performance is extremely tight, timing is almost flawless, often a challenge with such a variety of instruments. Their songs are catchy due to the strength of the punchy rhythms that constantly push through from the brass. Pretty much everyone is dancing for their final few songs, and well, that can hardly be a bad thing.

We have to wait around a while whilst some rather novel raffle prizes are handed out…or at least they try to hand them out. People don’t seem too eager to claim them!

Stand Out Riot eventually jump straight into their album’s opener, Get Mutual, followed by Developing Detachment. I’ve seen them once before that I could remember, and even in those few months there seems to have been a dramatic change. They still have the most ridiculous amount of energy you could possibly wish to find in their ska punk party sounds which had the whole crowd dancing throughout. Developing Detachment has a really interesting build up as the instruments slowly join in, layering up until reaching their full sound which really does sound amazing tonight. I could actually hear the violin this time which is a bonus, adding another layer of texture to their sound, which fuses together brilliantly considering how much they manage to fit in. The singer’s vocals were also definitely on form tonight, another point of progression for this band.

Half way through vocalist suggests that “fucking hell, we’re eager” – they certainly are, and throughout the set I can’t help but fill with jealousy, I certainly can’t jump around and play viola at the same time, unlike these guys that seem to have no problem dancing around with their instruments. Law and Hors’douevres brings in a proper danceable Mexican vibe with their preppy horns and the party continues with swords fights on piggy backs emerging in the crowd. This has certainly been a surreal gig in many ways. Stand Out Riot have a specific sound with direction and focus like none of the others seen today. They really seem to know what they’re doing and one can only hope that they stick to it.

And so it’s over. By the end of the day of music, I’d be surprised if anyone here wasn’t shattered. It was a really energetic and long day, especially with all the human pyramids, walls of death and various other random things that Mancs like to incorporate in to their gigs. Two days later, I’m fairly sure I’m still not recovered from that shock to the system. Massive thanks to TNS: It’s rare that you can keep people entertained for a full 11 hours, but they certainly succeeded this time around.

Posted in Beat the Red Light, Faintest Idea, Live reviews, Reviews, Sense Of Urgency || No Comments »

BTRL: High Wycombe show on Thursday

Posted by jamie on Dec 13, 2011

Big night on Thursday in High Wycombe. Neville Staple’s cancelled due to illness, so Beat the Red Light are going to play instead, and it’s now free entry. Support comes from Bored of Justice and Jump the Gun.

See it on facebook here.

Get well soon, Neville. Love, Bananatown x

Bea tthe Red Light - Salt the Lands

Posted in Band Updates, Beat the Red Light, Tours and Shows || No Comments »

Random Hand / Big D: Underworld show

Posted by jamie on Sep 12, 2011

Big D and the Kids Table are back in the UK this December. They’re going to play with Random Hand, among others, on a super-exciting looking bill.

You can get tickets here.

See it on facebook here.

Big D and the Kids Table

Posted in Beat the Red Light, Big D, Dirty Revolution, Random Hand || No Comments »

Beat the Red Light: Salt the Lands

Posted by jamie on Jun 28, 2011

Beat the Red Light

Salt the Lands – TNS, 2011

27^th June 2011

Jamie

Sitting down to witness Salt the Lands for the first time, I thought I was prepared. I mean, I’d heard it through the grapevine that this was pretty brutal. In hindsight, though, brutal scarcely comes close. Salt the Lands is an absolute monster: it’s enormous, angry and ridiculously powerful. Imagine the damage a bad-tempered Tyrannosaurus Rex could do to some cushions that had made fun of its mother and then somehow stomped on its smallest dino-toe and you’re somewhere near what this record can do to your ears. The hairs on my neck are all standing up right now.

High Wycombe’s Beat the Red Light come with a burden of expectation these days: if an ear-splitting self-titled debut EP and countless incendiary live performances weren’t enough, that image of a skull and spinal cord forcibly impaired on a trombone sums up what these guys are about fairly neatly. It should be too much: a bit of an overstatement that leads to a disappointing anticlimax, but, in fact, it’s anything but: it’s a metaphor, of course, they’re not actually going to do that to your skull (who’d pay for that?) but these tunes really blow your mind. If anything, saying that doesn’t do it justice. But it does sound better than “rock your socks off”.

Beat the Red Light: Salt the Lands

This time they’ve gone for the relatively discreet, understated image of a wolf, dressed as a Bishop, machine-gunning some doves. If anything, though, the songs here are bigger, scarier and angrier than ever before. A four-piece horn section (two trumpets, a trombone and a sax) and two guitars join vocals, bass and drums to create a gigantic and exhilaratingly intimidating wall of monstrous sound that almost lifts you up and throws you across the room. It’s not ska, as they’re fond of pointing out: most of this lot have been in various ska, ska-punk and skacore bands for a while, and wanted to do something else. Still, though, it’s more than just scary metal with horns. It’s too interesting and has too much depth for that: there are ska horn lines, and there are more than enough places to do dance and skank. There are the giant, scary riffs and that vocal that comes from the very back of a singer’s throat. And then there are upstrokes on the guitar, embellished by staccato (short and sharp) blasts on the horns before it all suddenly explodes in to an enormous crescendo of all of that together with screams that make your belly move and riffs bigger than you can imagine. The song Rut is probably the best example, but there’s so many places where the visceral anger from the a metal vocal melds perfectly with the immediate and candid emotional urgency that comes from the frustration behind so many of the great punk songs. Add a four-piece horn section playing darkly melodic harmonies, giant fanfares and good, no-nonsense swing-core ska and you’re on to a surefire winner. If that was the recipe, though, you’d probably want to add a couple of hand grenades.

The sheer size and power of these songs is what makes the record really stand out, and in that it’s unlike anything I’ve seen before. It’s also got the tunes, though, even if I’m not really a metal fan. Even at its growliest, there’s enough depth to the songs that the tunes carry through nicely. Thoroughly enjoyable throughout. Approach with extreme caution, though.