Tuesday 19 October 2010

327 JOYRIDER, Supp. Blameless, The Nicotines, Gloucester Guildhall Arts Centre, Thursday 6 June 1996

Scorchio! All in shorts for the hottest day of the year so far (touching 80 degrees!), we bopped over to the splendid Arts Centre for their Thursday "Spacehopper Club" band night in time for first band, The Nicotines, at 8.45. They received a rapturous welcome from the very young crowd, and despite playing no more than a passable set of 70's powerpop updated with a few baggy type musical swirls, they had a large moshpit throughout. The joint was jumping; quite literally, as the moshpit propelled the wooden floorboards up and down most vigorously!

I joined in with the youngsters during Joyrider's set. The spiky young Irish foursome played a stormer, with strobe-lit, dynamic, fast-paced spunky punk rock, similar to Compulsion and Therapy? having a bloody good argument. Choice cuts from their storming "Be Special" album were joined by a totally unexpected bludgeoning of the Jane Weidlin pop classic "Rush Hour". Little wonder that the floor, scene of a ferocious water fight during the Nicotines set, was bone dry when the Joyrider mosh subsided - it had evaporated due to the moshpit heat!

Blameless came on to another rapturous reception at 10.15, and kicked off with their best number, the noisefest of "Town Clowns". Clive, rocking beside me tonight, is a big fan but they've passed me by somewhat; still, tonight I enjoyed their dynamic if basic poppy rock set. They're at their best when noisier and moodier, and like Eat (who they remind me of, a lot), I'll probably warm to them in the end.

Overall a sweaty and enjoyable one, culminating in late chip shop chip suppers all round!

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