Engine Punk

The Undertones played in The White Rabbit at Plymouth Bus Station on 9th April and it was a great gig in a very intimate venue. I was there with my little gang of south west punk rock enthusiasts and this was just the kind of show we enjoy. The crowd were a great bunch, too, and produced the oldest crowd surfer that I have seen to date. I hope that record only stands to be broken. Er, it wasn't me, although I did fall over in the mosh pit and lost a shoe for a couple of numbers. Good job I had the indestructible socks on. Doyle and The Fourfathers. For once I think the music press might know what they're talking about Support was provided by Doyle and The Fourfathers who are widely tipped for greater things. It's difficult to give a band like this a proper appreciation when you don't know their songs, don't listen to the radio because it only plays crap and the main acts tunes have become hard wired into your brain after so many years but I liked these guys ...

The ship that launched a thousand faces. And many more great steamships Following the Stiff Little Fingers gig in Bristol, I stayed over night in Bristol with the intention of having a quick look around the SS Great Britain. I'd been round this as a student when it was little more than an empty hulk in the mid-eighties when it was included as a visit to support our history of design lectures. The reconstruction of the interior is stunning compare to the empty and broken shell I saw back the 80s. This is the Promenade deck and it must have been a fantastic feeling to walk here while at sea in any kind of weather. The natural light has been used to brilliant effect. The hull is still very holey. This view is from inside the forward hold and shows the light coming through what should be very thick iron plates. It's incredible how the SS Great Britain managed to float back into Bristol, a case of sheer determination over the laws of bouyancy The big shiny ducts are part o...

The best old school punk band still touring (Photo : Kevin Ruscoe) I've been seeing Stiff Little Fingers at least once every year over  the last ten years and my mate Gary has now seen them over 30 times. For me they are the best punk band to see at the moment and their songs are just as relevant as they ever were. In a way that's quite sad. The world has not improved much in the last 30 years. Tin Soldier and Wasted Life mean as much now as they ever did, even taking into account the success of the peace process in Northern Ireland. But really these are anthems about the human condition. Alternative Ulster could apply to any city, any community. Originally, the support was to have been Spear of Destiny but Kirk Brandon was ill. So a local band by the name of Los Conios stepped in. They were not received as well they deserved, despite being a local band. I liked their recent single, Split , which I've downloaded from Amazon, but felt their tempo changes were som...