Engine Punk

Good Charlotte rocked the Carling Academy in Bristol on Wednesday night. I first became aware of GC when I joined a gym and “Girls like cars and money” was one of the few decent songs playing on MTV at that time. A subsequent recommendation from my mate Gary – he doesn’t do this often – and I got a couple of albums. I’m not the only person to misunderstand Good Charlotte’s image but it’s the music I like and that’s what matters. They look like they might break into rap at any moment but I'm happy to say that they don’t. They’d lose me if they did. On the inlay card to their first album they made a great deal of their Christian beliefs and this surprised me. I don’t associate religion with punk rock. When the prospect of seeing them in Bristol came up I took it although I wasn’t sure what to expect. Support band was Rooney, a Californian five piece some of us thought we’d heard of. I think they were on the sound track of Herbie Re-loaded, which (funnily enough) is one of the f...

They're still burning. Stiff Little Fingers celebrate 31 years of punk rock this year and they're just as good as ever. I know because I saw them last night at the Bristol Academy. It's a bit of a trek up from Cornwall and I find it advisable to take a day off work afterwards because I don't get home until 0200 hours but Stiff Little Fingers still play with such conviction they keep me turning up at their gigs. Their live performances are consistently superlative. I know most of the words as well and if you don't go to church or have no interest in football like me, the opportunities for community singing are somewhat limited so I need bands like SLF. "Fingers!" I went up with my mate Gary and when we arrived at the venue, two little girls had been sidelined by the door staff since they'd drunk the best part of a bottle of whisky between them. Gary and I had arranged to meet up with Gary's mate Dave from Gloucester so, as we were waiting,...

When punk met goth This week I have been listening a great deal to Long live the new flesh (great title!) by Flesh for Lulu . They were among the first of the 1980's goth bands and, until recently, the only track I could name of theirs was their epic 12" EP Roman Candle. I've made a long search for this as an MP3 file to replace the worn out party mix cassette but I've drawn a big blank. I have, however, found this album, which dates from 1987. This was when things were really taking off for the band with a world tour and a conspicuous presence on MTV. But their fans viewed all this activity as selling out. It was about this time that I saw them in Brixton as they supported The Ramones and - dare I say it - I enjoyed Flesh for Lulu more on that night. I seem to recall that they were having a great time on stage. But somehow their records have eluded me. So I bought this album just before Christmas and the more I listen to it the more I like it. Personal fa...

So what is an engine punk again? An engine is any sort of mechanical contrivance. The original calculator was described as a difference engine. My interest is mainly internal combustion engines and the uses to which they can be put. Or put-put-put-put. According to Wikipedia a punk is "a young male hustler, a gangster, a hoodlum, or a ruffian" and for many years it had that kind of negativity. But with punk rock came the kick-ass, DIY sub-culture thing and that is pretty much mainstream these days with the internet and all the connectivity that it offers. I'm not a gangster or very young any more but I certainly feel like a punk and if my Stiff Little Fingers will let me I can bash out "I wanna be a Ramone" by The Scopies.