The Underworld
played host to an afternoon and an evening of top quality Ska punk. Presenting a perfect excuse to reacquaint oneself with Newcastle Brown Ale and get stuck into some serious cardio/dancing. Originally we had purchased tickets to watch local favorites Faintest Idea, but due to a logistical
error (we were in the bar upstairs chatting) we managed to miss all but the last one of their songs, the terrific "Bull in a China Shop". This was all slightly disappointing, as Faintest Idea are terrific live. Bought a T-shirt out of guilt.
Next up, the
Counting Coins from Hull, put in a great high energy set littered with some great tunes and accompanied by a quality trumpet player. They were the punkiest sounding of all the bands, at times reminding me of Capdown which is no bad thing, and there is no doubting that Don't Look Down is a great ska punk tune. At one point they even got the crowd to start Waltzing, a dance not seen at a gig since 1852.
Unfortunately ticket sales seem to have been slow and there were not too many people to witness what was a great nights entertainment. I don't think I have ever seen the Underworld this empty for a while, which is great in terms of cloakroom queues and getting a beer, but not so good for the promoter.
Nevertheless this didn't seem to dampen the atmosphere and by the time the Popes of Chillitown came on the crowd was warmed up enough to start a mini circle pit, which goes someway to explain the various injuries
I woke up with the next day. The finale of their energetic set was a
remarkable Ska mix of the Spice Girls Spice Up Your Life and System of a Down's Needles, which I'm sure went unnoticed by anyone under the age of thirty. Straight after I asked about 10 people which System of Down song it was, and all I got was blank looks back...
All you really want
from a ska punk band, is to have a really good time, and dance like madman. The Popes of Chillitown and The Counting Coins delivered that perfectly and you can't ask for much more
than that.
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