Bold, thick and fast Brighton based, Pennywise with an ounce of Good Riddance style punk of the Ade Holder fronted Phinius Cage, made for an earnest and honest start to the evening. Affable and frenetic are the words that came into mind when witnessing the spectacle of refreshing honesty and love of producing music. The swipe at in your face people with forcible views that is the clattering ‘Timmy’, from their ‘More Haste More Speed’ album (out now on Deck Cheese Records) stood out for its channelled anger and desire to be set free.

Wiltshire ska-punkstersWhitmore followed, energetically bursting into their Greenday meets Pennywise sound, obviously needing no introduction, as the growing crowd followed suit and made for a lively but friendly pit. Having supported Capdown, Reel Big Fish and played a co-headline with 4ft Fingers, the band have gained a name for themselves, and gained more than a warm reception as they played through powerful ska-punk tunes from their three albums including latest 3 rd album The Sound. The crowd really heated up for a frenetic version of The Cure’s “Friday I’m In Love.”

Sustaining the energy were Salisbury seven piece Solabeat Alliance, a traditional ska band, resembling Madness, with their saxophones and brass section. An added punk spice is provided by powerful guitars and drums as well as their cutting vocals and lyrics, as featured on their EP’s Adventures In Blue Flash, and Rise On Up, and their 2004 album “Island Fire” and heard on the cutting single “All or Nothing.”

Spunge - Solabeat Alliance - Whitmore - Phinius Gage - Jilly's Rock World - Live Review

Their infectious nature brought a ray of sunshine resembling their Caribbean style to the intimate venue, and provided a youthful energy to the crowd.

The above mentioned display implies that there may indeed be depth and honesty back in the Ska/Pop punk genre, but I must hasten to add that in order to achieve depth you need a firm base from which to start. This is why tonight's boisterous and bouncy headliners [Spunge] are so important, despite playing to their smallest crowd to date in Manchester (a modest amount over a hundred people) they admitted to "having the best time ever", then proceeded to produce an exuberant display of modern punk.

The piercing and reggae tinged autobiographical opener 'Some Suck, Some Rock' set a frenetic fun loving mood, while they covered serious topics at times. Fakeness and insufferable big heads were denunciated in old favourite 'Ego', from their impressive 'Room for Abuse' album. The bouncing and anarchic classic 'Jump on Demand' that has won [Spunge] the honourable tag of being the new The Clash was what most had been waiting for. Questioning compliance as well as igniting a fuse that sparked some frivolous skanking and pit mayhem; that The Sex Pistols and the aforementioned class punk band used to induce. It wouldn't be punk without a shade of delicious irony; this arose out of set highlight the features the vilification of hero-worshipping; 'Idols'. Judging by the crowd's reaction to this Tewksbury quintet, they are living up to their lyrics in the devotion that the fans seemed to show them tonight;

"I wanna be just like my idols.

I really admire their styles.

I wanna, wanna, wanna, wanna, wanna, yeah, yeah ,yeah."

http://www.spunge.co.uk

Katherine Tomlinson