GBH
London
The Purple Turtle
February 21st
4/5
First one on the bill was Billy Club who offered their version of the GBH-sound. In fact they even started with a lesser know GBH cover ‘Three Piece Suite’. The Dresdens were next with their racing American influenced punk rock and roll, much in the vein of Zeke. Guitarist and the highly energetic bassist made a difference to the sound by sharing the vocals and this Winnebago Deal side project looks certail to go places this year. Riot Squad kept the sounds of streets going with the help of their intense vocalist. The anti-nazi skinheads had a hint of UK82 in their sound and got the crowd going. GBH kicked off their set with ‘Race Against Time’ and it was evident that band was in great shape. Few numbers in and into ‘Diplomatic Community’ and the crowd goes absolutely mental. Songs like ‘Freak’ and ‘Crush ‘Em’ also give guitarist Jock the chance to bring in some brilliant solo bits. The band also plays new material from the upcoming album and songs such as ‘Kids Get Down’ are as great as the old classics. Colin sports his legendary haircut along with the leather jacket and comes out with his usual witty remarks. Their biggest commercial hit ‘Give Me Fire’ gets dedicated to the smoking ban and ‘No Survivors’ gets described as feeling like a Stevie Wonder in snow storm. The intimate atmosphere of the venue clearly contributes to the evening and the band has never sounded better. They end their tight set with stunning version of the Clash anthem ‘White Riot’. And what a riot the night had been.
Jyrki “Spider” Hämäläinen
