It felt that this gig was slow to come round, the date that is, not the tempo of the gig! Gunta and I made our way across a freezing cold Islington (narowly avoiding being mown down be several hundred young folk streaking (not literally... not in that weather) down Upper Street on roller skates... quite a sight, last seen in Paris). We reached our rendevous, the Hen & Chickens pub to find a bar full of punk guitarists.... there was Leigh, and Jet (who was in the UK Subs for a time)... and is that Damian O'Neill over there? It was indeed, with two other former members of That Petrol Emotion, so possibly another guitarist. Segs was in the house too, representing the bass players.
It was due to be another one of those early gigs with Ruts DC taking to the stage at 8.30. I was a little concerned at first since that as of 8pm the audience was rather thin on the ground but the venue filled quite rapidly in the minutes before the band were due on stage. I don't think that it was a sell out, perhaps some were deterred by the idea of venturing out on a very cold Sunday night. In the end though the numbers were good. Opening with 'Vox Teardrop' what was to follow was an eclectic set and a long set to boot. Ruts DC have such an extensive back catalogue now that entire albums worth of material can be left out such that there was nothing from 'Rhythm Collision I' or 'Animal Now' to be heard tonight, which is always regretable, but for sure the replacement material in the set more than made up for the necessary omissions.
'Something That I Said' was up next followed by the ever brilliant 'Mighty Soldier', still the best song that the band have written since coming back (and that is in no way meant as a sleight on all the other stuff)... it came with a plea for peace, but I don't thing that Vladimir Putin was there on this night. The first surprise of the night (well I say surprise... but Andy Peart had let on after the Brighton gig.... but that's okay, I have never been one for ducking and diving to avoid knowledge of a set before a gig!) was 'Demolition Dancing'. Before the song, Segs mentioned that it was the 45th anniversary of the 'Grin & Bear It' album so it was time that this one got an airing.
A rousing 'Back Biter' and a brilliant 'Counterculture' racked up the tempo before it was slowed back down for very rare coupling of 'Love In Vain' and 'Give Youth A Chance'. Unfortunately, momentarily caught short at this point, I found myself up against the urinal as a bloke emerged from a Gents cubical shouting 'Are they a punk band or a reggae band? I don't get it. I HATE it when they play that reggae shit!' When there you go, the guy said it himself... he didn't get it... I mean 'Love In Vain'!!!
The night before the band had played in Norwich and on their journing down to London they had cause to pass through Harlow (the town next to me and where I have worked for many years). Segs stated that he had never seen so many flags and grinned without making any further comment.... I suspect like the reggae hating gentleman from the lavatory cubicle, Segs doesn't get it either.... the flag thing that is, and to that point neither do I! Such was the introduction to 'Born Innocent'.
The third 'treat' for the night and once again lifted from 'Grin & Bear It' was 'Secret Soldier' - have they ever played this one before this tour?... I cannot recall. Very, very rarely if they have.
'Bound In Blood' nearly saw us to the end of the first page of a two page set list! With the big hitters, 'In A Rut', 'Babylon' and 'Rude Boys separated by a couple of attacks on bad politicians in the forms of 'Poison Games' and 'Pretty Lunatics'.
It was an exceptional evening, 90 minutes of brilliant music that did much to reaffirm the fact that intolerance and hatred have not quite yet permeated every part ofthis country.
