Farse + The Skints + The Sharks @ Birmingham Academy 2 – 9th May 2009

Tonight is a very special show, Farse are a Birmingham band that split five years ago so this is their first gig in a long time. With legendary status and so many die-hard fans there’s a lot to live up to.

First up however, are The Sharks, who fail to impress much of the audience with their rather tepid and generic Clash tribute. The gruff vocals of the frontman came off as a dull mumble instead of the aggressive attack he was clearly hoping for, while the overly simplistic musical backing lead to a hugely dull sound overall. This band are badly matched to the headliners, so their poor show goes down even worse here than they deserve, the applause barely audible after most of their songs.

The Skints are up next, and these guys really have some talent, while it’s a little strange to watch a band where the drummer is the lead vocalist the well written reggae/punk/dub got the crowd on side. With a real old school ska vibe to throw into the mix these guys go back to 1st wave for their influences, from chilled out dub tracks to more upbeat ska, all with a great punky edge. It’s clear to see these guys are in with the current british ska-punk vibes, and hopefully we’ll be seeing them again soon.

Finally, the band that every person in the room is here to see (including members of The King Blues) walks on stage; the cheer that goes up is raw and aggressive, it’s the sound of over 300 people that have missed this band for the last five years. Kicking off with a classic the pit opens up in seconds, and the energy on stage is as high to match. It’s clear these guys have missed their band, and now their making up for it. A blistering set, played to fans that know every word, not that any of them can sing while flinging themselves around a pit that lively. It’s most obvious for the ‘whoahs’ where the whole room joins in, sending shivers down spines, and sparking huge grins on the band members.

The band are still as fun as ever, with games of ‘surprise hopskotch’ — listen for the sound of the snare roll and prepare for the minute long ska-core blast that is an old crowd favourite. Every now and again, something really special happens, and this was one of those occasions.

Review – Terra Duff
Photos – Shaz R

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