Well it was another pleasant, yet boring Bank Holiday Monday in Hull. "Why are Bank Holidays so crap?" is a question I ask myself every Bank Holiday. I suppose they are all right if you work in a bank, but if you are unemployed then it becomes a day of crap TV
and old films. So I was extremely grateful that there was an awesome line-up playing at a cool, Irish pub in the heart of Hull.
Being overly keen, I arrived at approximately 4:45pm despite it being advertised to open at 5pm. It felt extremely weird being at a gig at this time of the day and because of the blazing hot sun I found myself hiding, Zelda-like, in the shade. Thankfully it wasn't too long before I was drinking the first of many pints, courtesy of the generous pricing of alcoholic beverages at an excellent £1·20 a pint; full marks to the owners of this extremely Irish pub, which has reminders of the emerald isle everywhere you look even down to the "Guinness Is Good For You" posters in the toilets.
Things finally got started at around 6:15pm with local band, My Mess. These Hull kids blend punk, metal and emo into a delightful formula, which greatly pleased their friends and most other people present. I think this was their first gig and they managed to pull it off very well.
Next up were the second of three Hull bands on the bill this evening. Ironically possessing no obese members, Fat Marvin started off very energetically indeed. This is a band that Zelda would definitely like as they come across as a mixture of Rancid, Operation Ivy and F-Minus; more than competent hardcore punk rock with ska songs thrown in for good measure. In the break Rancid's album, 'Let's Go', was played half way through.
Hull veterans Freaks Union were next. Well I say 'veterans' in jest, as I believe the oldest member is about 23, but they seem to have been around the scene for absolutely ages. The lead singer, known as "Jimbo", is unquestionably Hull's equivalent to Lars Frederiksen, not only in appearance but vocally as well. For kids so young, they play old school punk rock very, very well. Again I'd compare them to Rancid and Operation Ivy because of their mixture of punk rock and ska. During their set the moshpit was in full swing and everybody was going crazy, helped in no small measure by Jimbo climbing on to a wooden support and diving into the crowd below. It was an impressive sight, which seemed to put a smile on everybody's face. After they finished, 'Let's Go' resumed right from where it had left off until its very end. Now how punk rock is that?
Not By Choice is a hardcore band from Northampton. They were all right but they didn't impress me all that greatly. If it ain't American hardcore then it's just not proper, is it? They are not quite in the same bracket as Agnostic Front, Straightfaced and H20 but they did put their hearts and souls into it. I guess I was suffering from a case of pre-Capdown blues.
Finally at 9:45pm, the band everyone had come to see, Capdown, hit the stage. They admitted that they were very tired after the weekend's activities, but you wouldn't have guessed because during their second song, 'Ska Wars', Jake (Singer/Sax) was dancing around like a mad man. 'Pound for the Sound' quickly followed and favourites such as 'Cousin Cleotis', 'Civil Disobedients', 'Positivity' and 'Headstrong' were also played. The crowd went absolutely ballistic as the songs blasted out so goddamn loud, with a lot of the new songs from their forthcoming album sounding excellent too. They finished with a very, very old song 'All Coppers Are Bastards' before everybody headed out the door after 5 hours or so of excellent entertainment.
It was a truly memorable gig and it was all the better for the cheap entrance fee of £2·50 and the cheap beer prices. Capdown have undoubtedly cemented their position as one of the best and most popular bands in the UK and they always seem to be very down to earth and grateful for their new found success. Be sure to catch them on their UK tour.
