Oooh, this looks like it’s going to be a special one. The Bronx are currently in the middle of a tour of the UK’s arenas, as main support to Sum 41, playing to huge crowds who are mostly unfamiliar with the Los Angeles quintet. Tonight, they play one of the most high-octane, frenetic and downright electrifying sets we’ve seen in ages. Oh, and it’s happening at a brewery! Continue Reading
Personally, I’ll forever be grateful to Canadian hardcore legends (and yes, they’ve earned that title) Fucked Up for the time I saw them tear London’s Luminaire (RIP) apart on New Year’s Eve 2006. Folks, it was amazing. Unorthodox. That’s perhaps the best word to describe Fucked Up, and what they do. Generally, hardcore bands don’t spend an hour-plus onstage, but Fucked Continue Reading
You probably know Deryck Whibley as the vocalist of Sum 41; he’s also their main songwriter, and given that the Canadian quintet are currently in the midst of a farewell tour, it only seems fitting that he’s now released this gripping memoir: ‘Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven And Hell’. We won’t spoil it for you by going into the specifics, but it’d take a cold Continue Reading
It came as quite the shock when Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes suddenly announced that this tour would be their last before going on hiatus. And if this turns out to be the last we see of them, then a sold-out show at one of the few remaining great historic London venues is a fine way to say goodbye to their home country. It falls to Brighton trio Snayx to get us warmed Continue Reading
Tonight, it is the legacy of The Stooges that hangs heaviest over the Electric Ballroom and those who wreak sonic havoc within. Neither Mudhoney’s Mark Arm nor John E Vistic are afraid to channel their inner Iggy when they cast aside their guitars, and both bands are partial to the kind of glorious racket that would have the Asheton brothers (RIP) nodding in approval. The Continue Reading
Reviewer Alex got to feel the force of this new chapter in Swami John Reis’ musical journey up close! Whether with RFTC, Hot Snakes, Drive Like Jehu or Night Marchers (yep, this is one prolific man), an evening with Mr Reis is pretty much a guarantee of high-octane rock n’ roll thrills, and that’s why there’s a sense of occasion in the air tonight as we await his latest Continue Reading
SPAN are back (albeit just briefly) after a nearly 20-year hiatus, and it was so unexpected! For this one-off London gig, they’ve attracted a relatively small but highly devoted crowd, who apparently know every single one of their songs inside out. Support LiVES, like all the best bands, are fuelled by plenty of righteous vitriol. Bassist Daniel and drummer Alex hold down Continue Reading
Yep, the inaugural 2023 Handfests (Leeds and London) were such successes that the festival has returned this year, with plenty to satisfy any fan of (mostly) British ska/punk/hardcore. Here’s Punktuation’s five favourite performances of the second day on the London leg.. Haest, Pizzatramp, Vanilla Pod, In Evil Hour and Random Hand.Continue Reading
It’s at gigs like tonight’s that you have to give kudos to the crowd for taking things to a whole new level. Maybe it’s the unseasonably warm weather, maybe it’s the fact that it’s Friday night, most likely it’s the quality of tonight’s bill; whatever the truth, it’s rare to see a crowd quite as enthusiastic and up for it as they are this evening. The New Cross Inn is sold Continue Reading
Have Rockaway Beach ever put on a bad gig, or even a bad band? If so, we’re yet to see it. Brazilian duo Altermoderns get down to a typically groovy set. - they always give 150% live, they look great (both dressed entirely in red). Sussex trio Dead Hombres have the songs and the confidence to stand out from the horror-fizated hordes, and even with a set full of bangers, Continue Reading