In other news Toby has sent me a Review of the Capdown Concert he went to on the weekend, which on reading makes me slightly regretful of not going, but such is life. So if your really interested, or more likely bored, read that

Review
Capdown - The Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells
21st June 2003

Hello cohorts (or anyone who is really sad enough to read this)! It is I, Toby. Well after a few weeks of the skull crushing tedium of the worst four-letter word in the English language, I decided to have a bit of fun. First I had a shindig (erm…{cough} drinking is wrong em) and then went to go see Britain’s finest ska-punk band: Capdown.

Well, I can hear the groans already. SKA-PUNK IS SHIT! Right? Well shut your mouth and listen, this is not poppy, mainstream charting crappy pap. And for some reason, in Tunbridge Wells (of all places) they get that, the people at the Forum put together an absolutely amazing bill. Sequana, Lucky 13 and Ye Wiles all played before. Now if you like the underground skacore scene like me, this is heaven.

Yet, all these bands are best in the sweaty confines of the Forum or the Concorde 2 in Brighton, yet because of a drum + Bass night at the Forum it was moved to the roomy assembly hall. Now I’m not selling Capdown short but they could not fill up a 1500 person venue, as a consequence it was hopelessly undersold, and by the time Sequana got on it was less then a quarter full. They are still only young pups, but they made a surprisingly good mixture of punk and post-hardcore, but, the crowd was absolutely static. Next was Lucky 13, who I thought were a bit like the mainstream chunder of New Found Glory and their so-cal friends, still, they are better at it then most of the other British bands but still, no crowd reaction.

Then came the Ye Wiles and Jesus they were a change from the previous bands, for a start the skate punk chic was gone; instead you got one of the weirdest looking bands (without makeup) I’ve seen. A scarily androgynous ginger-dreaded drummer in Roy Orbison shades, a pile of 4 foot long dreads that was the guitarist, a rail thin bassist and then a singer who looked like all he hadn’t slept in weeks. Yet, they proved to be one of the best, most-original live bands I’ve seen. They played frantic stop-start ska and finally the crowd got going, by the time of the last song: “Screenplay” they were preaching to the converted.

But, as good as Ye Wiles were, Capdown on form is just unbeatable. When they are on, there are few better live bands. And after the opening song, singer Jake explains about the evils of punk rock bastardisation and apologises for gasp… releasing a single, but he makes a convincing argument and is forgiven by those assembled. They play a great set with material from “Civil Disobedients” and “Pound For the Sound” and there are many notable highlights: a blistering “Faith No More”; a circle-pit fuelled “Progression VS. Punk Rock” and the new single “Act Your Rage” proves very skankable. After signing off with “Cousin Cleotis” their reputation, which was brought into disrepute by the single, is restored as one of Britain’s best.

PUNK ROCK LIVES!