Whittles in Oldham on a Wednesday with a world cup qualifier going on at the same time as the planned gig didn't bode well as regards the turn-out for this Slit Records promotion.  Stuck with it Dean Diggle the peddlar of tonights entertainment shrugged his shoulders and got on with the job as best he could knowing only too well it would be a struggle.  He wasn't wrong and discounting regulars in the gaff an estimation afterwards was that about 10 people actually made the effort to see the bands.  No matter this was still a good evening of music and the few who attended seemed well happy.
 
Salutations to chums and a few scoops then Name In Brackets did a brief acoustic stint in his usual tidy way with the set tailing off into postcard humour that pleases the passer by.  Definitely fun-time strumming with a leaning towards the lewd which is fine as a one off but after a couple of viewings loses its edge.  There is some sharp wordplay here and as I have stated before this guy has a greater talent than wasting it on the crude stuff.  I'd like to see him knock out an angrier set with a more subtle comedic approach and just throw in one of the vulgar numbers now and again.  Just a personal feeling and maybe he is happy doing what he's doing and if that's the case then so be it.
 
The Guilty Pleasures next and the steep incline they are on didn't dip here as another confident and classy set was blasted out with all corners of this punk triangle as sharp and accurate as you like.  There's a good sound in this venue and the GP machine took full advantage of it and made another statement about their new found belief and hunger.  The songs were primarily from their excellent new album (which is reviewed on this site) and each one complimented the other perfectly and gave it's own unique support to an overall solid set.  'Nations State', 'Corrupt Authority', 'Governments Get Away With It', 'Media Deception' etc.  It's all there and this lot are steamin' at the mo and are worthy of anyone's attention.  I've watched these progress quite nicely over the last 3 years or so and things look set to get even better.

Next a new band for me, namely Leeds crew The Terminals. Didn't know what to expect here but rumour had it that a treat was in store. Fuckin' hell this was good and the band, all with face covering neckerchiefs, looked comfortable with each others thythm and really rocked the venue to its rafters with a quirky pop punk beat that oozed class. The frontman really got into the groove and each musician knew their role and played it beautifully. There are lots of comparisons to make here with The Clorox Girls, The Briefs and The Cute Lepers being most obvious. I like power pop punk and this was of a very high standard indeed. The set seemed to be over in no time at all and I couldn't find any fault whatsoever. Being unfamiliar with any of their stuff I couldn't pick a fave but even if I knew each and every song it would still be a struggle because they were all very, very good. Gotta get some stuff by these and I recommend everyone with an inkling towards high energy soda pop melody should see these as soon as possible.

And lastly to Manchesters finest band The Shadowcops. I think these lot are sorely understated and still don't get the recognition they deserve. It seems the brand of stuff they knock out doesn't tick certain boxes of certain genres and as a result they are slipping through the net which totally and utterly disgusts me. As per usual no Manc fans were here as that devastating and arduous adventure of 10 or so miles is obviously too much. This again was top notch and the sonic inferno blazed away to a lowly crowd who appeared to enjoy the racket. Old songs, new songs and a cover song were all rammed out with efficiency with an amazingly solid drum routine to work against. 'Putsch' is always a winner for me but where do you pick a bad un' from. One day I hope I can flex my fingers and find a few negative things to say about this lot as words are running dry as to what to write. Great band, great noise should equal great attention - so come on you pigeon-holed fuckers - have a gander and appreciate this lot for what they - fuckin' superb.

So a fantastic gig and a shit crowd - daja'vue I feel. A shame really but it's a common theme. The night, the footy and the current lethargy are tough fuckers to compete against but I enjoyed it and am glad I made the effort. Let's hope everyone on tonight's bill gets a better turn-out next time and gets some real appreciation for what they do.

 

review by OMD (11 September 2008)