Punktastic is sat atop the bar. It?s not the coolest, not to mention most comfortable, thing to do but it is the only way to see the carnage before us in all its glory. The box room that is the Barfly is awash with sweat and heaving bodies. The band is climbing atop of anything and everything, and inciting the swell in front. There?s an injured guy on stage using his crutches to slam cymbals. It?s one of those shows for the punter, but for Trash Talk, it?s just another night at work.
MORAL DILEMMA is charged with warming up a crowd that?s expecting (rightfully so) a messy evening. For the London squat punks this is an excellent opportunity to bring a politically charged message to a new and diverse audience. Mangled and gnarly punk is the name of the game, no-nonsense, fast and impacting. An impressive performance also makes for an effective demonstration as to the proficiency of the UK scene right now, with the trio more than holding its own against tonight?s transatlantic double-header. Closer ?Right To Remain Silent?, a scathing comment against police brutality dedicated to the memory of Jean Charles de Menezez and Ian Tomlinson, proves to be an explosive ending to a very good offering. [4/5]
?Do you like skating? Do you like beer? Do you like puking?? In terms of ethos it?s pretty easy to get a handle on CEREBAL BALLZY. Life is one big party. When it comes to gauging the band though, things aren?t quite so straight forward. PT ranked the band as unclassifiable at the Reading festival this year, a result of a shambolic set that musically didn?t impress, but was nonetheless, a spectacle. Tonight though, in the considerable more intimate surroundings of the Barfly, we get a better idea of what the Brooklyn outfit is about. It?s true that spectacle and (don?t-give-a-fuck) style makes up a huge part of the band?s repertoire, not to mention attraction, and the music is secondary but that secondary music shouldn?t be so easily dismissed. There are moments of quality, delivering some 80?s feeling punk, all crass and arrogant, with a little bit of the 21st Century thrown in for good measure. Not big and not clever, but entertaining for sure. PT now ranks Cerebal Ballzy as one to catch live. It?s an experience. [4/5]
Like Cerebral Ballzy, TRASH TALK tends to fall into one of two camps, depending on your opinion. The naysayers will have you believe that the band is punk for punk?s sake, a bastion of over-the-topness. Others will tell you that the Sacramento operation is the next big thing, more than worthy of your time. PT may just fall into this secondary category after tonight?s showing. Sure, the spectacle is there. The band is a flay of movement, the stage a continuous revolution of stagedivers and crowdsurfers. Frontman Lee Spielman is as happy to be in the crowd, handing over vocal duties to the throng, as to be on stage, or so it appears. But, the substance is there. Short, sharp bursts of hardcore punk, levelled off with a thrash metal offensive make for an imposing performance. This year?s album, ?Eyes & Nines? was 17 minutes long, so you get the idea of how rapid the band can be. No wasted moments. No prolonged intros. No pompous encore. Just straight-up, full-on hardcore fierceness. And of course, in as quick a burst it?s all over. 30 minutes or so and it?s job done. Trash Talk: no nonsense. Nothing more, nothing less. [4/5]
ALEX HAMBLETON