On Tuesday 8th May, the King Billy pub in Northampton hosted a gig night that saw three punk bands barrel up and evidence their assorted lunacy. I went and had a cracking night out and thought I’d tell you all about it (although it has obviously taken me a while to get around to completing the post).
The gig came to my attention because the Bleach Boys, a band that I have followed for many years was headlining. Given that Daventry is just a twenty minute drive away from Northampton, and the gig was free, there really was no excuse not to go and show my support. The fact it was a ‘school night’ was certainly not going to put me off.
First up, the pub itself. I had never stepped over the threshold before and was amused to walk into the bar to find a punch ball machine in the corner. I usually associate these punch ball machines with fairgrounds and the presence of such a thing in a pub sets the scene don’t you think? Perhaps the pub is not one to take your wife and kids to! The ball saw some action too with my good friend Mike taking it in turns with a chap called Nick to see who could hit it harder (the air positively crackled with testosterone).
The King Billy is essentially a biker (of the hard-rocking variety) watering hole and makes no apology for it, even the notice boards have motorbike ‘for sale’ advertisements pinned all over them (the Daventry Motorcycle Festival flyer was represented on the board and you can read my review of that event too if you like). One or two of the pub’s employees were well worthy of the ‘don’t mess with’ label.
A hard pub and perfectly suited to hard music! The clientele for the evening, rockers, punks and well turned out skinheads – and only about forty or so people in total.
The first band of the evening was an outfit called R.S.I, not short for repetitive strain injury but rather for Routine Social Incompetence (both of course could suggest a bunch of wankers). The five piece band has two singers and has a rap type approach to punk music (with the singers taking turns with the microphones).
The music was fast paced and fun and went down well with the assembled throng. The band members had a sense of humour, engaged well with the audience and got the evening going. The band’s guitarist was a very competent player and was as acrobatic whilst playing his instrument as the singers were with just their microphones.
Nick of the punch ball was clearly a fan, and known to the band, and got the dancing going immediately.
The second band up was called Overload. This four-piece was fronted by a tall, slim, angular singer of eastern European extraction (I think). The singer had a great accent and sang from his throat in the fashion I usually associate with Lemmy.
This band was very much the outfit that the skinheads had come to see. The music was fast and aggressively delivered and I have to say very good too. I even bought a CD (Overload 2011) so that I could listen to some more on the way home – in my opinion that was a well spent quid. I have subsequently found out that there is another compilation of tunes available and so I really must get that too.
The band members were once again capable musicians and I was particularly impressed to see the guitarist and bass player exchanging instruments and playing them without fault during one track.
During Overload’s performance, the members of RSI joined in the moshing and the guitarist showed just how nimble, flexible and energetic he was. Crikey I was tired just watching him throw himself around.
Once Overload finished its set, it was the turn of the Bleach Boys to entertain. Initially the reception for these veterans of the punk movement was rather lukewarm – the moshing took a while to get going primarily, I suspect, because most participants were knackered from the previous two acts and outside cooling down.
The Bleach Boys played on un-phased and it wasn’t long before the pub was bouncing once more. I was stone cold sober (driving) and so was my mate Mike (driving too) but even we joined in the mosh. We are both too old for this kind of nonsense and really should know better but I have to say we were having a good time. God knows what we looked like! But then again, who cares – we certainly didn’t.
In age terms though, full marks go to this pensioner that turned up in his blazer and got dancing – mid seventies if he was a day I kid you not! He must have been plastered but was accorded much respect by all assembled and rightly so.
The Bleach Boys played some great tunes right through to closing time, my favourites of the evening ‘Slapper’ and ‘Nuclear War’.
When it was time to go home, Mike and I bid our farewells to King Billy and drove off in opposite directions. I drove back to Daventry hot and sweaty with my ears ringing and Overload doing an encore on the CD player. All in all a great night and I must make time to do it more often – in fact I’d happily go and see any of the bands again.
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The gig came to my attention because the Bleach Boys, a band that I have followed for many years was headlining. Given that Daventry is just a twenty minute drive away from Northampton, and the gig was free, there really was no excuse not to go and show my support. The fact it was a ‘school night’ was certainly not going to put me off.
First up, the pub itself. I had never stepped over the threshold before and was amused to walk into the bar to find a punch ball machine in the corner. I usually associate these punch ball machines with fairgrounds and the presence of such a thing in a pub sets the scene don’t you think? Perhaps the pub is not one to take your wife and kids to! The ball saw some action too with my good friend Mike taking it in turns with a chap called Nick to see who could hit it harder (the air positively crackled with testosterone).
The King Billy is essentially a biker (of the hard-rocking variety) watering hole and makes no apology for it, even the notice boards have motorbike ‘for sale’ advertisements pinned all over them (the Daventry Motorcycle Festival flyer was represented on the board and you can read my review of that event too if you like). One or two of the pub’s employees were well worthy of the ‘don’t mess with’ label.
A hard pub and perfectly suited to hard music! The clientele for the evening, rockers, punks and well turned out skinheads – and only about forty or so people in total.
The first band of the evening was an outfit called R.S.I, not short for repetitive strain injury but rather for Routine Social Incompetence (both of course could suggest a bunch of wankers). The five piece band has two singers and has a rap type approach to punk music (with the singers taking turns with the microphones).
The music was fast paced and fun and went down well with the assembled throng. The band members had a sense of humour, engaged well with the audience and got the evening going. The band’s guitarist was a very competent player and was as acrobatic whilst playing his instrument as the singers were with just their microphones.
Nick of the punch ball was clearly a fan, and known to the band, and got the dancing going immediately.
The second band up was called Overload. This four-piece was fronted by a tall, slim, angular singer of eastern European extraction (I think). The singer had a great accent and sang from his throat in the fashion I usually associate with Lemmy.
This band was very much the outfit that the skinheads had come to see. The music was fast and aggressively delivered and I have to say very good too. I even bought a CD (Overload 2011) so that I could listen to some more on the way home – in my opinion that was a well spent quid. I have subsequently found out that there is another compilation of tunes available and so I really must get that too.
The band members were once again capable musicians and I was particularly impressed to see the guitarist and bass player exchanging instruments and playing them without fault during one track.
During Overload’s performance, the members of RSI joined in the moshing and the guitarist showed just how nimble, flexible and energetic he was. Crikey I was tired just watching him throw himself around.
Once Overload finished its set, it was the turn of the Bleach Boys to entertain. Initially the reception for these veterans of the punk movement was rather lukewarm – the moshing took a while to get going primarily, I suspect, because most participants were knackered from the previous two acts and outside cooling down.
The Bleach Boys played on un-phased and it wasn’t long before the pub was bouncing once more. I was stone cold sober (driving) and so was my mate Mike (driving too) but even we joined in the mosh. We are both too old for this kind of nonsense and really should know better but I have to say we were having a good time. God knows what we looked like! But then again, who cares – we certainly didn’t.
In age terms though, full marks go to this pensioner that turned up in his blazer and got dancing – mid seventies if he was a day I kid you not! He must have been plastered but was accorded much respect by all assembled and rightly so.
The Bleach Boys played some great tunes right through to closing time, my favourites of the evening ‘Slapper’ and ‘Nuclear War’.
When it was time to go home, Mike and I bid our farewells to King Billy and drove off in opposite directions. I drove back to Daventry hot and sweaty with my ears ringing and Overload doing an encore on the CD player. All in all a great night and I must make time to do it more often – in fact I’d happily go and see any of the bands again.
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