Review:
'CRUNCH, THE/ SLYDIGS'
'London, Holloway, Nambucca, 12th December 2013'
- Genre: 'Punk/New Wave'
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Our Rating:
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This show was part of the tour for The Crunch's 'Busy Making Noise' album and also to celebrate the release of The Crunch's drummer's Autobiography "The Strange Case of Dr. Terry and Mr. Chimes" Wilkinson Publishing online that deals with Mr. Chimes' two careers as a drummer and a chiropractor.
I arrived while the support act SLYDIGS were already playing and the first song I heard seemed to be about the singer telling us that "she's His baby Star" (or was it baby stick?), but either way they sounded pretty good in a very old school late 60's way like they were channelling late 60's/early 70's Rolling Stones and Creedence Clearwater revival but crossed with Ocean Colour Scene. Very tight and enjoyable.
Next they introduced a new song called Feature that kept to the blueprint and I have to say they were a lot of fun. If they tour enough they should build a decent sized following. Electric Lover was probably the best song they played and, as with most of the numbers, it featured backing vocals that seemed to be nicked from Sympathy For The Devil. As with that colossus of a track, they also seemed to have quite a few people singing along to it.
Bang Bang & My Bullet Is Gone was dedicated to someone who has just got back from a tour of duty but actually seemed to be about premature ejaculation (look, bear with me) sung from the point of view of someone with all the swagger and lack of class of Liam Gallagher but thankfully sounding a million miles better than anything he's ever been involved in.
They finished with The Lover That Keeps On Giving, sticking to the band's sound nicely and getting plenty of people going in the process. They were a good support act who know how to strike some mighty fine poses while playing good, tight rock.
After the break it was time for THE CRUNCH to come out and blow us all away; opening as they did with the title track of the album to let us all know that they would be Busy Making Noise for us. Indeed, it didn't take long for Sulo to get everyone going as Terry Chimes attacked his drums and they were quickly in their stride. Street Flavor saw Mick Geggus and Sulo battling with their guitars while Idde Schultz added some cool keyboards. Fire Again had some really cool rumbling bass from Dave Tregunna who was looking menacing when he didn't have a huge grin on his face.
Sulo started to have some very funny banter with a walking cliche who was right up front telling him how much he loved him as they launched into Right About Now: the first song played out of order from the album and as with everything else tonight, it sounded pin sharp and spot on.
They broke thingS down somewhat for A matter Of Time, which had a good dubby feel to parts of it with Dave Tregunna and Terry Chimes cue-ing each other up as they broke the sound down before building the song to its climax.
Next up was the one song I have trouble identifying but I think was Remember Me Like That (don't quote me on that). It was cool either way and was followed by Dave Tregunna stepping up to the mike for The Lords Of The New Church's Russian Roulette. It really got everyone singing along and Sulo and Idde's backing vocals really helped them have a good gang feel to it.
Gangster Radio was dedicated to the BBC and sounds every bit as great as the single does; one of those songs that I could stick on repeat for ages and not get bored. That it only lasts a few short minutes is the only downside, as I could easily have handled an expanded 10 minute plus version, but this band never hangs around like that.
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They then slow things down and bring Idde up front for their only real slow song, A Little Bit Of Grace: the quite lovely duet between Idde and Sulo a great love gone not quite perfect sort of song. After some more banter with The Cliche, it's time for the old Cockney Rejects' classic Bad Man which Sulo gives Mick Geggus the credit for as one of his old songs. It sounded great; pretty primal and rough around the edges like they were about to have a ruck down in Custom House back when it was properly rough down there.
Yesterday's Boys and Girls could easily be about the band themselves, but doesn't sound like it as it is just a good, fresh power punk song played with a big smile on its face. Ruin Of A Heart brings things down a notch as the lyrics suggest another relationship gone wrong and the music matches the mood.
Then it was time to make everyone smile and plenty of us either pogo or punch the air with our fists for Borstal Breakout: dedicated to a friend of the band who has just got out of prison after 3 years and being played less than a mile from two of London's prisons it was a full on rampage with just about everyone singing along to the chorus. That just left time for them to finish with Down By The Border: another song that already sounds like a classic and certainly got that sort of reaction as the band left the stage.
To start the encore, Terry Chimes came back out alone and told anyone who didn't like drum solos to leave before he got behind his kit and played a very entertaining solo for about 4 minutes. It was inventive and played for fun and as he finished the solo the rest of the band joined him and launched into Runaway Son: all about going and living your dreams as this lot no doubt have over the years.
They closed with one of Terry's old bands tunes, Garageland, guaranteed to get everyone singing and dancing along to it and to make sure we all left with big grins on our faces. It was a brilliant close to another great set by The Crunch who I'm led to believe will be doing some decent touring next year. I'd have to urge all of you to go and see them if they get anywhere near you for some extremely great Power Punk.
I have been unable to get several of The Crunch's tunes out of my head since. It's not often I have 4 or 5 songs from a band's set going on in my head for days after a gig, but then The Crunch are that rare sort of band.
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author: simonovitch
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The Crunch
The Crunch with added Idde
Slydigs
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