CAREER SUICIDE + GEOFFREY OI!COTT + BIG DIFFERENCE + COP OUT
The Casbah, Sheffield
Wednesday 6th August 2008, 8:00pm

The perils of musical polygamy: Jonah Falco splits his days between two of Toronto’s brightest bands - as the drummer from Fucked Up, but also as one quarter of Career Suicide, who because the former have seemingly decided to tour the UK every other month (not a condemnation by any rate; by all means see them this autumn and hopefully not get punched in the nose) they haven’t toured here in their own right. This tour is hotly anticipated, then, especially considering FU’s mission to make their Pro Tools buckle by using as many guitar tracks as possible - whatever happened to keeping it simple, fast and sodding angry?

Speaking of which, the opening band Cop Out never used to make growling noises when I saw them represent Scunthorpe’s scene. (By ’scene’, I mean them and The Hope Of Summer and both fled at the first chance. Good work, men!) The straight forward pop-punk of two years ago has given way to a rugged approach that mixes and messes with itself and comes out sounding like the SST roster being played all at once on a record because the pressing’s gone horribly wrong. Good thing! See them when they hit the south!

I wonder if Big Difference have ever hit the south, or indeed anywhere outside South Yorkshire. Every scene must have a Big Difference - they play all the local shows, slap the in-jokes on thick to the point where they become impenetrable to any outsider who consequently has to watch them pander to the same six audience members while repeating the exact same song structure every five minutes. Oh wait, except that song was a comedy cover of ‘No Limits’. And hang on, wasn’t that a song called ‘Richard and Judy’? Goodness gracious. The last band that instigated a similar ‘local mainstay’ feeling were The Morons when they supported Statues in May, but they didn’t outstay their welcome for seemingly forever. Plus, when I last saw them early last year the set was nigh on identical. A joke only lasts so long…

…unless you’re called Geoffrey Oi!cott in which case the joke is bloody marvelous. Songs about dart players’ wives, Monty Panesar, being a lethargic twat (so that’s why they struck a chord!) and my home town: “Who here’s from Scunthorpe?”, shouts frontman Freddy Skintoft whilst dressed in full batsman’s garb. Half the crowd cheer. “We’ve shagged all your birds before!” The song is called ‘Scunny Honey’. ‘Scunny Honey’. They don’t let off, either - between songs and technical difficulties the band get a crafty leg spin in. How many other bands integrate exercise into your night? Oi! cares for the community! The band finish off with everyone bellowing rural takes of Minor Threat songs (”Guilty of wearing white!”) and leave having bowled over the audience with Yorkshire pride, all the more reason to shove that Lincolnshire flag up somewhere unpleasant along with that pun I’ve just used.

Compared to those lads, C.S. couldn’t be more traditionalist in their HC ways, which is why when they bite they draw out the red (and yellow). Another minute, another track, another twenty crusty punks lapping up every frenzied syllable; their set was a masterclass of how to cause a tumult with only the essentials to hand, and then executing it very bloody fast - almost too fast when there’s a room full of massive smelly blokes bolting around the place. Plenty of new material is thrown out at will, giving you about fifty seconds to stew it over in your mind before they throw out another, and another - some of which are on the tour 7″ that I wish I had bought - and the tunes from recent LP ‘Attempted Suicide’ are just as indefatigable.

It all succeeds in reminding you that sometimes there’s no need for twatting around - if you’re pissed with the world then you’ve got to at least sound like you really bloody mean it. There’s a lot of raging in the world, but if it’s not focused then what’s the use of it all? Pack it up all in something as imperative as C.S. have done and you’re onto a winner. They’re crashing around the country for another week or so (as of August 7th) - Oi!cott in tow, so you’re in for quite an evening.

BTW, crusties mystify me. Anarchism can be done with non-greasy hair! (I can talk…)

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  Download: Career Suicide - ‘Play The Part’

roman david

Everyone has their favourite Sudbury, Ontario based power pop trio, I’m sure. But I bet yours isn’t as good as mine: Statues are on Deranged and were raised on whoops and three chords and the stylings of Vic Reeves. I blame this past week of beautiful weather that I was told only appears in London every other blue moon (which is better than some; I am still convinced that the sun ever shines on Manchester. Singling out Morrissey’s solo career as the reason for meteorological wrath) for my audio preferences leaning towards the happy hardcore way of life, but I would also adhere significant leverage to this record lifting the weather out of the doldrums too; ‘Same Bodies, Same Faces’ has many things and those things include sing-a-long-a-longssss and an ability to make GG Allin seem like a nice fella. Jesus Crikey.

Caught the sods playing the New Cross Inn with amongst others The Shitty Limits but I will be tacking them later and yeah… ‘Living In Lines’ and ‘Distance/Duration’ are anthems that if kids listened to them instead of mopey things they’d have a smile to go with that jarring choice of hair colour. Sample them below. One thing that erks me, however: Mr. Rob of Statues? You look like my dad if he spent his time listening to The Vibrators instead of Yes.

• Statues - ‘Living In Lines’ (from latest LP, ‘New People Make Us Nervous’)
• Statues - ‘Distance/Duration’ (from ‘Same Bodies, Same Faces’ 7″ EP)

They’ve just done a European tour which you’ve missed because you are slow and if you’re Canadian then I’m sure they might play near you. But then again, Canada’s a really big country. Perhaps you should make do by buying records and the like: myspace dot com slash statues.

roman david