Si and Jez came down from Ilkley for tonights Ruts DC gig, so gave Andy and I a lift. “First of 3 gigs this week” says Si and we’re all impressed …..until that is, we bump into Mark at the Brudenell – “This is the first night of 11 bands in 11 nights” (Hats off to Mr Pomroy).
He knows the guitarist of Klammer (I thought they said Clannad but thought “that can’t be right”) who started off proceedings in a punked up style.
UK Feds were next who had a marvelous array of haircuts and know how to rock out.
Jez was bought ‘Grin and Bear it’ by the Ruts for his 11th birthday and played it non-stop for years. We all thought the Ruts were gone when Malcom Owen bowed out but thankfully, the others thought they’d give it another go. Tonights set had Jez, and all the rest of us in raptures. Who’d’ve thought you’d get to hear ‘Jah War’ or ‘In a Rut’ or Babylon’s Burning’ live again? They don’t just rest on their back catalogue though – the new stuff blends into the classics with a few covers thrown in for good measure (‘Police and Thieves’ ‘Brand New Cadillac’ ‘Public Image’). The songs sounded so fresh & these guys can really play! With their original lead singer dying of a heroin overdose, songs like ‘Love in vain’ (“don’t want you in my arms no more”) and ‘In a Rut’ (“Gotta get out of it, out-of-it-out-of-it…”) are not just pop-fodder….the only excess on show tonight was of musicianship of the highest order (and a little vodka towards the end…) – loved it!
This guy was dancing all night and got the set list…..
Bob the Chiropodist
This was before they came on obviously….