Rancid / The Unseen / The Yorshire Rats

On Remembrance Day, what better way to have a gig that you can not forget. Punks galore fill the student union for a rare appearance by Californian heros Rancid.

Pontefract youngsters The Yorkshire Rats, with the average age of 20, are a good start to the evening. With the five full-on vocals you get an idea of what they’re trying to get across, influenced by mainly the Dropkick Murphy’s sound with a Yorkshire punch. A lot of the early birds are queuing for the overly-crowded bar or toilets, starting off the cycle of drink, empty, drink etc. From the back there is not much to see, but the sound is fine. And the name is appropriate too, a report says that Yorkshire has the highest number of rats in the country.

The Unseen have recently signed to Hellcat records, though while folks like Rancid and other bands on there have bits of ska, folk and whatever mixed in, The Unseen are arguably more heavy. In fact with strong influences like The Misfits, GBH and Sick Of It All they are non stop thrash punk, like a ton of bricks with a head cold. After a while though the same pace of songs gets a little boring, and the bar beckons again.

There’s no denying it, Rancid’s music has struck a chord with many a punk. Whether it’s the ska tinge, the catchy lyrics or the talent they chuck at you, the East Bay lads have packed the Refectory out tonight. And it is packed out with young and old alike, there’s no stereotypical description for the crowd. Yes there are many a mohican, so care is needed when travelling through the crowd to prevent blindness, but there are also smartly dressed people, kids and pretty much anyone and everyone. I notice a few members of bands local to Leeds and beyond; Swine, Coney Island Jesus and the magnificent Goldblade; it’s like one big punk who-har. Back to Rancid however, I can not fault them. Well maybe the old line of “Leeds, this is the best show of the tour”, but which band doesn’t big-up the vicinity? ‘Time Bomb’ airs pretty early, though their set is only an hour long. There’s a couple of Operation Ivy tunes too, namely ‘Unity’ (an appropriate tune for this time politically) and ‘Knowledge’, a good addition to the short encore which also included ‘Ruby Soho’. This tour is for a new album due out early next year, as the band admit they sound better after a tour, as it warms them up. I can’t wait.

FUTURE GIGS

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