"Wow!" was the reaction most people gave to New Jerseys finest playing a tiny venue in Huddersfield. I asked promoter Mikey, and ever since The Bronx played here in 2014 the venues reputation for looking after visiting bands, and the friendly and very cosy atmosphere have spread far and wide. Snuff, The Skints, Wheatus, Snot, MC Lars, Ginger Wildheart and Sonic Boom Six have all graced the tiny stage here in Huddersfield's town centre. An awesome little venue that serves cheap but lovely burritos, plays Archer on the TV, has Pennywise watching you wash your hands after a loo visit and even has themed cocktails (tonight's is 'True Believers', a mash of Cointreau, JD and Guinness) it really the perfect blend of pub and venue. No wonder the gig sold out in minutes.
It's a late start with Pears coming on stage at 8:45pm. The singer starts the gig shirtless so you know where this is going… Hardcore punk at is best from New Orleans, these guys really do sweat the place up. Now I've cracked a rib only the day before yesterday so choose wisely to listen from outside the venue, though I could be halfway down the street and still hear. Intense punk rock indeed.
The Souls have been wondering about all night, sampling the burritos and Guinness. The start a little before 10am coming on stage to Prince's 'Let's Go Crazy', just like they have done in the past before the stars very sad departure. Then there's the chants of "Here we go, here we go here we go!" leading into of course 'Here We Go'. The singalong carries on with 'Sing Along Forever'. There are many times the fans join in, with 'Hopeless Romantic' (that brings the smokers who just left straight back into the room), 'Gone' and 'True Believers'. The crowd are doing such a good job for 'Lean On Sheena', originally by 'Avoid One Thing', that singer Greg Attonito holds the mic out for us to sing most of it.
'Kate Is Great' and 'East Coast! Fuck You!' again are anthems through and through. The newer tracks, the bass led 'Driving All Night' keep up with the pace of the older tracks, 'Writing on The Wall' has a great guitar solo from Pete Steinkopf. The band have enlisted Hot Water Music's George Rebelo to hit the drums and he is amazing in this role. Having learnt 100 songs he has fit in seamlessly in the last couple of years, and provides an awesome backdrop to this new era of the Bouncing Souls, 25 years after they first began.
Someone throws a baseball cap on stage which Greg wears for 'Quick Check Girl', and afterwards he announces that he forgot the lyrics halfway through as he was trying to think of the English version for a check out girl. "Aldi girl? Iceland Girl?" Brilliant. The crowd are left to chose a song from two and they chose 'Gold'.
'Kids and Hereos' witnesses a lot of air punching, 'The Something Special' follows the super fast 'Cracked' a great fan request. The last song is as it's name, and goes out as bassist Bryan Kienlen says to "The Freaks, Nerds and Romantics". The mosh pit and crowd surfers increase throughout the show, mainly the singer from Pears (still shirtless) showing us how is it done. With a show of this size (the venue holds 150 people) and it's punk slash country barn appearance this really makes for a good night. Just don't try and open the confessional doors between the ladies toilets unless you know your neighbour!
FUTURE GIGS
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