Issue 35 / July 2013

The Specials (Darren Aston)
audience bounce as plastic pint pots go
flying and 50 year-old bald men in braces
completely lose themselves.
The visuals on stage are totally stripped
down: no backdrop or exuberant light shows,
just the band on stage doing their thing.
Standing towards the back affords me quite a
sight, as I get to witness the place collectively
jump and sing along with every lyric. The
Specials were formed in 1977 and made many a
political statement along the way: it’s a shame
that 36 years on, the lyrics still carry as much
meaning as they do.
Terry Hall manages to live up to his moody
reputation by spitting on the floor and
grumbling down the mic about a dodgy stand.
Once that minor discretion is out the way,
Manchester United fan Hall turns his attention
to Liverpool fans: “No joy with the top four this
year.” Although there’s no Jerry Dammers or
Neville Staple alongside the grump fest that is
Terry Hall, you do still have Lynval Golding who
is still showing as much passion and desire as
he did back in the day. “Liverpool are you ready
to skank?” he questions as he takes the lead to
play Monkey Man.
Also still playing is Horace Panter on bass,
who keeps to his side of the stage and looks
like he’s loving every minute during Rat Race.
Not as much as Nik Torp on the keyboards is
though, who looks like he’s having the time of
his life jumping and dancing about the stage
whilst remarkably still being able to play in
time. He grasps his moment to shine on Ghost
Town, which still sounds almost perfect to this
day. The classics keep coming as Stereotype
and Do Nothing keep the floor bouncing
before a brilliant rendition of Message To You
Rudy brings the set to an end.
After a prolonged absence makes the crowd
wonder whether or not they’ll actually do an
encore, Hall and Golding return solo initially and
launch into Doesn’t Make It Alright which gets
a passionate sing-along and seems to strike a
chord with the multicultural crowd.
After a topical Maggie’s Farm, Golding tells us
that this is the best he’s ever heard this band play
together, before going into encore closer Enjoy
Yourself, which unites everyone. Hall brings the
curtain down with a typical mumble - “I’ve left
the gas on so we better go”. A brilliant night’s
entertainment, which shows that The Specials
are still as relevant today as they were all those
years ago.
Steven Aston / gigslutz.co.uk
FESTIVÁL BOMBARDA
Williamson Tunnels
It’s a Friday night and the Williamson Tunnels
are packed to the rafters with revellers who
just can’t stop dancing. Perhaps it doesn’t hurt
that it’s the end of term for most students in
Liverpool, but nevertheless, it’s a testament to
the tenacity and connectivity of the Liverpool
music scene that a venue forged from a disused
tunnel in the middle of nowhere can have such
a strong turnout.
Opening with an African drum workshop and
featuring acts spanning genres from reggae to
marching jazz, it’s obvious that the organisers
have made a concerted effort to include music
with origins from all over the world, and it’s
impressive that they manage to achieve this
while still maintaining an overall musical theme
to the line-up.
JOHNNY PANIC AND THE FEVER stand out
from the rest of the bill, with their infectious
concoction of Celtic folk and indie giving the
crowd exactly what they’re looking for. In fact,
such is the appreciation of this mass of music
lovers that an improvised riff by violinist Emily
Ferrie while a guitarist is changing a string turns
into an impromptu hoedown. Johnny Panic And
The Fever are positively bursting with energy
and their musicianship is highly impressive. They
could be a good solid guitar band in their own
right, but the addition of strings, brass, and the
striking soprano vocals of singer Clary Ball take