Love Music Hate Racism - London Astoria - 16/3/04
4/5
By: Clara Burtenshaw
It was Binyon who memorialised the epitaph 'Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn' and, at the Astoria one seemingly unhistorical Tuesday night, street urchin come self-imagined poet laureate Peter Doherty engraved upon us the equally memorable: 'The BNP are c**ts.' The former, a perfect description of ageing punk-rockers The Buzzcocks, the latter the reason both performed on the same bill. This, however, would not be the only point during the course of the night that political slogans and rallying would interrupt the show, but then this was no ordinary concert...
In April 1978, the 'Carnival Against The Nazis,' drew political bands of the day to perform in the Victoria Park, Hackney, a concert some 100,000 people marched six miles from Trafalgar Square to the heart of East London for. This gig was a show of solidarity and common cause, arranged to dispel the sort of electoral apathy and disillusionment that had favoured extreme right wingers the BNP in the past. In bands such as the X-ray Spex, The Specials, The Clash, and The Buzzcocks, the LMHR had found a universal way to communicate, educate and influence, and, in LMHR, music-fans had found a dream billing and confirmation that change could begin with just a few. And that music could be at the root of it.
Thirty-six years later, this sentiment was perpetuated by another such concert, but this time round the march was back to central London, and the troops comprised squealing teenage girls and bright-eyed boys in redcoats. Diverse acts, both established and well-known played with speakers in between and this saw Manchester's The Others, Miss Black America, Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster, the legendary Buzzcocks, and The Libertines take the stage.
The first two acts of the night played to a typically half-filled Astoria, The Others' singer matching a young Damon Albarn in looks, sound, attitude and self-belief, his falling trousers providing perhaps more entertainment than the music. Miss Black America's social-conscience/emotive punk-rock sounded more like a failed attempt at contention, meanwhile, with songs such as 'Your New National Anthem' and 'Dot, Dot, Dot' lacking the grace to back their obvious conviction. Catchy guitar-breaks, but the ellipsis, like their songs was One. Tedious. Yawn.
The Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster's speed-fuelled, perplexing, and primitive conduct, on the other hand, sent the audience rushing for the strait-jackets in a state of premature seaside psychosis. Missing their trademark luminous contact lenses (absence of colour ergo absence of soul) demoniac singer Guy McKnight led the Brighton Gothika five into a frenzy of rhythm, writhe and spasm. These multi-sexual Oedipi, minds in furry cups and dressed as The Living Dead in eyeliner, bandage and bondage, practised their darkly mentalist persona upon victims who most willingly obliged the satanic 'Horse of The Dog' and recent 'Mister Mental' with ritualistic moshing. Warning: This band lust after your mother, and they hope that you will join them someday.
Refreshingly, the 80's MBLD came and went without the unintelligent political spiel of the other bands; however, the stage was subject to an invasion soon afterwards from Scottish infant nursery workers whose cause the night was partly in aid of. Yet this would not be the first guest appearance of the night.
Next up were The Buzzcocks, faultless and thoroughly superb in every way. Though they engendered idiot comment of the night - 'Who are these fat old gits? Buzzcocks? Never heard of them. Get off' - ironically, those who could not recognise at least one song in the set made sure they knew who the ´Cocks were by the end. This show, perhaps cementing the Buzz' fame as influential and pivotal punk rockers.
And if ever there was a time for heroes, The Libertines served their people well with an uncommonly ruly set, for, anyone who has been present at a Duke of Clarence gig will know how catastrophic their gigs have a tendency to become.
Fresh from a triumphant three-date string at Brixton Academy, The Libs took to the stage like a duck to water, hypnotizing the crowd with boho-punk classic 'What A Waster' and proving that drugs, prison, break-ups and gentleman Raffles-brown-nosed gutter dwelling can create something beautiful. As a tribute to the Rock Against Racism movement of the 70's, The Buzzcocks had stolen the show, now it was time for another punk forefather to return, in the shape of Mick Jones of The Clash. A particular friend of the Libertines, he joined them for four songs: 'Skag and Boneman' 'Time For Heroes', 'What Katie Did' and cover of 'Should I Stay Or Should I Go?' But if Joe Strummer were still here, he would have probably been there too.
With Morrissey in the audience cheering events on, girls who'd sell their souls for Pete 'n' Carl in euphoria and boys in narcotic admiration, the crowd could not have been more electric, and the juxtaposition of the young band and mentor, as well as The Libertines' modern edge on vintage values and lyricism was particularly poignant. Whether the evening would prove as successful as its predecessor has yet to be seen, but please stand up and stay tuned to the June Elections for the result.
Photo-Credit: Liliana Dmitrovic
Artists in this article: Love Music Hate Racism
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