Halloween Punk Horror Spectacular @ The Free Butt, Brighton, Monday 31st Oct 2005
| Halloween in Brighton. Scary? Possibly, but Britain doesn’t really ‘do’ Halloween. Unless you’re an annoying brat, of course, but is there any other kind? One such miniature goon approached me in the street as Mattmoo and I recce’d the Lanes in search of giggage – ‘Trick or treat !!’ it bellowed in the time-honoured way of the juvenile semi-delinquent. ‘Boo!’ I responded in the least violent manner I could muster; only to be rebuked by a sack of potatoes sculpted into human form purporting to be the child’s mother. ‘Oh you’re so civil aren’t you?’ this creature spouted – whether to myself or her offspring was unclear. The first pub we tried also suffered a slight invasion by a trio of similar waifs demanding money to pay off the loan on their masks, who were successfully ejected by the extremely sociable barmaid and her pink hair. She advised us to head back towards the Lanes and the Levels in our search for quality entertainment, as the other direction was ‘full of chavs’. | ||
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And so to the Free Butt. Yes, we went there because it had a funny name. It also had a gig – a Halloween Punk Horror Spectacular, no less. We gained entrance with our fivers to another great little venue – are you listening, Charlotte / Old Angel people? An old pub in the manner of the said Angel, but with an upstairs bar and comfy sofas. Behind the main bar was a small stage in a small room (or ‘big alcove’ depending on your point of view). The home of punk in Brighton, it would appear. On the down side, drink was more expensive from the main bar (we only discovered this later) – but the staff were more attractive, so you pays your money, etc etc. | ||
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Wilf were already playing when we went in, ska’ing for all they were worth. Not much to go on for a review, as I didn’t even get to see them before they finished. It sounded very tight, though, and posters stated they were soon to support the venerable Selecter, and I won’t argue with that. Mattmoo gained a couple of trophies this evening – the first being the ‘longest wait for a pint’ world record – at least ten minutes after ordering. I and two other people got one in before the winsomely bloodstained ladyGoff got it together with the barrel of Miller and her ‘inidividual’ pint-pulling style. | 
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Then – first band proper – Random Heroes. Think sperm of the Clash fertilising the egg of Supergrass. We’d noticed them as we came in, as they were dressed as Ghostbusters. These outfits rapidly became a liability as the band’s monumental energy meant they had to discard them, piece by piece. Hence Mattmoo’s second trophy of the night – the lead singer’s ‘buster backpack. Humour, punk, attitude and tunes – not a bad combination for a band whose combined age probably equals my inside leg measurement. Mattmoo and I were impressed enough to merch after their set, investing in a couple of their CDs. The only downer is that their guitarist had a Les Paul Junior and hearing it rekindled my not-long-dormant desire for one. Git. | 
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Last band the Apers were kicking off a European tour this evening, apparently, all the way from merry Holland. A punk of a certain vintage fronted them, together with two much younger, cadaverous Michael Schumachers assisting. Able enough but not nearly as entertaining as the Random Heroes - however this may have been due to constraints on time. The ‘Heroes ripped through their short set but I reckon that’s what they would’ve done anyway – indeed they looked like they weren’t physically capable of any more. The Apers’ leader kept making references to ‘how long we’ve got’ which took the edge off things somewhat. They played for about half an hour in the end to a small but happy and bouncy audience. | |