Rage Against Racism 2 – The Well – 24.09.11.-review

Rage Against Racism 2 – The Well – 24.09.11.
Angelic Upstarts, Oi Polloi, The Autonomads, Jock Sparra, Bus Station Loonies, The Vexed, Overspill, Keyside Strike, Geoffrey Oicott, Lowlife UK, Paul Carter.

When I was a kid I was terrified of punks and skinheads. Angry, scary looking young men and women in strange clothes who played loud aggressive music and did amazing things with their hair. Having grown up and grown to love punk music it depresses me that our society has perpetrated the myth that punks and skins are ‘troublesome’ and something to be feared. Having involved myself in this scene, albeit only briefly over the years it is clear that members of these social groups are some of the nicest, most decent human beings I have ever met. And therein lies the paradox of punk rock: it is aggressive and angry whilst at the same time being incredibly positive and friendly. Audiences are shouted at rather than sung to, the lyrics are aggressive and demanding and the dancing could easily be mistaken for fighting by the uninitiated. Yet beneath this dark veneer sits the liberal beating heart of punk. It is joyous, triumphant, righteous, honourable, polite, positive, friendly and built on a shared sense of togetherness.
The second Rage Against Racism gig at The Well beautifully demonstrated these traits yet again. What an atmosphere, probably twice the attendance of the last R.A.R. gig resulting in twice the joy. I must confess I arrived late to this one due to decorating duties and so missed the first few acts. I was however given an enthusiastic impromptu review by Skank Agenda’s Alex, Nick and Mickey which included the phrases “nice cheeky bit of sax” and “The Vexed were outstanding”. I arrived just in time to see the end of Overspill’s set and was immediately gutted i’d missed the rest of it. Huge amount of positive energy and an already buoyant crowd lost in the cacophony of exciting noise that Overspill produced. Lowlife UK carried on this vibe with a great set, I really love these guys and their brand of bouncy, lively punk really got the crowd going. Superb.
Geoffrey Oicott were a pleasant surprise, I must confess to being a tad underwhelmed at the thought of a cricket-themed oi band but they were great, as were Jock Sparra whose lead singer seemed to be having the best time in front of that crowd. To see a band and a singer clearly revelling in the moment like this is a beautiful thing indeed. Next up to bat were Oi Polloi who again played a great politically charged set and had the crowd entirely rapt throughout. Lovely guitar work too.
The cumulative effect of all these bands felt like being punched in the face repeatedly by a super cheerful clown on speed wearing marshmallow boxing gloves: exhilarating but exhausting. The headline act Angelic Upstarts proved to be the perfect antidote to this and delivered a storming set to a now packed room, the audience literally bouncing off each other in appreciation of one of the UK skinhead scenes greatest.
I must apologise to The Autonomads, Bus Station Loonies, Keyside Strike and Paul Carter for not getting to see you guys but from the atmosphere and positive energy around the place it’s clear there were no weak links in this line up. All in all a fantastic day of music and credit must go to Stevie Caldwell for putting on yet another great day in the name of anti fascists, anti racists and thoroughly decent punks and skins everywhere. Wonderful.
Nick Hart
Yorkshire Gig Guide