One of the highlights in the Punk music calendar in Scotland is Jon Connor’s ‘Scotland Calling’ and this year, like others has a Steller cast of bands that span the last 45 years of what I consider the best musical genre.
The venue is Glasgow’s own 02 Academy which has a capacity of 2,250 souls. Handy to the city centre and all modes of transport, its location is situated right next to Bridge Street underground making it the perfect location for this event.
A cracking opening to the show is Glasgow based ‘The Red Eyes’ who took to the stage and got the ball rolling with some catchy 4X4 punk rock. The band have overtones of classic rock melodies and driving rhythms. The lads put on a solid set. In with the woodwork, ‘Fire Exit’ were up next and played their style of red wine fuelled Punk to the assembling crowd. This event was heating up nicely!
It was great to see Red London up on Scottish soil. I last caught the lads down in Rebellion. The blasted their way through the set which was as refreshing as it was tight, great job! Next on stage were ‘Hung Like Hanratty’. These lovely lads wasted no time in diving into their set which is a fusion of theatrics and music. The boys pulled off a superb high energy set and left the crowd pining for more of their antics.
The arena was well packed by now as the ‘Bar Stool Preachers’ took to the stage. These guys played one hell of a set! The energy radiated throughout the crowd. Frontman Tom McFall had the audience in the palm of his hands as he led them through their set. The camaraderie of the band members is joyful and blissfully entertaining. There’s only one direction for these guys and that’s up! Fantastic performance!
This is the point in the event where the classic old school bands start to make their appearance. ‘999’ are always a highlight and they played a brilliant set, taking us back though some of their best loved hits ‘I believe in Homicide’ and the classic ‘Emergency’.
Excellent stuff! GBH got the job done and drove their set list at 100 MPH. Their honed performance was all over too quickly and just like that GBH were done! All too fast! As these events are so well managed and every minute accounted for, there’s no time for encores. Punk/Metal mayhem makers ‘Anti Nowhere League’ took to the stage to eruptions of applause as they dived into their first track. Their heavy and steady sound resonated across the venue to the joys of fans. What a great set!
The ‘U.K. Subs’ were up next, and the crowd went wild. There won’t be too many more chances to see this line up play as the guys are winding down and on a farewell tour. Charlie Harper known to many as the ‘Godfather of Punk’, has rocked his socks off for circa 50 years now and he’s earned a well-deserved break! The energy of the Subs was high, and the tunes come thick and fast. U.K. Subs are such a great band to see live and they are constantly at their peak. I take my hat off to their dedication and triumphant contribution to the Punk movement. Outstanding as always.
Another band who are on their last bout of shows is ‘The Cockney Rejects’. It was at Scotland Calling the previous year where I filmed frontman Jeff Turner announce that the band would be retiring from touring after the last farewell world tour. The lads are back as part of that tour, with a bang. Jeff does not stop for breath. For the duration of the set, he bounces around the stage, shadow boxing as he belts out the Rejects’ hits. ‘Flares and Slippers’ was the opening number and got the crowd bouncing! In classic Reject style ‘I Love Being Me’ was dedicated to Paisley’s own, number one Cockney Rejects’ fan and friend, Jackie Mills. This performance is most likely the last time the guys will play in Glasgow, so it was a bitter-sweet set, but non-the- less, the guys kicked the ball way across the Clyde with this set! Fantastic. I joined the band on stage to get an end of performance shot with the good people of the O2 behind them. I wish the lads well on their touring retirement.
The headliner for tonight is Edinburgh’s own The Exploited. As many of you know Wattie has had his share of recent health problems, but you’d not know that to look at him. He looked healthy and fit and he put on one hell of a show. With new drummer pounding away on the skins at the back, the sound was fast and heavy. Stevie and Rob did their thing and took the crowd on a journey through the last 40 odd years of classic Exploited. The crows showed their appreciation and went wild- who else would you have to headline in Scotland? The boys were a perfect end to a perfect venue!
You can check out other shows Jon Conner has coming up on social media and on-line. There’s always a show, just around the corner so stay tuned and I’ll see ya in the pit!
Words and pictures: Stevie Oi! @gig_photography_glasgow