Fourthright, From The Ruins,
Behind The 8 Ball and PC Thug

Hyde Park Hotel
October 18th 2002
by STAKKERS

I don’t know exactly how to begin this review. I was hoping to gain some wisdom from another reviewer (who shall remain anonymous) but to no avail. So, after much deliberation, consideration and masturbation… I decided to tackle it on my own. (Did you spot the pun?) This was not an easy review to write and I will explain why, so please bear with me.

Firstly, my apologies to Forthright, I missed about three-quarters of your set. It took us about 15 minutes to find a parking spot at the Hydey. (That’s part of my explanation.) A good sign of what to expect inside. From what I did catch however, this young, melodic punk band show a lot of potential, though at times, their loud, punchy vocals tend to be a bit of strain on the old noggin. You know when you’re frowning so hard to decipher lyrics you get a wee headache? Oh well, nothing a good dose of swan draught won’t fix.

Moving right along we have From the Ruins, a band who manage to harness the true spirit of metalcore.
If you’re not familiar with heavy, double-kick, aggressive metal, FTR is a good place to start. With a vague Cradle of Filth influence showing through, the boys played a tight set, covering an Under Demons tune brilliantly.

Now, it’s hard for me not to dedicate this entire review to Behind The 8 Ball, having not seen them before but being totally blown away by the experience. Aging between 16 and 19,(two of which are brothers,) this 6-piece outfit perform beyond their years. I do not share this opinion alone. A friend of mine wouldn’t leave me alone until I’d sussed out every possible detail of this band, and could not rave about them enough. So much to the point that she was hassling out the Dads in the corner about their talented youngin’s. If you like bands such as Sublime, or the Specials, you will love Behind the 8 Ball. Blending reggae, funk, ska and punk into the mix, this is one band I can see doing very very well in the future. Keep up the good work boys.

Ok, I have to give the rest of the explanation now…as PC Thug were beginning, I had to go out into the carpark again. I cannot say why, or for how long (I can’t remember). I did return however to catch ‘Casualties’. I’ve forgotten to mention that the boys have just come out of a bout of recording and mastering for their next cd. Sounds like a disease and feels like one too. PC Thug are more infectious and disturbing than ever, and doing what those lads with the cap fetish do best. Getting down to the nitty gritty quips of society, through some pulsing drumming, mighty punk-metal guitar riffs, and Corey on vocals (which speaks for itself). Being ever true to the music which makes their little worlds turn, the punters ran round and round, jumped up and down and joined in the mayhem that is PC Thug. I was wondering if, with all the shenanigans of recording the boys would be somewhat wussier, just so I could make fun of them for my own personal gratification. But no, they’ve come out more pumped and ready to take on whatever is thrown at them. No doubt the CD will be just as good.

STAKKERS