Jobseekers ware on first but I only caught the last song. They make some noise, but not really my kind of noise.
The Gakk are always great. Old school, no frills melodic street punk.
Conflict are a weird one for me. While appreciating their place in the story of punk, I’ve never been a fan. Not sure why. Maybe they always seemed more bark than bite musically. Their politics and reputation for violence at gigs always overwhelmed their music. I’ve always thought of them, asininely, as the Depeche Mode of anarcho. However, the live 10″ (recorded at the Grand Social in Dublin) that was released last year sort of changed my opinion. It’s a powerhouse. Really punchy, tight as fuck. Great presence and great songs, although generally unfamiliar to me. And so I expected more of that on Friday night at Lost Lane.
While I was outside having a drink and a fag before the gig, a couple of mates wondered whether Colin would fall over tonight. Apparently he did, hammered, at their Belfast gig in 2023. And then there was more talk of other gigs where Fi had to carry an unfair load. Has Colin maybe become a pisshead at his gigs? Well… that’s pretty much what we got — a pissed and somewhat bewildered Colin being guided back and forth from mic to side stage, where Fi would take over vocal duties. And when Colin sang, it was mostly inaudible. The band were clearly propping him up. A real shame, because the band are brilliant and Fi is great up front. I hope this hasn’t become the template, because now that I’ve decided I actually quite like Conflict, I’d love to see a proper gig with a compos Colin firing on all cylinders.
The Gakk photos:
Conflict photos:
Photos & words Cormac Figgis @themasterswitch