25/11/2009 Trash-Stock Tour hits The Gaff

Subject	Trash-Stock Tour hits The Gaff
PostedDate	11/25/2009
	This is one of the best bills at The Gaff so far this year, and draws a good crowd - thanks to Pure Rawk and Riot promotions for bringing the Trash-Stock 2009 Tour to town. Nights like this are the reason I find myself at this venue a lot these days instead of the Purple Turtle - and it doesn't hurt that the booze is cheaper too.  Apart from that, I prefer venues like this that offer more than just pints of lager or cider. The ever reliable Kitty Hudson kick off the evening's entertainment. This band always throw themselves wholeheartedly into their performance of Ramones, Clash, and Johnny Thunders influenced material. I think they have the strongest songs of the night - in particular their brilliant 'Everyone Loves You When You're Dead' which in my opinion is the best song anyone will play tonight.  Northern lads Disarm are up next with their in your face snotty glam punk anthems. I didn't recognise frontman Brad when I first saw him tonight - he looks like he's turning into Danny McCormack! They ooze attitude and tear through their Backyard Babies and Ramones influenced set as if their lives depended on it. You won't find many bands anywhere who play harder and faster than this - this is one crew who you can tell really mean it. Something very different next, and from a bit further than Mexborough where the previous band hail from - The Pleasures are from Hamburg! They seem to like it here though as they keep coming back. This German outfit take Glam Rock to new extremes. Imagine if Rammstein camped it up like the New York Dolls? Image wise, they make the New York Dolls look like the Ramones. What makes them refreshing is that although they are actually very good musicians, they don't take themselves too seriously. The Pleasures go all out to entertain you, and you can see they are genuinely really enjoying themselves too - they just seem to revel in the whole ridiculousness of it all. And they convince you that yes - some Germans actually do have a sense of humour. It's back down to earth (in comparison) with the final act - London's infamous pop/punk/glamsters Drugdealer*Cheerleader. New bass player Bomber has fitted in seamlessly now he's got a few gigs under his belt, and now the band are on this UK tour with The Pleasures before they start work on their next album. This band have a good sound and some catchy songs - probably the most commercial sounding band of the night. Something that makes them stand out from the bland indie dross on the radio is that they actually have something to say, and there is quite a lot of social comment in their songs with topics like MySpace, and the woeful state of the country. Which isn't to say they they don't have some songs that are just fun - in fact they probably have the most varied arsenal of songs of any of the bands on tonight's bill. A top night at The Gaff and one of the most entertaining club bills of the year!

PS: This venue has since closed.