Plymouth White Rabbit - 14th April 2010
The last few years have seen a bit of a lull from the ska-punk genre. The likes of Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake are still doing the rounds, but not many newer bands are writing songs in that particular vein. While many would argue that that’s far from a bad thing, it’s a shame to see the disappearance of a style of music that once had rock clubs around the country dancing like grinning lunatics.
Enter Knock-Out.
Their debut album ‘…Another Wasted Night’ was released at the end of last year and is filled with a blend of punk, ska and reggae that brings back memories of fellow Californians Sublime.
It must be strange for an American group to come over here as a warm-up act for the native talent. This is exactly the case for tonight’s show at the White Rabbit in Plymouth, which is one of the dates on Sonic Boom Six’s UK tour. Performing in London must be exciting for a foreign band during the early part of their career, but the subsequent trip down to Devon must be an interesting experience indeed. Fortunately, Plymouth’s punk-rock massive are a hospitable bunch, so the strangers should be in for an enjoyable evening.
As one of the other support acts have failed to show, Knock-Out take to the stage earlier than expected, so the SB6 fans have not quite filled the small venue yet. Despite the lack of a proper audience, the US punkers appear to be in good humour as they take up their instruments. Frontman Jared seems pleasantly surprised as the sparse crowd responds positively to his request for them to come closer to the stage. The opening song kicks things off in a hectic punk style that sounds similar to bands like Lagwagon and NOFX. As the mayhem heard in the music ensues, bassist Logan plays the part of the crazy one, pulling the kind of comedy expressions that any good punk rocker should. However, this doesn’t divert attention away from his intricate and graceful bass-playing, which gives the songs a more stylish feel that helps to enhance the straightforward rock sound.
On a number of occasions during the set, the small audience manage to achieve a half-decent circle pit, much to the band’s delight. The songs aren’t all fast ones though and things occasionally slow down to a chilled reggae pace that gets people dancing down the front. The music creates a good mood in the venue and Jared is comfortable chatting to the crowd throughout the gig. At one point, with the offer of a free CD, he challenges them to identify the originator of a cover song, before the group burst into a melodic version of ‘Hybrid Moments’ by The Misfits. This isn’t the only cover of the night and towards the end of the set, Jared announces that one of his favourite bands is from Camden, which was the location of another tour date, a couple of nights earlier. Knock-Out then play Madness’ ‘It Must Be Love’, which manages to sound more upbeat than the original.
The response from tonight’s crowd towards the US support band proves that there is still some remaining appeal for ska-punk music. While Knock-Out are not attempting anything as inventive as their tour-mates Sonic Boom Six, their talent and natural abilities show that when this particular brand of music is played well, it sounds great. Hopefully, the album offers something equally enjoyable as the live show.