Plymouth White Rabbit – 6th August 2010
Along with the likes of Fucked Up, Fuck Buttons and Holy Fuck, it seems that naming your band using a dirty word is no longer the taboo that it used to be. In fact, these days, it probably even helps to improve your status somewhat if you throw in the odd expletive. New York's Star Fucking Hipsters, a former Room Thirteen Band of the Month, are one of the latest acts to jump on the fucking bandwagon. However, it is doubtful whether these ska-punkers ever had any worries about causing offence or being radio-friendly, even before the word started to become a popular choice for young bands starting up. As the five drunk and unhealthy-looking characters walk onstage at the Plymouth White Rabbit, it is clear that this is not a group that have cleanliness or politeness on their minds.
Anyone who has previously come across either of Hipsters frontman Stza's other bands, Leftover Crack and the short-lived Choking Victim, will know that he is not a gentleman who is often linked with the mainstream. As their moniker suggests, the Hipsters' music is very much like that of those other groups in that it isn't punk-rock for the masses. Green Day and Blink-182 they ain't. However, that isn't to say that they don't have anything special to offer. The two albums they have released to date are filled with fast, politically-charged ska-punk tunes featuring delightfully rasping vocals from Stza and lead vocalist Nico de Gaillo.
Tonight's gig is one of several that the US band will be playing over here in their lead up to the weekend's Rebellion Festival in Blackpool. Despite the venue being half-empty for a Friday night, the band members are in particularly high spirits, which successfully adds to the mood of the gig. At one point, Stza asks the relatively small crowd if Gallows, who had played at the same venue the night before, had managed to pull a more respectably-sized audience. One attendee of said gig modestly replied that it hadn't been that packed.
In between songs, much of the gig is taken up by Stza's amusing banter with the crowd. "Some of the guys in the band are from New Jersey," he mentions on another occasion. "I heard that you've got a place here called Jersey."
The few people present who make up the front rows are clearly into the band's music, dancing and singing along to their songs, which include several obvious favourites such as 'Two Cups of Tea' and '3000 Miles Away'. Another track featured in the setlist is 'Zombie Christ' from the band's debut album 'Until We're Dead', which Stza says was his first attempt at a Misfits-style song, despite being less than a fan of their lyrics. The other members of the group, while struggling to compete with their frontman's constant chatter, help to add to the effectiveness of the live performance by dancing and rocking out to the music.
Star Fucking Hipsters may not be destined for the glorious heights of the rock charts but, to be honest, they don't appear as though they really care. This is a band that seems happy playing in dingy clubs around the world to handfuls of loyal fans. That can't be a bad thing for any band and it certainly beats being disappointed.