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| $hame Academy
Cara Cowan (+ her band) DJ Mike Kinder Oh Yeah Centre, Belfast . 25th July 2009. This was $hame Academys pre Rebellion festival warm up gig and a fund raiser for the teenage cancer trust. So we were getting to see our fav local punk band and also do our bit to help support a very worthy cause. (There was £2000 raised on the night, so well done to everyone involved). Spikey Steve and me arrived at around 9.00pm which ended up being way too early, so we had to sit around and drink too many cans of overpriced fizzy drinks (I was driving) while we watched the empty venue fill up. To our horror with what was starting to look like a hairdressers convention meeting of the sex in the city/Jimmy Choo shoes fan club, instead of a punk rock show. I was relieved and happy to see a few familiar faces appear amongst a crowd that was shaping up to be worryingly alien to me. We spent the night in the company of my old pals the Magill brothers which was good craic, and I got to meet Stranglers fanatic Mully at long last which was good. But apart from our motley crew and a few others scattered around, old punk faces were a bit thin on the ground which was disappointing. At around 10.30pm after a good selection of tunes from the DJ Mike Kinder, teenage chanteuse Cara Cowan finally got off the couch next to us and took to the stage much to the delight of her family and friends who were definitely in the majority here tonight. Cara in case you didn't know is Gregs neice and Marty Cowans (Outcasts guitarist / songwriter) daughter. And much to SS and my relief she only performed three pretty dreary songs. I've heard her cover of one of the family jewels, The Outcasts 'Magnum Force' and its very different to the original and its good, so why she didn't play that tonight I don't know? She's definitely improved since I last saw her live, less party frock X factor pop princess these days, more the whiney folky indie chick. Though I still say she shouldn't be anywhere near a punk gig! Six years down the line and $hame Academy are playing better now than ever. But to be honest this middle age fake tan glamour puss audience was a bit off putting as it doesn't really generate the required old school punk atmosphere that used to spark these nights into something really special. But hey!, you just gotta get on with it. $hame Academy were on good form here tonight, kicking off with Rudi's 'Who You!' through to the final chords of JT' s 'Born To Lose'. $A were as Elvis once said "takin care of business" and very loud. They sounded very powerful indeed. Petesy's drum sound was massive giving those old Outcasts numbers especially that extra nasty tribal edge they sometimes require. No jokey messing around this time, due to the curfew restrictions it was balls to the wall punk rock all the way, just like the Harp bar days. There's no doubt in my mind that once they step onto that stage at Rebellion 09 in a couple of weeks that they'll blow that hardcore punk audience away. So if you're going to the festival make sure you and your mates check them out. Spread the word. One last thing, I don't know how Greg didn't punch or at least push away that nutter who was in his face (and I mean literally in his face) for almost the whole gig, he must be mellowing in his old age lol. Joe Donnelly - Belfast 27/7/09. |
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