MIDWEEKER #39
When you get to the same ripe old age as Midweeker (ask no questions and we'll tell you no porkies) everything starts to look somewhat different. Policemen look younger. Footballers look younger. Even children look younger. And then last Saturday my wife (aka Mrs Midweeker) popped out to Selby's Department Store on Holloway Road and bumped into Bob The Builder meeting the squealing masses. The youth of today - it's gone mad!
To wit, last Tuesday found us scrutinising REUBEN and THE SUFFRAJETS at Camden Dublin Castle. Reuben are cheeky enough at the best of times with their gung-ho ramalama ding dong take on nu-metal-punk rock. Tuesday actually threatened to be the worst of times as their guitar amp packed up after one song. Bravely, the teenie trio marched on regardless for two further tunes with the singer, uh, singing all the guitar parts until ten minutes in they finally called it a day with a merry bout of gear-trashing. And did anyone ask for their money back? Did they bugger.
The Suffrajets are no less cheeky, although their all-girl-trio take on punk rock has a feistiness which has to be lurched along to be believed. Not only are they loud and vicious, they also swear like fishwives and treat the crowd as though we are all three years old. They are therefore loitering around the precise cultural point where Kathy Burke collides with Suzi Quatro and should be presenting SM:TV within six months for there to be any justice in the world.
Still, it hasn't all been hanging around nurseries for Midweeker over the past few days, as the previous night at the Dublin Castle saw us perusing the strangely cosmic threads of BOEDEKKA. Rumour on the street has it that this garish quartet somehow mix together ELO with the Beta Band - a sure sign that they err on the wrong side of 19. In the flesh however they have a singer who is Jarvis Cocker pretending to be David Hasslehoff whilst creating the sort of noise which, at its cheesiest, frugs like Dodgy on tour with Toploader. At their best, on the other paw, Bodekka are capable of sky-rocketing psychedelia with melodic knobs on. And worst case scenario, judging by tonight's trendy turnout suggests they'll be the hip name to drop in six months' time.
Amongst old people, obviously...
Simon Williams
