This year's Vive Le Rock Christmas extravaganza may have been a touch early for most of us to be in the Christmas spirit, but with a line up of four great live bands, all of whom I've seen multiple times it really didn't matter. Like usual Vive Le-Xmas was messy good fun from start to finish.
Originally the opening slot was going to be filled by the Diaz Brothers, but due to one of the brothers having some health issues they were replaced by last minute substitutes Janus Stark, who performed with a substitute drummer and brand-new Bass player called Angus. They burst into life by taking us across Enemy Lines with a ferocious energy, Gizz Butt spitting the lyrics at us. They flew into what I guess was Cut Off Point with a great twisted guitar solo from Gizz, who then told us the next tune was for Angus, because he was having the proverbial panic attack, it didn't sound like it.
Floyd What Are You On had dark psychedelic edges with Gizz' most intricate guitar solo of the set. Gizz made sure we knew they had copies of new single Barriers which was next, its driving riff and lyrics making clear that we should try to rip down all the barriers we can, before they closed by blasting through Every Little Counts with sinister glee.
Next on were Vive Le Rock editor Eugene Butchers band Desperate Measures who were playing their third london show in four days, Haivng opened for The Buzzcocks at the 100 Club, they opened with Back To The Rat with Mauro Venegas playing a crushing riff against Phil Roadkills stooge infested bass, allowing Eugene to stalk the stage barking out the lyrics. Sublime Destruction was driven on by James Sherry's imperious drumming, sounding more like an anthem for our times than ever. Eugene couldn't stand still stalking the stage on Enjoy The Ride before the deeply thoughtful Thinking Of England nailed another huge stooge like riff to the Desperate Measures mast.
1984 one of the bands old classics made World War 3 sound both terrifying and like it might be great fun. Eugene dedicated Lost Angels to all the music legends we have lost this year, the classic rock era's heroes seem to by dying at a frightful rate. Seven Sisters was like a granite rock, heavier and faster than it was previously, before they closed with a great version of Scars & Memories with Eugene singing part of it in the audience, it was a great way to close a blistering hit and run set.
After the meat raffle whose prizes included an Angelic Upstarts album and some vegan sausages it was time, for what for me was the Myspace part of the evening, both Crashed Out and Healthy Junkies first found me, to ask for reviews through Myspace back in the day, both of whom I have seen regularly since. Crashed Out had travelled down from Jarrow and opened with the super aggressive Against All Odds with Chris Wright punching the air and nailing the vocals with his brother Lee's hardcore guitar attacking us. What I guess was Where To Stay made clear they think everyone should have a place to live with Spin nailing it down on the bass. This Is Our Music was great shout along fun, making clear they love being able to play street punk and were happy to be back in London.
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Chris took a look at the state of our country on This Is England with all its problems and a taut riff and thumping drums this never let up, they took us on a trip to the Urban Zoo which is one description for what Kings Cross is like of an evening, this got loads of the audience singing along with them. Fast & Loose had echoes of The Dictators but blasted through a Tyne and Wear lens.
Like always Chris made clear he and Crashed Out are One Of The Boys out to have a great time, drink some beer and have fun. They had great fun introducing Cushy Butterfield, playing with how hard southerners find it to understand fluent Geordie, before they blasted through it. Like normal The Town That Died was bitter twisted street punk, angry at how politicians can destroy towns in the name of alleged progress, before closing with the bands drinking anthem Raise Your Glasses and everyone who could did, closing this blistering ram raid of a set.
That just left time for one of London's hardest gigging bands Healthy Junkies to close the evening, they opened with Pussy Cat that had Nina Courson bouncing over the stage pulling poses and shouting Pussy Cat at us. Phil Honeyjones glammed up guitar fried through Bad Reputation, while they really were playing faster. This Is Not a Suicide was central to the set, Nina really went for it with all the pain of how things went down on this classic. Nina practically screamed that you should Save Your Life and who were we to argue with her.
They slowed things down to a dark punky skank for Son & A Daughter before amping up the glam on Danny Trash that was just great fun. Lion In A Circus has become a live favourite and went down a storm, sounding like they were veering out of control. I think the next song was Theft that had Nina asking us what did you get her. They then closed the Vive Le X-Mess party by getting Eugene Butcher to join them rampaging through 20th Century Boy turning it into a bouncy glam trash epic closer, a perfect ending to another great messy Vive Le X-Mess party.
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