Monday 28th February - Black Orchid, Diverse Unit, Second To Last, The Regicides at the Ringside By Harry Slater

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It's cold tonight, not as cold as it was this morning, but cold enough to complain about. The garish decoration of The Ringside makes a welcome change from the browns and greys of a city thawing out. The outside door, as per usual, scares the crap out of me as it slams shut, you'd think I'd have learned by now. Then off up the stairs for convivial pre gig shit talking, drinking and the repetition of who's playing tonight?

First up are Black Orchid, who are far too young to be as good as they are. A collection of four girls, they play a kind of sugary pop grunge, resplendent with the kind of vocal acrobatics that make the hairs on the back of your neck salute. They're plagued by sound troubles for the early part of the set, essentially a large and angry bee lodged in the speakers at the back of the room, producing a buzzing loud enough to upset even the staunchest amongst us. It clears up by song four and the rest of their time on stage is accomplished, if a little lacking in confidence. Greeted by cheers and whoops as they make their way off, Black Orchid are one to watch, even managing to melt the heart of a fervent cynic like myself.

Luckily though, Diverse Unit are on next. They're a punk band, you can tell see, they're snarling. Coming distinctly from the AF records school; all twiddly bass lines, military drumming and harmonic guitars. It's all well and good, it's all been done before. The problem is the music gets horribly lost behind the message. We're stopping wars and freeing people and making stands but the lyrics lack a finesse that shows the protagonist's age. Don't get me wrong, protest songs are required, perhaps more than ever now, but this is the same punk rock rhetoric we've heard a thousand times.

What irks me more is the peace/unity message being spread alongside an utter hatred of chavs, which strikes me as the kind of juxtaposition that makes alternative kids so funny sometimes. To be fair to them, I'm more than likely just being mean because they remind me of skinny, prettier versions of me at their age, just ones who carry off the bad hair and accessories better. The kids and bevvies of giggling jail bait seem to dig them, even shouting at requisite points, but by the time they've finished, cynicism reinforced, I'm entirely apathetic about seeing them ever again.

Whilst the next band, the aptly titled Second To Last plug things in, my by now significantly inebriated friend Darren makes a good point, saying I enjoyed the last two bands, this lot had best not be generic hardcore and ruin it. I nod in agreement.

Thankfully, from the moment the first note is struck, all fears are forgotten, Second To Last are quite simply amazing. Chaotic soundscapes bleed into a miasma of discord and scorching vocals, defying any sort of simple classification. Even better though, is the fact that here is a band not trying to sell us a message or peddle an ideal, this is heart on sleeve melodic insanity. Guitars are thrown like children's toys, things break and everyone watching is utterly engrossed.

Then they finish in a hail of feedback and strange noises and we're jerked back into a reality of glittery curtains and pink paint. Thankfully though, souls are swelling with hope from what they just witnessed, maybe fads will die, maybe genres will be disbanded and maybe, just maybe, passionate, emotive and heartfelt music will become the norm.

Continued next page

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