I’m managing to get to a few gigs now our daughter does not need a babysitter. I mean, now I’m getting on a bit and have crap hips I’m having to go for seats rather than the mosh pit, but I am trying to recapture some sense of youthful adventure.
I’m not being terribly adventurous: The Damned, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Cult, and variations of The Sex Pistols and Generation X. I mean, it’s better than Ultra-Fox an 80s tribute band my husband really wanted to drag me to. Sadly it was an all standing venue.
Last year, we encountered Bob Vylan supporting Generation Sex. WOW. Raw, angry black punk; it was love at first listen. And last night we went to see them headlining at Birmingham’s O2 Institute, a lovely intimate venue. They were bloody amazing. In turn, they were supported by Hyphen - a band fronted by an Indian heritage punk rapper: Hate yachts not dingies.
Half way through the gig, Bob Vylan ended up taking a request from someone in the mosh pit and playing Take That - which was definitely not on the playlist.
And it is not every show that as you exit the venue the headline band and their support have quickly run to the foyer to sign things and have selfies taken ; and that they were prepared to stay until everyone who wanted to had seen them. The top picture are the two Bobs, the one below is of Hyphen’s drummer and guitarist.
This exemplary punk leadership. Both Bob Vylan and Hyphen were accessible to all, giving freely of their time, welcoming all feedback as the crowd filtered out. They could have headed off home having done their stint, but they responded with love, patience, were fully inclusive and the feeling of belonging was incredible.
“And none of my heroes appear on a stamp”
I can’t imagine Bob Vylan appearing on many stamps, and I think they’d prefer that.
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