Altska

DIY record label/promotions company representing the very finest in alternative ska. 

[alt-ska-blog]

The King Blues + Louise Distras + Mad Apple Circus @ The Fleece & Firkin, 05/02/17

It’s a long awaited day for many. Marking their first Bristol date in over five years, legendary peace love and punk-rock stars The King Blues are hitting the stage at The Fleece tonight!

This will be the band’s thirteenth date on their current tour which has so far seen them all over the UK, from Glasgow to Plymouth, Birmingham to Norwich and more. Next week they’re heading off to Germany, but today they’re in my hometown of Bristol, at veteran gig venue The Fleece & Firkin.

The anticipation is palpable in the room even during soundcheck. Despite the tired eyes, sore throats and various other symptoms of tour-fatigue, there’s an enjoyable tension in the air that crackles as the clock counts down towards doors. The floor is extra sticky this evening. The consensus that tonight is going to be special doesn’t need to be voiced by anyone.

As the doors open and the excited crowd started to file in, the first support act of the night takes to the stage. Full disclosure: I’m a little too involved to be reviewing Mad Apple Circus really, as I am myself a long-time band member (5 years and counting). In the interest of avoiding nepotism and general douchebaggery, I’ll just describe how it feels from where I’m standing... which is great! We’ve not played a gig in a few weeks so this high energy blast of brasstastic ska/punk/hip hop fusion is just the thing to blow away the cobwebs, and get everyone in the mood for what’s to come. Although one or two of our tunes are potentially a little west of the genre that most are here to see, the crowd are sounding their appreciation, and are nicely warmed up by the time we bounced off stage.

Next up is shrieking violet Louise Distras, who has provided tour support to The King Blues throughout the last fortnight. Louise and her band rips through the next 45 minutes with face-melting intensity. Distras’ voice is a low-flying fighter jet, and she commands the stage with an ease that borders on contempt. Punk-rock gold; the crowd eats it up. Although I’m a shade too sober for the broiling epicentre of the crowd, I’m happily watching from the sidelines. Each member is as tight and as furious as the hundreds of fists that are punching the air before them. Obviously, musical ability comes irrespective of gender, but as a lady musician myself it’s fantastic to see such raw female talent on stage. Distras, who has been touted as “the most important protest singer we have” by Louder Than War’s John Robb, ends the set with a call-to-arms from atop the front monitor: ‘No hate! No fear! Refugees are welcome here!’ At this point the crowd are clamouring behind her rallying cry, and the 450 capacity venue is soon ringing with the sound of it. Go on girl.

The next 20 minutes or so sees a hoard of revellers trudging dutifully outside for a quick rollie before the main event. A whirlwind of activity takes place on stage as Distras and her band pack down, and The King Blues boys set the scene for their 90 minute set. A bumper edition. The crowd files back in. The lights dim. Sentences shorten. Yes.

And suddenly we’re off, starting with dystopian punk epic ‘What If Punk Never Happened?’ Frontman Itch’s mastery of the spoken word is notorious to fans and impressive to witness live. We stomp through insatiably catchy riffs; from the mutinous cheer of ‘Let’s Hang the Landlord’ to the simple joy of ‘I Want You’, the guys have the audience in the palm of their hands from minute one. Halfway through the set the horn section of Mad Apple Circus are called back to the stage to embellish crowd favourite ‘We Ain’t Never Done’ from 2008 album ‘Under The Fog’. It’s the first song of the set where Itch’s infamous ukulele has featured prominently, and combined with his heartfelt vocals and warm brass accompaniment, it gets me right there in the feels (I’m trying really hard not to be biased guys).

Shortly after this, the band rushes off stage to allow Itch and his ukulele to perform solo for a few songs. Standing alone and in stark contrast to the previous set, Itch’s vulnerable side is offered up and we hear him rasping songs from the heart. ‘Underneath This Lamp Post Light’ is a kitchen sink love song that’s all real talk - “kiss me underneath this lamp post light, I know it smells of piss but, you look beautiful tonight”. I’m not being facetious when I say I’ve never been so moved by a lyric about piss. ‘Poems and Songs’ was paused briefly to break up a scuffle that had broken out in the pit. “Excuse me, I’m trying to have a moment here… come on it’s all love here, no hate” he gently chastised them, before falling straight back into the lyric he’d paused moments before, just like a record. The audience are once again entranced, all ill will forgotten.

Soon enough it’s time for the rest of the band to reappear. Itch is back to stalking the stage like a punk rock viking; the charisma oozes off him. Members from the two support bands are gathered back on stage to sing ‘My Boulder’ together - fitting for this song of camaraderie and brotherly love. The next few songs really showcase how talented the rest of the band are - the power of the rhythm section is complemented by the savagery of the guitars, and all members add dimension to the music with their beautiful backing vocals. Working together they really are a joy to watch. I get treated to one more jaunt on stage to provide horns for ‘The Future’s Not What It Used To Be’ (featuring a disgusting - and I use that word in this most complimentary way possible - drum & bass breakdown) and the set draws to a close. After a three song encore crowned with the beautifully barbershop ‘If I Had A Coin’, it all comes to a sweaty, exhausted finish.

I probably wouldn’t have put myself down as a massive punk fan in the past - I’ve always appreciated the heart behind the movement but not so much the music itself. After tonight I feel differently. Each of tonight’s bands has a unique relationship with punk. In Mad Apple Circus we tango with it. Louise Distras and her band weaponize it. The King Blues remind us of its humanity and soul, epitomized by the massive food drive that they organised as part of the show. All in all it was a corker, and might I say what lovely guys they are to know as well.

Until next time!

Steph x

[alt-ska-blog]

This is Altska.

What is Altska? That's a fine question, and a little tougher to answer than you'd think, as my computer keeps auto-correcting to 'Alaska' as I try to explain.

Far from the snowy tundra of Northwestern America, a great many of us have been beavering away in musical projects for a good decade or two. The wild oats of our youth are being sown in the musical scenes of Bristol and beyond. Gigs are fun, parties are hearty, and life is good.

But it has occurred that something is missing. Something that's harder to place a finger on than a rogue lemon pip floating around in your G&T. Something that is harder to define than... that... thing. You know, the thing thing. Well, Altska is here to put it into words!

To dream big; we're a musical movement. We're looking to define the next wave of ska music in the UK and abroad as it absorbs punk, jazz, hip-hop, grime, metal, electronic, latin and rock like a giant moving blob from an 80s horror flick. There are a lot of insanely good bands out there at the moment who are experimenting with a blend of the above and then some, and they're creating a genre of music that is brand spanking new. For lack of a better term we call them 'ska-punk', but they're just not. Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being ska-punk. In fact, the ska-punk gods have provided us with some of life's finest tunes. But if you're not ska-punk, then you're just not. But maybe you are Altska...

As far as the nitty gritty goes, we've decided to set up a record label/promotion/PR company. We want to make it easier for bands of our ilk to get together, get noticed, get on stage, get in the studio and get on the road. If you like the sound of that, or you think it might sound like you, then we might be able to help you do what you do. Have a  search for Altska on Spotify to get a flavour of what we’re about.

There are a million things in the pipeline at the moment that we're really excited about. We've got tours to plan, gigs to review, bands to schmooze, many, many drafts of blog posts to fret over... you name it. We're actually talking about hosting an Altska radio show! It's going to be great as it'll really help define the sound we're trying to represent, and it's also the perfect opportunity to get our beautiful faces out there where they belong.

So anyway, if you're a friend of music and you feel like you're buying what we're selling (figuratively) then please like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, spread the word and watch this space!

Steph x

p.s. it stands for 'alternative ska'. Alt- ska. Altska. You got that though.