Capdown @ Joseph's Well
By Vince Mince
A night that promised to include feet shuffling ska-punk, long haired men running in circles and maybe even some politics produced a appropriately large crowd. With a line-up including some of Leeds best current bands and possibly Britain's best ska-punk funkers it was hardly surprising.
Tiny Elvis set the pace for the night, which was a scarily fast sprint fuelled with angst and screaming. There was a definite presence on the stage, and it seemed to be having some kind of a fit. The absolute enthusiasm from the band would make you want to jump around even if they were crap, luckily they're not. The singer obviously meant what he was singing, I mean really meant it, to the point where it looked like he was going to explode if he didn't get the lyrics out. One arm twisted behind his back and a dangerously large vein on his temple, he was to be more feared than even Neil from Chevron! The band having only took off since April of last year have grown with amazing intensity and intense pretty much describes the sound they've brought with them. A thrashing hardcore band with a punk edge that makes you want to do something mad like get a Chevron tattoo on your face! Sure they'll be tearing the place apart with more veins and enthusiasm in the future.
Buzzkill local popular favourites ska-groove-punk the place up providing a funky and fresh facial massage to get rid of the prior furrows of anger and replace them with, love, people. They're toe-tapping funkalicious and the singer (Matt, also guitar) looks like Elvis (Costello) and wears an Elvis shirt! Great! The band have been together for ages playing at town halls, but finally got it together and employed a youngun' to play drums (Charles) who is ridiculously good. If you haven't heard them already, why not? Have you got cloth in your ears McFly? Go see, for a hip swinging, fun ska to heavy stuff to wherever else their musical diversity takes you night of debauchery.
Joe Ninety are the second cumming. Just when I thought two in a row was all I could handle they picked me back up and reminded me, why settle for twins when you can have triplets? Super, is what they were. Rough, ready and contagious, Leeds has been swept by the Joe Ninety virus recently and they've accumulated quite a huge following. Fast, furious and heavy it's kind of hard to describe them, so instead I'll just quote Jake from Capdown "It's a pleasure to be playing upside bands with such ability as Joe Ninety.......let's hear a big round of applause". Coming from Capdown, if that's not a compliment then balls to you all.
Capdown bring the evening to it's final climax. After a night of amazing talent you couldn't ask for a better ending. The four-piece originally from Milton Keynes inject the final instalment of ska-punk and hardcore and it's time for blackout. No idea what they started on as, like everyone else I'm sure, I got completely swept away by their performance and had to indulge the moment. From the hardcore of 'Kained but Able' to the pure ska heaven of 'Ska Wars' and 'Cousin Cleotis' I haven't seen a better ska-punk performance/band in Britain (obviously, other than Mr. Shiraz, that is). They got some bloke with long hair to run in a circle and be chased by sweaty youths and gave us a lesson in politics with their final encore 'All Coppers Are Bastards' (A.C.A.B.). We even got to sample some new tracks, which I just can't remember the names of, but they kicked ass none-the-less. The drums are double fast from little Tim, 'boobs' bass is just dam funky, Keith slams out the chords and Jake pastes his rap-political vocals over top and adds a bit of sax, it's tight and breath taking. If you haven't heard them get their CD 'Civil Disobedients' now, or suffer amazing guilt and anguish for the rest of your life.
Amazing out of 10.
