Sun 19 May
words: JUSTIN EVANS
★★★★☆
Simply put, ska + sunshine = good times, and that’s what’s delivered by Dirty Revolution, a Cardiff combo who occupy the ska-punk genre and don’t let up for a second tonight.
The evening is started by Efa Supertramp, an excellent one-woman band; undaunted by the fact that it’s just her and guitar, Efa kicks off in fine form, songs like Do Anything For Money and I Could Be Free, as well as some Welsh-language numbers, are excellent. It’s impressive how one person on stage with a guitar can convey punk attitude so intensely and keep a waiting crowd happy.
Next up are New Town Kings who are, to coin a phrase, uptown top ranking. Cramming nine members onto The Moon’s tiny stage, I think if ever I require a good-time old-skool ska band for an event, NTK would come into my mind immediately; the only fly in the ointment being that they hail from Colchester. It’s amazing to learn of recent changes in their lineup; they seem and sound like a band who’ve been together for a fair old time, with frontman Greg not giving the appearance of the new boy at all. Songs like News Stand are danceable ska done right, and get this party started properly.
Onto Dirty Revolution, tonight launching their second album The Heat. I tagged them as ska-punk earlier in this review, but rest assured that nothing is lacking in the melody department here, while Reb Elle’s vocals are spot on. She makes a comment at the beginning about – appropriately enough – the high temperature in the room, wondering how New Town Kings managed onstage, but Dirty Revolution don’t let it bother them. Songs like Down Low and This Community are full of energy and melody, strongly indicating that when The Heat is being offered to us, we should purchase at the first available opportunity.