N*E*W*S  Joy Fanzine Reviews S*M*A*S*H
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Paul's Week
Sunday, March 06, 2005 8:48:49 AM
GIG #4: Oxford St, Metro- 19th February S*M*A*S*H*, M.A.S.S, The Electric Shocks + The Patty Winters Show
TSUNAMI RELIEF WEEK EVENT - The Metro, London (19 Feb 2005)
(excerpt)
By the time they're through, I'm left a gibbering, non-sensical wreck, but there's no time for that now, I need to pull myself up by the bootstraps for indie-punk godfathers S*M*A*S*H*.
Being but a young lad of 24 years, I missed them the first time around, having only been 12 when they first started gigging, but Jim's even more excited than usual about the prospect of seeing them live tonight, and with good reason.
The intervening years certainly seem to have been kind to the band, with Singer Ed bouncing around the stage with the energy of a Mcfly fan high on e-numbers, while bassist Salv executes potentially groin straining scissor kicks (one of which came within inches of dismantling my camera), despite a bout of gastric 'flu.
The music sounds as fresh today as I imagine it must have done back when the eNeME were lauding them as leading lights of the ridiculously monikered New Wave of New Wave movement along with fellow Reliefers Carter USM (or at least their component parts - see Sunday review), and parallels between current favourites such as The Rakes, The Departure, and half of the million other bands prefaced by the definite article, are not difficult to spot, with punchy guitars and danceable beats.
There are still plenty of the old faithful coming out to see them, but they will also have won themselves a few new fans tonight.
After the show, it's off to London's trendiest indie nightspot Frog for a some cheap drinks and MTV2 approved floor fillers in a room full of people with ill advised hair styles. I feel fairly uneasy in places like this at the best of times, and my complete lack of sleep this week is doing nothing for my enthusiasm.
Things promise to pick up with a set by hotly tipped newcomers The Subways, but despite the exuberance of their much lusted after blonde bassist, they failed to inspire anything other than indifference in comparison with M.A.S.S., S*M*A*S*H* & The Patty Winters Show, so it's a taxi back to Brixton for a few hours kip before the big finale.
