My second trip this summer down to Bristol's Bierkeller and again it was to see a band whose music I've loved for years ( okay, decades... ) but haven't caught live before. The Ruts, like The Skids who I saw there back in May, were one of the best bands to come out of the Punk explosion and should really be mentioned in the same breath as the Sex Pistols or The Clash. Their potent blend of Punk and Reggae, mixed with razor-sharp lyrics and huge tunes, should have propelled them into the major leagues but the tragic death of original singer Malcolm Owen sadly brought the first version of the band to a close. They carried on as Ruts DC for a few years, accentuating their Reggae and Dub influences, but eventually went their separate ways. Well, now they're back and, when I heard my friends Borrowed Time were supporting them, I knew I had to make the journey to Brizzle...
I hadn't seen those Borrowed Time boys for a while so it was good to catch up. It seems they make a quantum leap in quality every time I see them and this gig was no exception. Their hard-edged, Metal-inflected take on '80s Punk just gets more tuneful and their playing becomes tighter all the time. New songs Oceans, Trapped In A Cult and The Day We Broke The World were the stand-outs, showing off their increasing range and even stirring the early-evening Bierkeller crowd into action. A fine set from BT and their merch seemed to be selling pretty well too... even the creepy "cult" masks...
The next band on were Knock Off, a rabble-rousing three-piece that play Cockney Rejects style Oi! / Street Punk. Although more melodic than I first imagined, with some killer riffs, they churned out the tired old, thuggish Oi! subject matter - fighting, beer, football etc. - and were ultimately disappointing. Someone should tell them we're living in the 21st century...
The Ruts were, by contrast, absolutely amazing. From the outset they impressed with their cool suits and hats and their red hot music. They played an absolute blinder, mixing beloved classics like In A Rut ( of course ), Jah War and the awe-inspiring It Was Cold with tough, biting new songs like Psychic Attack and This Music Must Destroy. And this music really did destroy - every song played with 100 per cent commitment, technical brilliance and pure passion. And pure groove...
No lumpen, meat-and-potatoes rock here, the Ruts have a swing, a groove and a funk to their sound that lifts them above the common herd of old Punk bands and onto another level. This was at its most joyously evident when they segued from the charging, surging Punk of all-time classic Babylon's Burning into its B-side, the aching Reggae lament Love In Vain. Stunning stuff! And, after a fun cover of Suffragette City and an epic West One ( Shine On Me ) they were gone, leaving us hungry for more. My mate Glenn ( Borrowed Time star! ) had seen The Ruts at Rebellion Festival in Blackpool this year and said they were the best band of the festival for him, and I could well believe it. I was so glad to finally get the chance to see them and I'll definitely have to catch them again.
Soundtrack: Music Must Destroy, Psychic Attack by The Ruts DC
plus
Sorry Somehow, Diane, Don't Want To Know if You Are Lonely, You Can Live At Home Now
by Husker Du ( RIP Grant Hart, the multi-talented singer - songwriter - drummer from the great Hardcore band Husker Du who has sadly passed away at the age of 56 )
