Meze Lounge Newport
15/07/2007
The Meze lounge
provided a good home for the 100 strong crowd consisting of all sorts dotted
with some familiar and friendly faces and ropey half mullets featured on a
few of the crustys. A bargain admission price of only a deep sea diver and
the booze at 2 pounds pint ensured that the nights entertainment was going
to go down like a lozenge.
A hefty line-up seeing the welcome return of Citizen Fish chums A0S3 who
provided some top quality support with their own brand of ska punk with a
splashing of dub. A0S3 “free festival heads” have returned to the scene
after short interlude of only of 13 years! They went down well with the A0S3
faithful at the front and the boozers at the back.
After a spate of Citizen Fish inactivity over the past few years, they were
on the road again and treated us to their 2nd Newport show in only 7 months.
Promoting their new (ish) split LP Deadline with US punkers Leftover Crack,
CF dished out their ska ponk classics from all of their LP’s with tracks
such as feeding, phone in sick. and social insecurities. Songs belted out at
a relentless pace with CF’s humorous and pseudo political slant on life. A
nice relaxing bouncing dance, pogo & sweating sessions resulted during the
entire set front of the stage from the first song to the last. It was so
much fun I had to join in my self.. Even the Townies were getting into it
come the end of the hour or so set.
A wise punk once said to me “old punks don’t die – they just stand at the
back”, I can safely say that this show certainly didn’t make me want to
stand at the back. A the back or the front the fish were kicking it right
off anyway, the front was where it was happening for me for sure.
CF have been at it for about 17 years and in that time remarkably have kept
nearly to their original line up, they prove again they are as tight as hell
and still manage to do it with lots of energy and enthusiasm and all of
course having fun. They love it, we love them. Long live Citizen Fish.
Phone in sick? Too right my friend!
PS thanks to CF’s Dick and Jasper for the interview after the gig, however I
couldn’t get the bloody recording of the Dictaphone!
words by S and photos by Crow
to see more of Crow's photos click here
