Punk Rock Ist Nicht Tot

Tonight sees the launch of Medway Eyes’ second compilation of Medway bands in support of Oxjam. The album, available from the Medway Eyes website, features the bands playing tonight; Joe Cottis (aka Fires Took Over), The Flowing and Stuart Turner and The Flat Earth Society.

As a boozer Rochester’s The Nag’s Head is a little gem in a High Street that’s becoming increasingly rough and volatile, but as a venue it’s severely let down by its awkward layout and lack of space. It has two small bars connected by a narrow walkway and a stage that’s elevated and sectioned off in such a way that I assume it’s where the pool table used to be. In front of the stage area there’s seating facing away from the stage which helps separate the band from the audience and creates a feeling of detachment which encourages people to chat amongst themselves while the bands are playing, so it’s fair to say that the bands are going to have their work cut out.

First into the lion’s den is Joe Cottiss. Playing electric guitar and singing, Joe had a very soft voice and intricate gentle guitar style which unfortunately made it very difficult to hear due to the levels of chatter from the audience. He seemed a little nervous which I’m sure didn’t help and it was only in the last couple of songs that he really found his voice. What I did hear sounded quite interesting and a bit edgier than your usual man with a guitar though so I’d like to see him again in a better venue.

Next up is the Flowing. I saw the Flowing a couple of weeks ago supporting Lupen Crook. I wasn’t that impressed then and second time round the story is much the same; some brilliant acoustic guitar playing and a pretty good voice but the songs remain uninspiring and forgettable. He has smartened up though, the baseball cap was gone and the sleeveless t-shirt was replaced with a smart short sleeved shirt, but I‘m sure that had nothing to do with my previous comments! To be fair, while I remained nonplussed my mate Ben was quite impressed, if a little bemused by the constant change of accent.

A quick refill at the bar and then to headliners Stuart Turner and The Flat Earth Society. For those of you not familiar with Stuart Turner he has a bourbon and cigarettes soaked voice (think Tom Waits with a bit of Louis Armstrong thrown in) that could only really work with the blues, so it’s quite fortunate that he plays a lively blend of folk/blues mixed with rockabilly. Kicking off with ‘Shimmy’ they play a storming, energetic set, including songs taken from current album ‘Gin and Bitters’ (‘South Sea Blues’, ‘Essex’) that sound even better live than on record and ‘Murder on Gaslight Street’ which appears on the ME2 compilation. There’s one song which starts with Turner singing softly with just his guitar playing that again gets lost in the chatter but as the rest of the band join in people start to sit up and pay attention. What really stood out for me, apart from Turner’s astonishing voice, is the skill and tightness of his backing band, The Flat Earth Society. In particular Robbie Wilkinson’s guitar and the excellent trumpet playing from occasional member John Whitaker. It’s been a tough crowd tonight but Stuart Turner and The Flat Earth Society performed an excellent, if a little short, set and they seem to have won them over.

Mark Cousens

www.oxfam.org.uk/oxjam
www.medwayeyes.co.uk
www.myspace.com/stuartjamesturner
www.myspace.com/theflowing
www.myspace.com/firestookover

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