Greyhound, Blandford
Is it possible for the politically-charged Ska/Punk/Dub band, “The Sporadics” from Bournemouth to be involved in a family-friendly gig? Would it work? Well, the Greyhound pub in Blandford certainly thought so! They set up a special one-off gig that kicked off at 6pm and finished at the very sensible time of 8pm, and warmly welcomed families with young children.
The stage was initially meant to be outside but due to the unpredictable weather, it was decided to bring the show indoors. As the four piece band took to the stage, a crowd of roughly twenty children sat on the floor, waiting expectantly in front of the band. Lead singer Shaun looked a little nervous as he promised to play an entire set without swearing; could he keep his word? The band began with “Truth & Rights” from the debut album “Hear It Is”, and as the infectious Ska-Punk sounds escalated, the kids still had smiles on their faces; they looked as though they were enjoying themselves. The dance floor soon filled with a mixture of very energetic kids and their parents all dancing and having fun in this surprisingly child-friendly environment.
The band did what they do best: perform; with quality wing men Andy Jack Ratt on guitar, Dave Bimble on bass, and the very reliable “Sticksman” Pete on drums, they created an original sound inspired by many areas of the musical world. The band played mostly their own material with a couple of covers thrown in for good measure, including a classic by The Clash, with its unmistakable and legendary bass line, the “Guns Of Brixton”. For one night only, the band renamed the song “Guns Of Boscombe” to amuse the local Bournemouth audience. Shaun managed virtually the whole gig without swearing. The presence of his wife and young children standing right in front of him for much of the night provided a further incentive. He even replaced the swear words in his lyrics with alliterative substitutes: during “Rejects” the word “f**k” was replaced with the word “fish”, with hilarious consequences. You never know, this could catch on! They ended on a high with a reworked version of Toots & Maytals’ “Monkey Man”, renamed “Crusty Man”, which once again pulled crowds of people onto the dance floor.
A fantastic evening was made even better by the children’s involvement with the band, who have consequently acquired several fans in the under 10 bracket! Perhaps The Sporadics should start doing children’s parties!
Set List
Intro
Truth & Rights
He Said She Said
D.S.P. (Dub Ska Punk)
Tear Down
Here is the Schnews
Rejects
Guns Of Boscombe
V.A.T ( Value Added Terror)
Freaks
Sick Of It All
Unity
Debt Crisis
Ronnie
Crusty Man
Videos
Band Links
http://www.thesporadics.co.uk
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Sporadics/106988692674877
Words and pictures By Dave Chinery (Chinners).
