Capdown
plus support: Dog Toffee - Five Knuckle
Manchester Hop & Grape
10/09/01

review by Ruth

Hell Night 3 kicks off a new semester at Manchester University, with a night that encompasses one of the stand out bands from this year's Leeds festival, one of Manchester's most beloved rock bands, and the rising stars of the Bristol punk scene.

It's the latter that we turn to first. Baby brothers of the evening, Five Knuckle lead the heavy side of Bristol's burgeoning punk scene, the hardcore foils to the pop punk lite of Grebo. And the departure of their guitarist for a full time job in AKO doesn't seem to have left them high and dry at all. Sleep Easy vyes for early mosh fuel, with it's combination of addictive grindcore and bouncy ska undertone. Did I say additictive? Make it hyper-addictive - have you ever heard that intro riff into So Called Friends? They don't get up here nearly enough, but hopefully the success of labelmates Capdown will make Household Name records rectify this.

Dog Toffee in the meantime are the home contingent tonight for a gig that I've been waiting for a good long while. Stalwarts on the hometown scene, their reputation precedes them tonight, but the audience is chock full of fresh blood tonight, with most being too young to be legal in any sense of the word. But by the end of the set the audience are howling for more of Dog Toffee's own brand of Wildhearts-esque rock sans fromage. The only complaint might be that by the time they'd played 40 minutes it felt like we'd been there an hour and a half. Sadly any A&R man who had his chequebook open mid-way through by the end might have had it firmly closed... It's not really Capdown's day today - singer/saxophonist/gibbon impressionist Jake is feeling not a little dodgy. Not only that, but soundcheck was cut short by an attack of Manchester City traffic on their way in, doubling the length of a 40 minute final stretch of the journey from Newcastle. But if Jake hadn't mentioned the odd problem, I don't think anyone would've really noticed. Like the true consummate road limpets that they are, they're not going to be satisfied until the sole of each pair of trainers in the room has seen the ceiling at least once. And the kids oblige - signature tune 'Ska Wars' (from their last album 'Civil Disobedients') gets the kids skanking along in unison; never has anti-racist polemic been so much fun (perhaps Alastair Campbell could learn a thing or two from this...). Even consummate oldie 'All Coppers Are Bastards' has the audience singing along in unison. There's also a fair bit of material from their new album 'Pound For The Sound' (which sadly, despite the release date begin this week, they don't have any copies to sell), like 'Progressive Vs. Punk Rock', but it doesn't replace such live favourites as 'Cousin Cleotis'. In a year that has seen Capdown's hard touring ethos gaining them slots at Reading and the Deconstruction festival, you'd be advised to book early next time they're round your way. Their reputation as one of the finest up-and-coming live shows in Britain isn't just idle talk...