This was our second visit to this year's Resolution Festival at the 100 Club for a great 3 band bill.
We arrived just as Split Dogs were about to start playing a stunning set of Cartoon punk that opened with Gutter Ball that was good and frenzied, as singer Harry Martinez started to gyrate all over the 100 club stage like a wild dervish. Blood Runs Cold had splenetic guitar from Mil Martinez but it was impossible to take your eyes off of Harry as she owned the stage in her exercise wear and t-shirt.
Feeder was about the greatest sex Harry ever had, with a larger lady that she just wanted to feed, as long as she would carry on having sex with her, while coming across like a cross between a character in a Robert Crumb or Bob Fingerman cartoon. Prison Bitch was a dark tale spat out at us like we needed to be nice to Split Dogs or they might shiv us.
Stay Tuned as Harry rips off her T-shirt and every bloke in the 100 club is following her round the stage, as the pulsating pulverizing beat drives them on. Big Fred sounded like a warning about getting too close to someone who might be behaving as if they were Fred West. All In sounded like they were ready to wrestle us to the ground, slamming all over the place, the pace didn't let up as they asked us all to Be A Sport and go and buy the bands merch, get the album you won't regret it.
Cattle Prod sounded as much of a threat as anything, as Suze really let rip on bass, as I tried to figure out who I've seen her playing with previously. Megan didn't seem to be about royalty but a much more down to earth tale of love and despair. Tear Down The House is great advice for how we need to change things by destroying the current system.
Summer In the Slums was dedicated to anyone who's ever visited a run-down English seaside town, as I hope to see Split Dogs in Blackpool at Rebellion, this song made me think of Blackpool.
Precious Stones was for anyone in the audience who's ever had thrush with Harry pulling all sorts of poses while shouting Why Does It Burn repeatedly. They then did Punch Drunk which may have been the condition they were in when they got Thrush as this drinking song barreled through the 100 club. They closed their brilliant opening set with a cover of the Misfits Attitude something they had plenty of themselves. I want to see Split Dogs again soon.
Next on were The Samples the Worcester punk band that formed in 1980, but after Split Dogs set they sounded like they should have gone on first, they opened with Government Downfall which is something we all currently want, as much as we did at the start of the 80's, as the trio kicked into gear the bands new singer gave it his all. Fight For Your Life was battle ready garage punk with a nifty guitar solo.
Vendetta was introduced as being the band's first single from 1980 it was lean and mean. Fire Another Round was about police oppression and what it must be like to dodge rubber bullets on the streets.
1984 took us back to that brilliant if fraught year and the intense battle against Maggie and her minions. Nobody Cares is a sad sentiment that was spiced up with a squiggly guitar solo as they tried to make us care.
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Perfect Day is something we all hope for before they got all paranoid on Suspicion and the Police had them with Sus again, they closed with Dead Heroes as they warned us not to overindulge on drink or drugs as they wanted us all to survive and thrive.
Soon enough it was time for Dick Lucas to lead The Subhumans back into battle to cure our January Apathy with a whirlwind of a set that will be difficult to Forget as Dick stalked the stage spitting bile as Animal got the pit going.
Dick gave a rather resigned speech as an intro to It's Gonna Get Worse as he could hardly believe how badly 2024 had started, as Bruces guitar tried to emulate all the horror. Internal Life is as always about the conversations you have with yourself as Trotsky's drums nail all the feelings to the wall. Big City felt like an anthem for London if not for the London life we currently have.
Fear And Confusion are now all pervading, as Phil's bassline has an air of dread to it, as Dick made clear what a state we are in.
Businessmen was aimed right at the heart of the corporate beast The Subhumans urge us all to fight against, as he encouraged the 99% to rise up to destroy the ruling classes so we can all live more equably.???
No was as succinct as can be as they raged away as the crowd went nuts. Point Of View asked a few questions of anyone who thinks the world is in a good place. Was the next song Backs to The Wall or Walls Of Silence either way the frantic place didn't let up, or the righteous fury Dick feels for the state of the world, as Reality really is the worst of all states to currently be in.
A huge roar went up for Evolution as this classic went by in a blur before Dick started to ask us what kind of Society we wanted to live in, certainly a fairer one than what we currently have. Oh no Dick broke it to us Mickey Mouse Is Dead and this is the perfect song to memorialize him.
Subvert had the biggest pit of the night, the 100 club went nuts for it, like they were ready to have a mass party Till The Pigs Come Round, before Dick urged us all to hold our anarchist noses and make sure to go and vote at the elections later in the year, before they closed with the rather too on point Religious Wars, if only there were no Religious wars in 2024 the world would be a better place. As ever Subhumans are still a vital must see band.
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