Tonight is also Arsenal's return game at Barcelona and the second day of a radio internship requiring 04.30 wake ups, I'm wondering how I will last and what state I might be in tomorrow.
I meet my wing man Pete outside, toniight's not sold out so there is free movement between up and down stairs. It's got to be a bit embarrassing for a band not to sell out Brixton Academy, AFI are pretty big and have been around for years; you can tell from the fans, it's not full of young'uns its mid 20s, old skool fans, a fair number walk in early like us to check out Sick Of It All.
Sick Of It All are pretty self explanatory hard core punk, the good old skool kind. The band epitomise the punk that came through the late 80s and early 90s. It's no nonsense, its raise a fist in the air, salute with a bird and hit the pit. Guitarist Pete Koller uses one guitar all night, likewise bass player Craig Setari. Drummer Armand Majidi sits low behind his kit and beats a primal rythm. I must talk further about Pete Koller who has the look of a bodybuilder, all huge arms and shoulders topped by a bandana and bleached mohawk he runs endlessly from one side of the stage to another dancing, riffing, skanking and jumping.
The crowd take a while to warm to SOIA some of us know them and appreciate it others are being thrashed for the first time. I only know a few choice tracks off Punk-o-Rama and Warped Tour compilations. They play like they mean it and slowly get the crowd going, they are seasoned pros, they know how to raise a crowd and keep on at their task, this is what punk's about, you play cos you mean it and you don't care if people like it or not.
A little while later it's time for AFI, they have extra little stages at the front of the stage, Pete wonders why they are bothering with the extras when its not sold out, if you play for a living, you need to go all out every day. Frontman Davey Havok runs out and grabs the mic and rips straight into Crash Love's "Medicate". Those of us here for the older numbers are sated soon after as they roccki into "Girls Not Grey".
This is my first time seeing AFI and I had no idea about Havok's flamboyance he acts out the words, throws shapes, flicks hiw wrist, poses and pull shapes. Likewise guitarist Jade Puget pulls little tricks when playing, little poses, the three of them, run around and pose one foot up using the little platforms at the front of the stage.
It's a good set mixed accross the last four albums curtousy of a "Days Of The Phoenix" thrown in the encore. The stage show and energy make it a grey performance, "Beautiful Thieves" in particular includes a throw your hands up chorus. They have an impressive set of stage lights which dazzle and impress in equal measure.
For a guilty pleasure they are a satisfying one.
