Words by Monk. Photos by David Stewart.
As Millie Manders pointed out during her set, this was a night of firsts, not the least being that this was the first gig to be staged in this newly extended and (still being) refurbished venue. Okay, there had been a few ceilidh and covers bands playing background music on occasions such as St Patrick’s Day, but this was the first “proper” gig. And what better christening could it get than a pairing of one of the legends of the ska punk genre with one of its most promising young starlets?
The Points is the latest incarnation of a bar which was once a cornerstone of Belfast’s live rock scene, the much-missed Auntie Annie’s Porterhouse. I must admit that many a drunken night was spent therein: and I must have enjoyed them, because I can’t remember quite a few of them… and you know what they say…
The original upstairs live room was a rather cramped affair, with a small (but perfectly formed) triangular stage in one corner. The owners – part of a company that also owns the notorious Filthy McNasty’s complex on the other side of the Dublin Road – have now taken advantage of the fact that they also own what was once a Pizza Hut next door and have knocked the two first floors into one space, thus nearly trebling the size of the old venue. The stage has been moved and also vastly increased in size, big enough to accommodate two drum kits side by side (with a bit to spare). A second bar has also been added, but unfortunately was not in use this evening.
As I waited outside for our designated ÜR snapper to arrive, the manageress told me that the room was themed along the same lines as the downstairs bar, and also that it is still a work in progress. Both are evident, from the Irish-themed faux memorabilia lining walls once adorned with murals of famous rock stars, to the lack of an inhouse lighting rig (as well as the lack of lights on the slippery upper staircase).
OK, that’s enough of the history lesson: we’re to talk about the music, after all, aren’t we? So, let’s do that…
Door times had been pushed back to try and make sure as many people got to witness the growing phenomenon that is Millie Manders & The Shutup. Any concerns that people may not turn up early for the support band were quickly thrown out the window (if there was one) as, by the time we arrived, a full 25 minutes before their original stage time, the room was already two-thirds full and filling quickly. Word had obviously got out that this was one of the hottest young properties on the ÜK punk scene – and they quickly proved why!
Taking no prisoners with their high energy brand of ska punk I can immediately see what all the fuss is about, and why certain other ÜR team members have been positively foaming at the mouth in their rabid appreciation. Almost right from the off, large sections are singing Millie’s words right back at her – something which is not lost on the singer, as she humbly responds, “thank you so much for being in the room early for unknown little shits like us!” It’s our pleasure Millie – and I don’t think you’re unknown, based on tonight’s feverish response.
By their third song, ‘Right To Life’, there is some serious skanking going on as the room is bopping nicely – well, from the waist up anyway – and loud applause greets every song. They also show that they’re not afraid to venture outside the basic “ska punk” format, as they deliver a neat line in sub-nu-metal via ‘Bitter’, with its rapped verses and heavy underlying groove.
As mentioned in the opening sentence, this is a night of firsts, at least as far as Millie is concerned. The previous night had seen them play their first ever gig in Ireland. Tonight was their first in Northern Ireland. They were also the first band to play on this new stage, and it’s their first time playing in larger venues. “We’re just tiny tadpoles in a big fucking ocean,” she declares, with obvious humility, before racing to the conclusion of their all-too-brief 30-minute set with the effervescent rereleased (to coincide with the start of the tour) single, ‘Not OK’, and ‘Your Story’, by far the purest rock song in their repertoire and one which truly showcases the power of Millie’s voice. On tonight’s showing, I don’t think they’ll be tiny tadpoles for too much longer: more like piranhas, gobbling up every stage on which they appear.
- MM&TSU’s debut album, ‘Telling Truths, Breaking Lies’, is out now. You can get your copy, and loads of other Millie Manders goodies, HERE.
As the temperature in the room climbs as much as the anticipation of what is to come, Less Than Jake climb onto the stage obviously determined to deliver the birthday party to end all birthday parties: well, it is their 30th year as a band, so what better reason for a celebration? Um, none really.
Kicking off in fine style by taking us on a trip to the ‘Liquor Store’ which immediately has the room bopping, it soon becomes obvious that the between song interaction between the band members is as important as that during the songs themselves. Their first conversation revolves around their last visit to Belfast and exporting the term “bellend” to America: “it’s the best name for a dick I’ve ever heard” declares Chris DeMakes, only for Buddy Schaub to query how he got one through customs… yep, it’s gonna be one of those nights folks, so buckle up and get the pints in (which we actually didn’t, due to the bar being four deep all night).
‘National Anthem’ sees the first of many vocal switches between DeMakes and bassist Roger Lima, something which later sparks more jolly banter between them, with DeMakes talking about Lima’s desire to stand centre stage but, because he’s the bassist, he has to stand stage left. “But I sing more songs than you,” points out Lima. “Yeah, he writes all the best songs,” concedes DeMakes in return.
The banter continues all evening, with topics varying from the weather (“it’s fucking cold over here, I only brought one hoodie and I’ve frozen my tits off” – DeMakes) to the availability of baloney and hot dogs in Europe, failing eyesight, hair replacement treatments and generally growing old (“this guy said hello to me in the street and wondered why is this old man speaking to me, then realized he was younger than me” – DeMakes) to flight upgrades, why Disneyworld is shit and breakfast in Tesco to sisters fighting at their gigs… Yep, it’s a weird and eclectic mix – just like the band’s sound, which smoothly integrates the brass work of Schaub and Peter ‘JR’ Wasilewski’s trombone and saxophone into infectiously catchy pop punk anthems fuelled by Lima’s deep, rumbling base and DeMakes’ almost metallic guitar work, which defiantly cross generations, and genres, as evinced by the equally eclectic cross-section of the crowd.
And said crowd are having just as much fun, as they dance and sing along to every LTJ banger. The balloon battle during ‘The Science Of Selling Yourself Short’ prompts Schaub to declare it “the most violent I have ever seen”, while the pogoing during main set closer, ‘The Ghosts Of Me And You’, was so ferocious that security were looking on with the dread that everyone was going to collapse into the bar below!
With a career spanning 30 years, LTJ obviously have a deep well of material from which to draw, and so it should come as no surprise that there were a few changes to the set they played south of the border, down Dublin way, the previous evening, as the band plumbed the full depths of their nine album discography, from debut ‘Pezcore’ through to 2020’s ‘Silver Linings’. Of course, the big pops were still in there, in the form of anthems such as ‘Automatic’, ‘Motto’, ‘History Of A Boring Town’ (the latter of which segue into one another with no discourse), ‘Look What Happened’, ‘Good Enough’ and, of course, ‘Gainesville Rock City’, ‘My Own Flag’ and ‘All My Best Friends Are Metalheads’, which make up the three-song encore and bring the riotous evening to a suitably rowdy ending.
Less Than Jake have labelled this 30th anniversary tour as proving that ‘Pop Punk’s Still Not Dead’. Well, on tonight’s evidence, it certainly isn’t. In fact, there’s plenty of life in the old dog yet, with new breeds such as MM&TSU continuing to breathe fresh life into the genre. In the words of Bon Jovi, whose music signalled LTJ’s stage exit, it’s just a case of ‘Never Say Goodbye’…
- The tour continues:
