GIG REVIEW: Grade 2 + Clobber + Rats Nest @ The Lubber Fiend, Newcastle, Sunday 12 March 2023
Isle of Wight street-punk band Grade 2 are, to my mind, one of the brightest up and coming acts in the UK’s punk scene.
Formed 10 years ago, when all the members were still at school, they’ve just released their self-titled fourth album (reviewed here), and it’s an early contender for IPA Music’s album of the year.
Sid Ryan (bass & vocals), Jack Chatfield (guitar & vocals) and Jacob Hull (drums) are a super-tight outfit, and they have a growing arsenal of songs to die for.
They’ve only played in Newcastle once before, supporting The Interrupters back in 2018, which is when I discovered them. I had hoped to catch them again at Rebellion in Blackpool last year, but missed out due to one of those unfortunate clashes so often thrown up by a festival of its size.
First, however, let’s give a mention to the two bands who paved the way for Grade 2 tonight. Opening the show were Rats Nest, a three-piece from Margate in Kent, who were formed in 2017 as a four-piece, but shed a member somewhere along the way.
I’ve seen them a couple of times before, supporting Maid Of Ace and The Bar Stool Preachers (though I didn’t immediately recognise them, as they’ve grown their hair out a lot since I last saw them three years ago).
They have one full-length album, State Of Suspicion, and a handful of EPs and singles under their belt, and their fast-paced set of post-hardcore-tinged punk went down a treat with the early arrivals.
Year of the Rat
Standouts from their set were new single A Family Portrait In Black And Gray, and previous singles Year Of The Rat and The Kids, all hopefully a taste of what to expect from album number two? You can find Rats Nest on Spotify and other streaming services.
Next up were London hardcore crew Clobber, who are about to release their second EP, Yesterday’s Heroes, Tomorrow’s Snide. You can check them out on Bandcamp HERE.
They’ve cut their teeth on the toilet pub circuit in their hometown, and could go far if their performance here is anything to go by.
They’re fast, loud, aggressive, fiercely working class and anti-Tory. Their skinhead singer Charlie is a right mouthy sort who you can’t help but warm to, and the band kick out one hell of a racket. I liked them from the word go.
Highlights included Bully Boys from the forthcoming EP, and Tottenham Court Road and debut single Karens, Gammons, Hippies and Conspiracies from the first one. They remind me of The Chisel and Chubby & The Gang and I can’t wait to hear the new EP in full (bassist Alex tells me there’s a vinyl release in the pipeline for later in the year which combines the first two EPs).
Onto the main course, then. Grade 2 have been taken under the wing of Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, who’s produced their last two records, and they’re obviously quick learners, as they’ve grown enormously in stature since I first saw them. They exude confidence without being cocky, and, in their own way, are redefining what to expect from a modern streetpunk band.
There’s anger and energy, of course, and it goes without saying that they have a social conscience and are rightly pissed off about the state of the country. But these boys can play, and there’s a lot of melody amid the maelstrom. Three-pieces can be a tad dull to watch, but Sid and Jack constantly change places front of stage while Jacob hammers out powerful but precise beats at the back.
They kick off with Judgement Day, the blistering opening track from the new album, about half of which gets an airing, including the singles Midnight Ferry, Brassic and the excellent Under The Streetlight.
The rowdy love song Celine, my favourite track on the record, is an early highlight just four songs in, but I’m disappointed that two other personal faves, Don’t Stand Alone and Parasite, don’t make the cut. It’s only afterwards when I sit down to write this review that I realise they haven’t played them, and you realise this band is heading places when they can afford to leave songs of that calibre out.
Crowd pleasers
Grade 2 have so many good songs to choose from; the excellent download-only single Only Ones I Trust is tossed in to get the crowd going just two songs in.
Murder Town, one of the highlights of last album Graveyard Island (reviewed here) is another crowd-pleaser played early in a well-paced set, with Tired Of It following once we’re into the home straight. The old stuff isn’t forgotten either; we get a couple of songs from debut album Mainstream View and three from follow-up Break The Routine, including fan favourite Pubwatch, which closes the main set.
Amid loud cheers from the small but enthusiastic audience the boys leave the stage briefly before returning for an unlisted encore, a breakneck version of The Misfits classic Where Eagles Dare. It’s a stunning finish to a great night, where the band have played as fervently to maybe 50 people as they would to a festival main stage.
If old-school punks are looking for a band to hang their hats on as the old guard retire and fade away, they could certainly do worse than these boys, who are still only in their mid-20s. Grade 2 are a band who will be constrained only by people’s tired preconceptions of oi! music and what it’s all about.
