xgoatboyx

Thursday: Went to the gym in the morning, came home, watched The Last Temptation Of Christ, ate, got ready to go out. Got to the Tap about seven, had a couple of pints of coke and read Bukowski. Saw this one short, loud obnoxious prick making a lot of noise and pissing about with the people in the local bands, I later found out he was the singer in Radical Drop, I couldnt see any of the Fear Of Fear people about and worried that they wouldnt play. A few minutes later I looked up from my book and saw Nathan followed by the rest of Fear Of Fear carrying their equipment across the Tap, I was kinda stunned. I kept going up to the toilet and checking if they had finished setting everything up, at one point I came downstairs and saw all of Fear Of Fear at the table I was sitting at before, I found a quiet corner and read my Bukowski book until the last page. Finally got tired of walking up and down the stairs so I just found a place to sit and watched Radical Drop sound checking, they were too bad but their singer really was a prick, in fact I saw him wearing one of his own bands shirts later (I could let that slide if a band was on tour and didnt have any clean shirts to wear but not a fucking local band). Vic told them that they were going on last when more of their friends had shown up (that does seem to be the way the Medway scene is run, the bands with the most friends headline, which Reasonable Doubt cant do anymore as its only their girlfriends who watch them like the last time they headlined at the Tap and everyone else left before they came on).

Softype: I didnt mind them the last time I saw them but that was because I only caught the tail end of their set, its much more excruciating to watch the whole thing, they played a twenty minute song which I had to leave and go for a walk around the Tap to get away from then came back and they still hadnt finished the first song. They finished with a five minute song, theyre good for what they do but the world doesnt need a Fantomas rip off band.

Fear Of Fear: While they were setting up one of the guys from Radical Drop who was sitting right behind where I was standing asked Sarah to do an a cappella version of Just Defy sarting at whining purist cunts I guessing he could see the Straight Edge badge on my backpack. Sarah obliged by singing whinning purist cunts, your movements conterfeit to me I know she definatly saw the XXX badge on the front of my backpack strap. I just smiled embarssedly, You have to allow people a little hate towards Straight Edge, there are things I do agree with in that song and besides I hat Hardlines too. They started playing, it was cool because they werent taking the gig to serioulsy as there werent that many people there, a bunch of the guys from the local bands were skanking too them and I saw to singer from Radical Drop chase the drummer from Softype around the top floor. A couple of song before the end Sarah started jumping on the back of the bass player and guitarist, now the bass player could take that as hes a big bloke but the guiarist was only about the same height as Sarah so when she tried jumping on him they fell over and finished to song on the floor.

Left before Radical Drop could go on so I could get a cheap taxi home.

Friday: Beastie Boys and The Drips album came through the post, took my ritual walk around Rochester, saw the stage set up in the castle grounds for the Summer concerts and thought about how great it would be if they put on Rock concerts, Trivium can play somewhere like Folkestone they could easily draw enough people from surrounding areas of Kent to play Rochester castle

Picked up a few things at Morrisons then went home. Stumbled onto this really good 80s Punk/Hardcore/Indie MP3 blog (www.somethinilearned.com), spent nearly two hours downloading stuff by bands Ive only heard of before plus some good rare shit by bands I have (unreleased Shellac songs!!!!!). Decided to walk to the Tap, surprised it only took an hour, got a newspaper, that fat annoying girl Steve knows punched me in the shoulder to get my attention while I was reading it. Met up with Chris outside the Manor. Wasnt as shit as the last two weeks Claire gave me a few bottle of water for no reason, Mills showed up after an hour. It was going alright until this middle aged Goth dude whos there every week started DJing and played horrendous shite from the late nineties (when Otep came on I really felt like going up to him and asking if he realised that it was 2006. Spoke to that girl Cat before we left, conversation didnt really go that far Her: how are you? Me: good Her: clears throat Me: you say something? Her: no I was just asking how you were Me: oh Her: well have a good night I suck at small talk. Went to Tap, had a bit of fun, Mills left after one am and sent me a text saying Im going home you gay about half one me and Chris went to the kebab shop, Chris started talking to this guy he was on a work experience thing with and mentioned his college course that he got on because hes Autistic, the guy didnt know what Autism is so Chris had to try and explain it and mentioned that I was Autistic too, the guy who takes peoples tickets at the Manor was behind us and mentioned that he was Autistic too. As we were walking up to the taxi rank the guy from the Manor asked if either of us were going to Twydall or any where near it so he could split the cab fair as he only get paid 20 for working at the Manor. Neither of us were going that way so we got our separate taxis and went home.

Saturday: Got my shopping in Chatham, found a really good article on Autism (http://web.syr.edu/%7Ejisincla/dontmourn.htm). Watched a DVD documentary on Heavy Metal, surprisingly good, a really funny half hour interview with Dee Snider from Twisted Sister was on the extras, never actually did I think Id actually find respect for Twisted Sister.

Sunday: Woke up way too early to get ready to go to London. Got to Charring Cross just after eleven, went straight to Soho. Got something to eat at the Vegan Chinese place then headed to Berwick Street. Got a second hand Neurosis album and a Heresy CD in Reckless Records then went into Sister Ray and got Melvins and Nick Cave albums really cheap. Saw this walking along oxford street

Now did this person have their bike stolen and their helmet left as a joke or were they that paranoid that someone would steel their helmet. Had a look round the Mean Fiddler to see if they opened the doors only to find a sign saying the doors would be two hours late as two bands had pulled out. Took a walk to HMV, looked at their comedy album section and found some great stuff by Richard Pryor (in fact they had one of his anthologies one the listening station which was a good way to kill half an hour) and even a Mark Thomas album which I never even knew about, Ill be raiding when I come up on Saturday. Had a look round the book shops and had a look at the independent comics, a good one called Emo Boy and something called Wet moon about fat, ugly lesbian teenagers. Got a big portion of chips and a drink and went into the Mean Fiddler about half three.

Black Radio: Rancid wannabes.

The Mingers: I didnt realise their singer was a girl until I bought their album when I came in and looked through the liner notes, It was surprising as their isnt a lot of femininity in her vocals and also when they came onstage it she turned out to be this hot looking girl with dreadlocks Id seen walking around early. They were really great, its bands like them and The Steal that give me hope for non-macho British Hardcore



Burn Subvert Destroy: OK, but like a lot of new British Punk bands around now.

With Honor: Theyve got a new singer whose a really skinny, scene kid looking dude but he was wearing a Black Flag shirt so I instantly thought he was cool. He could do the melodic parts better than Todd which was what I think the band were looking for but I still thought it was a shame because he was still a good front man. They played some stuff they didnt play last time that I hoped they would like Third Generation and Gun For Hire but sadly nothing from the first EP. They did Like Trumpets as their last song and Whitey (apparently thats the new singer name) came to the front of the barriers and I got to scream ITS ALL OR NOTHING, KISS YESTERDAY GOODBYE over and over again until I knackered myself.




Freaks Union: Like the Nerve Agents but with irritating melodic parts.

There was meant to be strippers after every few bands but for some reason they pulled out so they got the singer from Suicide Bid to come out and do some acoustic songs, He was pretty good, kinda like a pissed off Billy Bragg. He only had time for two songs Im just filling in for the strippers so he got up the singer from King Blues to sing a Suicide Bid song with him that he sang on their album.

The Peacocks: The name itself didnt suggest greatness but I really worried with I saw the stand up bass. They came out dressed all in black like that scene in Walk the Line when theyre auditioning at Sun Studios, quiffs and cigarettes hanging out the corners of their mouths like Ronny Wood, as I hypnotised, they were shite.

Ignite: Fucking great, nothing but sing-alongs and I even got the mic shoved near the vicinity of my face a few times. Zoli said what a pleaser it was to be playing with GBH as they were one of his favourite bands growing up and it was great to play with them and UK Subs UK Subs? One of the other guys whispers to him what I said Subhumans, didnt I? Alright Im not the sharpest tool in the shed There were a lot of Hungarians there so when they played A Place Called Home Zoli was alternating between the proper album version and the hidden track where he sang the lyrics in Hungarian, so all these Hungarian dudes where crushing me up against the barrier trying to sing along.


The guy from Suicide Bid came out again and did two more songs, sounding even more like a pissed off Billy Bragg.

GBH: From what everyone had told me about them I was expecting to get my head ripped off, didnt really get that but it was cool to watch a proper Punk Rock band, the only song I recognised was City Baby Attacked By Rats basically because Snuff did a cover of it. They did a really good cover of 1970 by The Stooges after which Zoli came out and handed beer to all the guys in the band then did backing vocals on the next song. For the next few songs the singer kept saying this is the last song until one of the sound people came on stage and told them they really had to stop as theyd been on too long.



Subhumans: You could see them running around panicking trying to set up their gear so they could play for as long as they could before the eleven oclock curfew. I managed to watch them for half an hour then had to leave because I hadnt eaten since three and I had to get the last train home, theyre playing with Conflict in November, Ill be able to catch their full set then.


Ran from the central line only to have the first Brixton bound train leave as I got to the platform. The train after that got stuck at Green Park for five minutes because of a problem at Victoria. Ran to the Chinese place at Victoria only to find they were shutting. Nearly stacked it on the slippery floor a couple of times looking for any other place that did vegan suitable food. Tried to get a cold drink at a sandwich place only to be told their fridge was on the blink so they only had warm drinks. Got on my train and found a place away from people as I was so pissed off, thought Id try the kebab place near Rochester station then kicked myself when I remembered there was a kebab shop over the road from Victoria that I used to go to before the Chinese place opened. Got to Rochester, went in the kebab and got chips in pita bread and a warm bottle of water, walked home, stomach filling, urge to kill fading, fading