Posted on May 29, 2010 - by Gary Budden

The Junk + The Sterilizers + The Apostates + Liam O’Kane

Liam O'Kane © Jessica Ruth Rabbit

Ryan’s Bar, Stoke Newington
UK
Thursday 27th May 2010

Stoke Newington in Hackney is not primarily known for it’s punk gigs, but venue Ryans bar is increasingly being used by a number of different promoters putting on quality, interesting punk and hardcore gigs, even if the place usually ends up like a sauna on the surface of the sun; a perfect sweatbox of a venue.

Liam O’Kane, front man of Jimmy the Squirrel, kicks off tonight’s proceedings and sets the tone perfectly with his laid back acoustic ska, playing a mix of Jimmy the Squirrel tunes and some tracks off of his new solo EP “Voice of the Equal”. Think Chris Murray and you’re in the right area. Liam has a very warm, likeable stage presence helped no end by his great voice that really helps lift what could be boring performance (a guy with an acoustic guitar) into something special. There seem to be a million acoustic acts at the moment, but Liam offers something different and distinctive. Check him, and Jimmy the Squirrel out.

Next up are The Apostates, playing their first gig in a while and it’s good to see them back

The Apostates © Jessica Ruth Rabbit

onstage after a bit of a break. They play a really interesting mix of ska and punk that manages not to sound like any other bands of that genre; energetic and taking twists and turns that make them really stand out from the endless Capdown-copycats. They play a few new songs tonight; hopefully a sign that we’ll be treated to an album at some point soon, as this three-piece really should be getting more exposure and playing to bigger crowds. They finish their set with the storming crowd-pleaser ‘Same Old Sound’ which sends the devoted crowd wild and really gets people in the mood for the rest of the night’s madness.

This must be only the twentieth or so gig The Sterilizers have done, but in that short time they’ve come on in leaps and bounds. They play a great mix of Oi!, 2-tone, street-punk and ska in the vein of The Filaments and Faintest Idea, that sets the room alight and gets the crowd heaving. Tim Stevens makes a great

The Sterilizers © Jessica Ruth Rabbit

frontman, brash and full of energy, as the band storm through tracks like ‘South London Story’ (which already has audience members singing the lyrics back to the band) and ‘All Gone Wrong’. It’s no nonsense punk rock (backed up with brass) the way it should be. Try and catch these guys soon, they seem to be playing all over London right now and are definitely worth your attention.

What to say about The Junk? One of the very best ska/punk/hardcore/dub

The Junk © Jessica Ruth Rabbit

bands in the UK right now and it’s an absolute pleasure to see them in a tiny basement venue like Ryan’s. You get the feeling that soon they’ll be moving onto bigger and bigger venues which they absolutely deserve. I think they are one of the best bands of the genre since (say it cautiously) Capdown. Mashing all their influences into one full-throttle assault, powered by their brass section and dreaded frontman Jake’s in-your-face vocal delivery, they turn Ryans into a sweaty mess of skanking bodies and spilt beer. They play an amazing set, keeping the room moving for the whole duration with not one dull moment. Finishing their set with two tracks from their latest EP “Novus Ordo Seclorum”, including the utterly amazing ‘Far From Here’. It’s hard to imagine on the evidence of tonight a better live band currently gigging. Utterly essential.