Gig Review – Ruts DC/UK Feds – The Bullingdon Oxford – 25-10-15.
Laurel and Hardy Revival – Vue Fulham Broadway.
Having primed the Sugar Tongs for Oxford, Diddie in Black and Blue (DiBaB) and yours truly (EiTC) set off to Way Out West departing as we were from The South…
The South of What Sir?
The South of London…
Apologies to Mr Broad but somehow along the way we ended up having fun in South West Six…
The year was 1937 and Laurel and Hardy were playing at the Vue cinema in Fulham Broadway. Where (apres subtle yogic activity of an inverted nature…) we enjoyed the delightful pairing of Way Out West and Towed in a Hole on the Silver Screen. Much Mirth, Merriment and Tittering followed (Guaranteed, naturally!) setting up a kind of theme for the day…
After having caught up with Stan and Ollie we set the controls for the Car Park known as the A40 and gently rolled in the general direction of Oxford…
Getting near we ventured to turn on The Sat Nav which said left a bit, left a bit more and fire…
Duly arrived we ventured forth in search of nourishment, stopping off en route for a quick hello and how do with a Rut and a UK Fed, we eventually found ourselves sampling the contemporary Indian Cuisine at the delightful Malikas. Fed and watered to a most satisfactory standard we ventured back towards The Bullingdon, the venue for tonight’s gig. Firstly stopping off at the café bar section, before heading in to the venue proper to catch the show, where we caught up with none other than Shazzer and Mr T…
Up first the UK Feds did their stuff ever more convincingly, appearing at ease and in control throughout. The crowd showed them appreciation as they cranked out the Punkish/Rocky/Ska-ish tones of their set, which came across really well, both sonically and visually in this cool venue. Before we knew it, it was all over and they were giving the audience and Ruts DC their sincere appreciation and gratitude, a nice touch (and the first underlining of the end of tour feeling in the air for tonight’s gig).
In a thrice, it was time for the main event as Ruts DC took to the stage and kicked off with Surprise. Having heard this toward the beginning of the tour in Guildford, then again in London, there was a familiarity about it now. At the same time there was also a sense of progression as it sounded and felt somewhat tighter and more polished (as Mr Miller alluded to in his South Coast Special – can’t wait for the new album).
The awesome Mighty Soldier next as the set began to follow a similar pattern from previous gigs in the tour. (The sound was spot on in The Bullingdon tonight, a venue which seemed to have something of the old Marquee in Wardour St about it in a good way, leading DiBaB to reminisce about seeing them there in 78/79 etc Etc EiTC…)
The end of tour feeling came in to its own now with the Ruffy and Segs stand-up double act ensuring there was a good level of humorous between song shenanigans and goings on, which added nicely to the already comedic feel of the day started in London 78 years previously!
The set began to take a few twists and turns as It Was Cold was omitted to reappear later in the set. We were treated to a superb Different View, always a welcome addition. Dangerous Minds was on another level tonight with its slower tempo adding to the atmosphere of the song while Leigh’s guitar work excelled. On which note Leigh seemed to have thoroughly bedded in his new rig since its first outing in London two weeks ago, as the sound was spot on and he played out of his skin.
The largely friendly crowd danced and grooved for most of the set, only at one point did they get a bit too lively (leaving one poor soul wounded) and Ruffy had stern words with them to rein them in, backed up in full by Segs, which thankfully did the trick!
The subtle reggae groove of Love in Vain was easily one of the (many) highlights of the evening with its seamless segue into Police and Thieves, pure class!
Once again a fine mix of Ruts/Ruts DC classics in with the recent and the brand new. (On which note, as previously stated re. Surprise – newer numbers Second Hand Child and Psychic Attack, really are shaping up well and fitting glove like alongside and amongst the older/established material!)
Encore time saw the band remaining on stage while they joked about their age and not being bothered with going off and coming back on again…
Then there were Five or maybe there were six… As Jon and Mikey from the UK Feds bolstered their numbers for a proper treatment of In A Rut and they were joined by an inflatable dinosaur.
A couple more numbers rounded out the encore finishing the night with a sterling Society, which may have seen DiBaB and EiTC dancing with the aforementioned dinosaur.
First class entertainment from a first class band who just seem to go from strength to strength…
And a couple of welcome glasses followed at the bar chatting with Lewis and Sara.
Top Band, Top Night, Top Venue etc Etc EiTC…
Over…
Words: EiTC.
UK Feds, UK Feds/Ruts DC and First 3 Ruts DC Photos: Sharon Williams.
Remaining Ruts DC Photos: Mark Taylor.
Bonus:
Shazzer:
Mr T:
