Live Review: Knock Off / Loaded 44 / Kid Klumsy – The Star & Garter, Manchester, UK, 20th May 2018

Tonight sees our return to The Star And Garter at the tail end of what has been a gloriously sunny weekend, and what better way to recover from Saturday’s sun soaked excesses than by getting back out to another concert. Tonight brings Kid Klumsy, who are playing in support of their new EP, Spit Your Dummy Out, the welcome return of Loaded 44 to Manchester and a headline set from punk trio Knock Off. As with all the shows at The Star And Garter there’s a friendly atmosphere, and there are a fair few regulars who attend the majority, if not all, of the STP Records shows that have become a staple of the Manchester punk scene.

Inside the venue is already overheated ahead of the opening set by Kid Klumsy, another side project from the ridiculously prolific Dirt Box Disco stable, whose line up has now expanded to a six piece with the addition of co-vocalist Aislynn, and they mark a distinct departure from the sound of Dirt Box Disco. They open with I Don’t Wanna Grow Up and it’s already apparent that this is a heavier outfit, but one that has kept the same sense of humour. This is followed by a thunderous 24 Hours, their tribute to weekend excess that is followed by Bully Bullied The Bully, a track from their new EP that’s already guaranteed to be a crowd favourite with it’s infectious chorus, that’s immediately followed by another instant classic, and my favourite track from their latest release, Sugar Junkies.

A cover of The Bouncing Souls classic True Belivers is thrown into the set that fits into Kid Klumsy’s set perfectly with its anthemic chorus and trademark bounce. Dislexic Monkeys goes down a storm and leads their frontman Weab to announce that he is going to write more songs about educationally challenged primates, this is another track that continues to give the impression that Kid Klumsy are the natural predecessors and successors to Dirt Box Disco. They confirm this by going to back to their roots with a charged cover of Operation Ivy’s Knowledge that indicates that whatever the future holds for Dirt Box Disco their legacy is in safe hands with Kid Klumsy. Tonight’s set is all the more impressive when you consider that lead vocalist Weab was only recently released from hospital and is ignoring medical advice to play tonight’s show.

Loaded 44 are always a welcome addition to any concert and tonight is no exception as the quartet blast through an impressive set that encompasses their two full length studio albums, Wasted On You and Come On, and their most recent release, the stunning Get Ready! EP.  They kick things off with Love Myself To Death, a track that marks the start to a perfect pack of buzzsaw punk rock songs that have cherry picked the very best elements from the roots of punk rock and brought it bang up to date. Beki Racket remains a mesmerising and continually hyperactive front woman for a band who continue to improve every time I see them, and tonight their older material, including a supercharged Generation Idiot, manages to sound better than ever.

Loaded 44 deliver every track like it’s their last and the clock is against them, and as a result they give Knock Off a difficult task in following their all too short set of anthemic punk rock. They have a sound that is underpinned by a rock solid rhythm section and it captures the essence of the spirit of old school punk rock from both sides of the Atlantic perfectly, and the new material in tonight’s set indicates that this isn’t going to change anytime soon. Quite why Loaded 44 aren’t better known than they are is one of life’s mysteries, as for me they are one of the best bands on the UK’s DIY scene, and whilst their recorded output manages to capture the feel of their live shows it’s playing live where Loaded 44 truly shine, and if you haven’t caught them live then you really should.

Knock Off take to the stage without any fanfare and launch into a set of charged full tilt punk rock that marks a fitting end to tonight’s three band line up. Knock Off’s t shirts bear the slogan “football, beer and punk rock”, five words that sum up the appeal of the band perfectly. This is no frills bare knuckle punk rock that doesn’t care what you think, the cultural differences between northern and southern England are played on with Knock Off’s dedicated Northern fan base and they reflect a different side of punk, one that embraces oi and the roots of street punk. Every song in Knock Off’s set is delivered with a metaphorical or literal raised middle finger that brings tonight’s grass roots show at The Star And Garter to a close with a defiant attitude that is the distillation of punk attitude.

Mid set Knock Off‘s lead singer reveals his Chelsea Football Club tattoo, he does this the day after his team beat Manchester United in the cup final, he does this with a knowing laugh to the Mancunian crowd and predictably he promptly receives a barrage of good natured abuse from the red element of the Mancunian crowd. If you want subtlety and love songs then you’d be disappointed, however if you were looking for an in your face fuck you punk attitude then this is the band you were looking for, something that is underpinned when Knock Off respond to the crowd’s demand for a final encore and they deliver a heavyweight version of the UK Subs classic single, Warhead.

Every band on tonight’s bill at the Star And Garter has brought a different element to tonight’s show, from the opening set of heavyweight punk rock from Kid Klumsy, through Loaded 44’s impressive set of hyperactive buzzsaw punk to Knock Off’s bare knuckle punk rock. Every show I’ve witnessed at the Star And Garter confirms that in the centre of Manchester the grass roots punk scene has one true home, and as The Star And Garter continues to defy the gentrification plans of Network Rail and the city council then hopefully it will continue to raise a middle finger towards the plans for more unaffordable flats, coffee shops and cloned food outlets for many years to come.

Knock Off‘s website can be found here and they can be found on Facebook here

Loaded 44‘s website is here and their Facebook page is here

The Punk Site review of the Get Ready! EP can be read here

Kid Klumsy‘s Facebook page is here

The Punk Site review of the Spit Your Dummy Out EP can be read here

Live photography is by Dean Unsworth, his Instagram account is located here and you can click on any of Dean’s photos to view a slide show of the images