Live Review: The Ramonas / The Last Reserves – The Deaf Institute, Manchester, UK, 17th March 2018

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The Ramonas / The Last Reserves

Deaf Institute, Manchester, UK - 17th March 2018

It’s St. Patrick’s Day so obviously the bars and streets of Manchester are packed with revellers who, despite the sub zero temperatures and unexpected Spring snowfall, are celebrating what has become a day that is internationally associated with alcoholic excess, but the reason we’re in town and returning to The Deaf Institute tonight is for The Ramonas ongoing and extensive Mania tour. As if the attraction of one of the finest Ramones inspired bands out there wasn’t enough tonight they have support in the shape of Liverpool’s The Last Reserves, a band that made a big impression on me when I caught them supporting The Dead Boys on their fortieth anniversary tour last month.

Tonight the soundtrack in The Deaf Institute is on that is made up from old school punk rock from both sides of the Atlantic, and as the final chaotic strains that follow the Dead Kennedys’ Moon Over Marin fades out The Last Reserves take to the stage and they immediately kick things off in fine style with their 2017 single, Confusion. The audience for the start of their set is initially a bit thin on the ground but this doesn’t stop The Last Reserves delivering everything at full tilt, their blend of old school punk and hardcore, that’s mixed with a riot grrrl attitude, is the perfect antithesis to the freezing temperatures and as a result The Last Reserves start to defrost the crowd. 
 
The Last Reserves vocalist Alice Nancy is a mesmerising figure, she continually pouts, rants, poses and dances with an attitude and demeanour that recalls the original female punk pioneers who did things their own way with no fucks given, she is backed up by a solid trio who deliver an intense old school hardcore backing. In essence The Last Reserves reminds me of a collision between Black Flag and X-Ray Spex, but it’s one that is bought bang up to date with the songs reflecting issues relevant to 2018. The rail against the narcissism of social media, the social stigma attached to, and the ignorance of, mental illness and social inequality, and by the end of their set a respectable crowd has braved the British springtime. The Last Reserves are a band to watch and the two sets I’ve seen them deliver leaves me with a feeling that their blend of new and old school punk and hardcore is one that is going to win them a lot of friends.
 
A return to the playlist that revisits the first decade of Punk precedes the arrival of The Ramonas, and as someone that was fortunate enough to catch Ramones a few times before their demise I’m looking forward to their set as I’ve previously caught them a few times, including a rain soaked appearance at the Rebellion Festival. As someone who loves the Ramones, with Rocket To Russia being one of my all time favourite albums, I wouldn’t be here if The Ramonas didn’t do them justice, and as tonight is part of their Mania tour, which as you’d expect reflects the impressive track listing of the Ramones compilation of the same name, we’re in for a evening that revisits the very best of the Ramones.
 
The strains of Ennio Morricone‘s classic score for The Good, The Bad And The Ugly indicates that the time is nigh for The Ramonas, and we’re straight into I Wanna Be Sedated, and like the band that inspired them there is no gap or talking to the crowd, a 1234 precedes Teenage Lobotomy, that is followed by a frantic Do You Remember Rock ‘N Roll Radio and Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment. Their Ramones set is delivered throughout with an authentic feel and tonight seems to capture the attitude and the finest moments of the Ramones, and it’s one that is delivered faultlessly and with the original spirit of the one of the bands that changed everything and inspired the UK punk scene 
 
Every track on the Mania tour captures the essence of Ramones first two decades, there doesn’t seem to be any conscious effort to be the Ramones, it’s just that over the years they have seem to have practically become the band, but thankfully for The Ramonas without the baggage that fuelled the original quartet. Tonight felt like a celebration rather than a tribute act, and that’s the way it should be, and as a result it’s hard to fault The Ramonas on any level, with Pee Pee even taking on vocals Dee Dee‘s vocal duties. In essence tonight is a reminder of just how important, and even more importantly just how good live, the Ramones were.
 
The other factor that stops The Ramonas being just another tribute band is the inclusion of material from their debut self penned album, where the Ramones personaes are discarded and they become themselves, this is a key factor in why I love this band and why they aren’t just another tribute act. Their solo material carries the attitude of the band that inspired them but it isn’t a hollow recreation, this is original buzzsaw punk rock that has it’s own character, and as such you essentially end up getting two bands in one set. Chloe Ramona re-dons her shades and the Ramones are back in the room for a finale of The KKK Took My Baby Away and Rock ‘N Roll High School.
 
With none of the original Ramones remaining The Ramonas have captured the spirit and continue the legacy of the band that changed everything. I generally have little time for tribute bands but there are exceptions, The Ramonas and The Sex Pistols Experience being the only two that spring to mind, but The Ramonas have gone beyond being a tribute and are now a band in their own right with their own self penned material, in the form of their impressive 2017 album, First World Problems. Both bands tonight embraced the old school roots of punk rock in their own way, but crucially neither sounds dated and The Ramonas and The Last Reserves both keep the feel and original attitude of punk rock alive in the 21st century.
 
The Ramonas website is here
 
The Punk Site review of First World Problems can be read here
 
The Last Reserves Facebook page is here
 
The Last Reserves Bandcamp is located 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