Bad Manners, Cracked Actors, The Blox, Max Splodge + The Ressure Tones.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 27th September 2008.

If you tap into the nostalgia trip, then tonight is most certainly your flight of fantasy. After selling out the venue back in March, Buster Bloodvessel and his beloved BAD MANNERS are back yet again. It's entitled as a celebratory 50th birthday tour and Buster is the birthday boy. Needless to say, the sold out notices were posted long ago.

It has to be stated that the evening did not run smoothly, and quite unbelievably it is not until 11.20 that Bad Manners step on stage. The reasons are unclear, but obviously the paying punters should come first. At this late hour they are getting tired and frustrated, and one would say very, very drunk! But all those ills are forgotten quickly as Buster flashes that radiant grin, nattily resplendent in a suave jacket. The words that the fans have come to hear are said loud and proud "This is ska!"

The room erupts as the pent-up anger of having to wait so long is emitted by the sheer force of skankin'. 'My Girl Lollipop' is swiftly followed by the popular 'Skaville UK'. It may have been an age for the band to appear, but now the crowd are havin' it big time. The familiar 'anti' Buster shout of "You fat bastard, you fat bastard!" rings out repeatedly throughout the set. The much loved single 'Lorraine' gives way to "the jumping song". It's a ska demolition job as Bad Manners order the crowd to jump up and down. The fragile downstairs ceiling is under extreme pressure as the old structure is tested severely. 'Walking on sunshine' (the only Bad Manners song I really like) is reprised superbly, so I'm pleased. The big cheesy moment must surely be when Buster starts singing 'I Can't Take my Eyes Off You". The Andy Williams standard gets the full ska treatment. The swaying from side to side by the Bad Manners band just adds to the appreciation of the total irony. With the skinhead songs covered, 'Ne ne ne, na na etc' and of course 'Special Brew' wrap up the Bad Manners hour. The inevitable encore comprises a happy birthday shout out to Buster and a hit laden finale of 'Lip Up Fatty' and the mischievous 'Can Can' which sends the old folks home to bed happy. I'm sure they won't be having any cocoa tonight!

The best of the rest must surely be accorded to the return of Birmingham's ska exponents CRACKED ACTORS. Starting with 'Captive', the singalong chorus of "I am the captive and I want to break free" billows through the venue, wafting along effortlessly. An early slice of UB40 reggae is evident in 'Flowers'. They punk it up with final song 'Come Around'. A satisfying conclusion to an immensely enjoyable set.

The rest of the evening is rather mixed as an utterly awful Ian Dury tribute band trawl their way through a shocking set. They are called THE BLOX. Hmmmm! Max Splodge of one hit wonders Splodgenessabounds sings, yet again, about trying to buy 'Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps'. THE PRESSURE TONES consistently ply a solid set of ska.