Excuse me, I’m drunk. But that doesn’t impair my judgement. This may have been the 50th gig this year, if not, it occured sometime this week. So I’m using that as an excuse for getting slightly drunk for this gig. But anyway, this was superb. Simply put. GET THE ALBUM. GO. GET. It’s a belter and soo much fun. Anyway, they play a short set, opening up, as on the album, with Perfect Today, which is even more immediate live. After that it’s a quick trawl through some of the off kilter moments including the wonderful Hiring Camels. During an attempted interview that had semi taken place earlier, Chris had said how he enjoyed looking out at bemused faces, and I don’t think he was disappointed. Two drummers, one playing keyboards, a bassist and guitarist, dressed up, having fun, and playing music which has nothing in common with LimpKornTones.

It all seems to be going over the heads, especially the headfuck of a track like Shoelaces, all innocent cartoon kid vocals, before an almost Napalm Death like mini-chorus. Ah yes, wonderful. But then the ace in the pack of I Play Bass is pulled out. The dawning realisation of the lyrics brings a smile to a few faces.

But it’s almost the end, just time for a song that they wrote backstage because of how much they loved Nottingham Rock City. Though it might well have sounded close to some Kiss song of a somewhat similar name. And that’s it. No more. Your lot. The old skatecore people upstairs can continue to do their little shuffle to the songs they know they should shuffle to, cos it’s their allotated time slot. Down here we’ve had the fun and unpredictable side of music.

But there was an unsavoury part of tonight. One that maybe summed up attitudes towards music and live bands in this country. Upstairs the new metal section is in full flight. The right tracks are being played, and damn fine they are too. The announcement goes out that tonights band are about to play downstairs. So do the hordes that have paid to come in and listen to the same albums that they have presumably got at home, judging by the excellence of their dancing to the material, decide to go down and check them out? Doesn’t cost any, it’s part of the price. The answer to that question, in case you were wondering, is no. So we have the situation where people won’t even go and check out a new band playing in the same building as them. So what hope is there that people will go out of their way and support these bands. Would it really have hurt to sacrifice 35 minutes of your life to check them out? Really? I mean, you all keep it real. Everyone is so into the music. Yeah. Ok. If you say so.

There was more shite as well when I returned home. Putting on the teletext, I read about the Omagh bomb. Sometimes when shit like that happens, you wonder how you can smile. No land is worth a life. And as much as you may sometimes want to seperate music from reality and life, sometimes things as horrific as this occur. And you have to acknowledge and be repulsed by it. But then you realise that because of the problems and attrocities of life, you also

have to smile somehow to try and help get through things. Because it comes to everyone. I’ve got 2 “anniversaries” coming up in the next week. Which makes bands like Sack Trick all the more important. Cos it helps me smile again. If the interview ever gets finished, expect it in a future YAZ. Now help Chris out, and send off for a copy of the CD. It’s only about 9 or 10 quid. And if you do need to smile, but don’t know how, this could be the tonic you need.

Contact: Sack Trick, PO Box 16432, London W6 0ZQ.