Although Litterbug and Pink Hearse are both well know locally, I hadn't heard either of them play before so it was a great opportunity to do some catching up.
I first heard of One Way System back in 1981 when I bought the 12" vinyl compilation "A Country Fit For Heroes" which had their track "Jerusalem" on it and , here again, I had never seen them play live before so it was nice to finally do so (after only 30 years....). They finished with Jerusalem and also played the Blitzkrieg song "The Future Must be Ours" that I also remembered from the same album...
All credit to the 3 local bands who played very well and received lots of support but obviously, the highlight for us was the performance by Vice Squad who we had featured in a one hour interview special in our radio show on Preston FM a few weeks ago.
In no particular order - well, not the order they were played in, anyway...:
From the "Stand Strong Stand Proud" album they played "Rock n’ Roll Massacre", "Latex Love" and "Out of Reach" and we also had "Scarred For Life" that I originally heard at the Cambridge Sea Cadets Hall as part of the State Of The Nation Tour back in October 1982.
They played "Living On Dreams" and then from the Defiant album, the title track, "Fast Forward" an "Voice Of The People". From "London Underground" we had "Sniffing Glue" and my own favourite (and Beki's apparently...) "Ordinary Girl".
Vice Squad have a brand new album out called "Punk Rock Radio" which I would heartily recommend to fans new and old alike. You can read our review and find order links here: http://www.bestkeptsecrets.biz/2011/12/cd-release-punk-rock-radio-by-vice.html
From this album they played "Stuck in Reverse", "Punk Rock Is The Blues" and "Are You Looking At Me?" and then finished in rousing fashion with a couple of old favourites: "Stand Strong, Stand Proud" and "Last Rockers".
It was a thrilling, energetic performance that we enjoyed from beginning to end. Do go and see Vice Squad play live if you get the chance - we are sure you won't be disappointed.
Vice Squad really do represent the true spirit of authentic punk rock. They manage themselves - organise all their own merchadise (Beki was there selling t-shirts on the sales stand), organise their own gigs and produce their own CDs. To find out more about live shows and merchandise and to order your copy of the new Punk Rock Radio CD, visit the official Vice Squad website at: http://www.vicesquad.co.uk/
As well as thanking Vice Squad, who made the journey up north in awful weather, Lucy wanted to say thank you to everyone who took part - the audience, Spider Man, the sound engineer and the staff at Blackpool Cricket Club - for a really fantastic evening. She was inspired by Pink Hearse and encouraged by Lee and his friends to finish her latest song.
