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John Knox revels in clowns, inflatable toys and hardcore skirmishes as ‘party slam’ band Party Cannon rock the Lubber Fiend
Headbanging, wobble-gobbing and inflatable dolphins abound as Party Cannon bring their IQ-lowering party slam to The Lubber Fiend in Newcastle.
“Well… this IS supposed to be a beatdown show” offers Street Soldier frontman Scotty when a fight breaks out, pausing the show. A Hafthor sized man himself with big Do-Not-F-With-Me energy, no one disagrees. For the three fanatics throwing spinning elbows and running clotheslines into the rest of us I’m sure those words rang true. But, after taking a cartwheel kick to the jaw myself, spilling me over into a pile of guitar cases, I sympathised with the fella who reacted poorly to being the next victim of random assault and initiated a skirmish. And so it goes on, with Street Soldier doing a fantastic job of mixing up hyperactive blast sections with down tempo stomps via watertight stop/start transitions: the ideal backdrop for some mosh-pit karate. I was impressed by their ability to authentically integrate their UK – specifically Yorkshire – heritage into a style arguably created and dominated by New York flavoured bands. ‘New Yorkshire’ Hard Core is here to stay.
As the bands transition for the next act you’d be forgiven for assuming a crew from British Telecom had chosen an inopportune moment to install high-speed broadband onstage. However, the truth of the moment is revealed when dual vocalist, Geezer-core, slam-a-holics Pintglass kick off with their cockney battlecry “Do any of youz lot have a trade?” All decked out in hi-vis jackets the building site banter continues to pepper a set filled with pig squeals and guttural chugs. Attempts to lead the crowd in chants of “GEEZER”, “STELLA” and powders that shall remain nameless are on paper hilarious, yet somehow fall completely flat. Nevertheless Pintglass give an impressive performance, keeping the energy high despite receiving little in return.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, Party Cannon like to have fun. They’ve looked into the dark heart of the death metal community and realised we each have an inner child that just wants another fifth birthday party. Cue the glow sticks, inflatable toys and a clown with an oversized papier-mâché skull head. Thankfully they quickly put an end to the unlicensed UFC happening in the crowd, giving the rest of us an opportunity to relax and enjoy the show. Peel back the gimmicks and you’ve got a bang average band with forgettable songs, but analysis on that level really misses the point – just have fun for once. Don’t think so hard.
