From 2000, an item from "Out And About With James":

75% Lip, supporting Rachel Stamp at the Pitz, Autumn 2000 (as featured in Monkey Kettle #5).

Oh… to the Pitz for a music gig concert bonanza, to soak up the sounds and smells of youth… To mingle amongst them as their equal, and jostle with the long haired types with their perspiration problems, and the musty smell of marijuana coupled with cider… To nod our heads through the excessive use of smoke and tap our feet on the sticky lager lino…

Let us wade through the sea of plastic beer receptacles before the end of the last song, hoping to avoid the inevitable tsunami of full bladders and queues at the bar… Oh yes, my friend, let us engage in conversation with no chance of a successful understanding without a veritable dance of gesticulation… To judge correctly the closest place to stand near the stage, and not find yourself in the midst of enthusiastic drunks intent on moshing to the most ambient of tunes…

To regale the young Slipknot fans with tales of Jarvis Cocker's antics at the Brits many moons past… And dispel the myth that Limp Bizkit are actually good… Where were you when Supergrass released "Alright", and Britpop exploded? I've just seen "Velvet Goldmine", and I'm ready to rock…

YES HIT ME WITH YOUR RHYTHM STICK, MR.COBAIN - UNTIL MY EARS BLEED! YOU CAN STICK YOUR BUSINESS STUDIES AND YOUR I.T. SOLUTIONS! SCREW YOUR INCREMENTAL PAY RISES AND YER JOBSEEKERS' ALLOWANCE!! FUCK YOUR FUEL PRICES AND YOUR SMARMY WELCOMING HAND TO REVOLUTIONARIES!!! I REMEMBER L7, AND I'M HUNGRY FOR STINK!!!! BECAUSE, FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY, MR.BLAIR, THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT!!!!!

Anywho, 75% Lip. Who are they? Four pop punkateers (in the Kenickie sense), and our very own Simon "Fingers" Underhill on the trumpet for the opening song (opting for the jazz image). What do they do? Play pop fuelled punk in a jolly way that says "we can be nasty, but we're still nice to our gran!" But that's not a bad thing, it's very endearing, and they certainly have a passion for their music. When the occasional mistake comes along which happens inevitably in every gig, the cute disgruntled expressions the singer makes (she looks a bit like Daisy from the sitcom "Spaced") leaves you wishing they would make more.

"Are they good?" you ask, well you've got some attitude, mister! But since you're asking, yes they are, and their fanbase clearly shows it. Even though they were the first band on, the bar was empty and the gig was full, with the audience right up to the barriers and none of that 'stand in a semi-circle' thing that usually greets support acts. This favour was returned with a damn fine gig. Matthew even said that they are the best Milton Keynes band in the past seven years (being careful not to encroach on any R.N.P. time)! But then he still buys Shampoo albums, so you can't trust him, and yes, the girls are still recording.

BACK TO THE SET!!!

The songs were good, and the comparison with Kenickie isn't an unfair one. Even though the drummer said he had never heard of them when I spoke to him after the gig (how easily they forget…). I particularly liked their stab at the "Ghostbusters" theme with an A-Team crossover.

So, in keeping with my other piss-poor reviews, I'll keep it short (nothing to do with being too drunk to remember), and say in conclusion :

If you're looking for an answer to the Slip Bizkit and Limpknot blues, and yer up for some pop punkateering with four (occasionally five) easy on the eye girls and guys, you can't go wrong with 75% Lip, and considering Kenickie are long since departed, and their genre contemporaries seem to be twiddling their thumbs, I think there's an opening.

Oh… the other two bands. I only heard one song from Grand Theft Auto, it sounded a bit Stone Roses. Rachel Stamp, plenty much glam.

James Türl.