Now I’m not a particularly big follower of trends. I tend to pick them up a bit late really, because, silly me, I had this stupid idea that funnily enough, the music industry and more to the specific point, gigs, were about the music.
It then in fact beggars belief for me that a punk gig, sorry a hardcore punk gig (emphasis on the hard okay…) attracts such an undulant populous of… well, fashion. Not that I’m anti-fashion, in any way; but if someone could please explain to me why the hardcore punk scene feels it a necessity to all wear chequered shirts, girls jeans and posses numerous flesh tunnels, it would be most appreciated. Especially considering the very definition of the word punk.
Either way, straight from Omaha, Ladyfinger (NE) are here to put a little perspective on things. Relatively unknown, this tight, well dressed somewhat quiet foursome in-act for me an obscure pipe dream… well, maybe dream is somewhat strong, but thought, at least, that to say something, and to be listened to, folding to the masses isn’t the necessity it’s made out to be.
Their blistering, ferocious set compromised mainly of material from ’Heavy Hands’, their most recent album offering, and it didn’t take long for me to realise why they are performing half way across the globe from their humble abodes.
Songs such as “Smuggler” “Sea Legs” and “Diet Smoke” meet a mixed but generally welcome response from a crowd who largely have no idea what particular country has dropped an atom bomb on stage. Unduly quiet and collected, the perpetrators of this ear-drum bruising explosion on stage quickly garter the attention of a crowd clearly in major anticipation of the headlining act ‘The Bronx’ and leave no suspicion in my mind of the fact that there is some sanity left in the music industry.
Music-ability aside, often bands who are loud and boisterous stand out; but not often for good reasons. In the same respect, some bands that are illustriously quiet, likely harbouring some eternal truth about the music biz stand out too for their utter professionalism and obvious dedication to the cause. It’s unfortunately clear that ‘Ladyfinger’ won’t be appearing in everyone’s CD collection anytime soon, but then… maybe that’s a good thing. Let the scene kids, have their scene.