Hool-A-Palooza 2014 [Festival Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 25/5/14]
Hool-a-Palooza is a punk festival crammed with bands whose speciality is keeping things short and to the point. So, in that spirit, we’ll do the same here.
First off, though: This was a charity gig, and having read those words you’re now obligated to visit Macmillan Cancer Support’s website and help them out.
The Wonder Beers
Straight-ahead rock without the slightest hint of seriousness. With song titles like I Want A Pint, Egg And Chips and Toilet Epiphany, the “pub-punk” label is well earned and worn with obvious pride.
MoCara
Ska on the edge of falling apart. Slinky bass, shouty vocals, sick soloing, and a grooving crowd made for a very fun time.
The Fail
Pop-tinged punk played a bit too well. The Fail have the required attitude in spades, but they care too much about playing with good technique. These guys have so much to give, and it’s a shame that they spent their set staring at their instruments more than the crowd. It’s punk – who gives a fuck if you miss a note?
Those points aside though, The Fail’s songs are solid and they’re clearly passionate about their music. Once they’ve loosened up a bit, they’ll be awesome.
The Rocco Lampones
A four-piece with solid, blocky riffs playing to an unfortunately sparse crowd. As simple as the graphics in Minecraft, but that’s all they need to get their point across. A really good set that should’ve drawn more punters in from the beer garden.
Miss Vincent
Miss Vincent occupy the more anthemic end of the punk spectrum. Radio friendly and image conscious, this was the most commercially-oriented and professional set so far. A lot of fun to watch.
Drones
A bunch of loose-limbed kids bouncing through a well-drilled and politically inspired performance. Confidence, self-assurance, and a hell of a vocal all added up to a winner here.
Hearts Under Fire
“All-female four-piece” is a lazy and overused phrase, but I like the alliteration, so it’s staying in. Besides, perfectionism isn’t punk.
Musically, things took another turn for the commercial, in a very good way. HUF know how to pen a great tune, and (like Drones) showed the benefits of extensive gig experience by keeping their crowd enraptured for the duration. If they’re not signed yet, they should be.
Darko
These guys are like Protest The Hero, if PTH played in 4/4 more often. Techy and brutal and professional in equal measure, Darko delivered a non-stop stream of epic riffs, hardcore vocals, and acrobatic lead lines punctuated by a crowd-surfing bassist and much between-song applause.
The only downsides: Demands for an encore were denied due to tight changeover times, and audience-wise it was a bit of a sausage party. That second point was addressed, however, by…
Tree House Fire
…whose irresistible party vibes, soul-invading grooves and fantastic tunes brought every man and woman remaining into the venue for a packed and downright sexual set.
Had the lights been turned out, I’ve no doubt that an orgy would have ensued; but in the event one couple in particular got hot and heavy enough to pick up everyone else’s slack. A longer set would have been ideal, but there’s always a next time.
As always, respect and love to the Boileroom crew (and Hooligan Promotions & Spiral Studios) for a great night.
Links
The Rocco Lampones on Facebook
The Boileroom official website
Hooligan Promotions on Facebook
Spiral Studios official website
Macmillan Cancer Support official website
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