Review: Panama Kings, Findo Gask, Victorian English Gentleman’s Club, The Computers

Mandela Hall last night had the air of the visit of a major touring band about it, gig t-shirts, posters, limited edition EPs and anything else you could imagine were on sale, all to promote local heroes the Panama Kings. And, to make their first headline show at the Mandela that bit special, supporting the local lads were bands from England, Wales and Scotland each bidding to promote themselves to a new audience. In the crowd was a smattering of the who’s who in the local music scene with most local bands represented from Ed Zealous to Lafaro and top media men in Johnny Teirnan and Paul and Rigsy from ATL. These faces in the crowd alone were enough to tell anybody something special was about to be witnessed.

First up were Findo Gask, hailing from Scotland with their unique brand of electronic pop. Without being too ‘in your face’ the four-piece managed to turn most heads in the audience with a solid performance including highly acclaimed single ‘Va Va Va’ and the infectious ‘Go Faster Stripe.’ An extremely flexible line up allowed instrumental interchange on most songs but it was the vocal ability of the four men on stage, particularly front man Gerard Black, which staggered the majority of the smallish crowd. Three way harmonies were a spectacular addition to each song and were executed to perfection by a band who seem to be naturally gifted performers. Gerard introduced the band as they came on stage and stated ‘there’s not a lot of us here, so lets make the most of it,’ and it certainly was a case of we, rather than a band and audience as each and every person in the hall became mesmerised by the laid back and thoroughly enjoyable performance by the Scottish four-piece.

The English representatives performance can only be likened to having your head held underwater until you begin to loose consciousness then being released, no, escaping, surviving but being intoxicatingly thrilled by the whole experience. Clad in all white you might have imagined a choir as ‘The Computers’ from Devon sauntered on stage but really, you’d struggle to be further from the truth. An intense performance of the fastest, hardest punk accompanied by ear splitting screams emanating from the lead singer had everybody enthralled and as the crowd steadily got bigger so did each round of applause, only to be cut short by a sudden onslaught of guitars as the next song began. Despite the screaming vocals in each song making it hard to distinguish melodies or vocal hooks, the set was of the highest standard, both in quality and delivery. Our front man ended the set roaming amongst the audience, guitar and mic in tow, capping an exhilarating performance that explored hitherto unimagined realms of energy and enthusiasm.

The Victorian English Gentleman’s Club were given the impossible task of being next on stage. Maybe on another bill, or earlier on tonight’s agenda the Welsh four-piece would have had a chance, but in comparison to their predecessors they came across as quite tame and failed to grab the attention of a crowd who were more inclined towards a quiet recovery pint in the Bunatee. Front man Adam’s vocals were at times drowned by those of the shrill duo Steph and Louise on bass and guitar respectively, while the drums of Dan Lazenby thundered in the background. They may have been victims of circumstance or not everybody’s cup of tea but the VEGC gave a solid performance of their brand of Indie Pop and seemed to enjoy themselves in the process. Despite a noticeably smaller crowd than that of the Computers, the four piece were given a warm reception but it was evident that most minds were already focused on the incoming Panama Kings.

By the time the tension building stream of classical music had subsided the Mandela Hall was almost as full as it would be for any major touring band. Such is the degree of devotion and support commanded by the top local band, a devotion which is rewarded in every gig with a performance, sometimes unbelievably, better than the last. To say the Panama Kings blew the other bands off the stage is in no way to the detriment of the support; it is a tribute to the sheer class, energy and quality of the performance of a band at the top of their game. To raucous cheers and applause Niall, Ricky, Luke and Stu took the stage and were at once at home, in their natural habitat as performers who even had time to introduce their parents to an obediently waving crowd. With a mix of old and brand new tunes to please the long term and more recent fans the Panama Kings had the crowd moving as one to the music, singing along to every word. Every song including recent single Golden Recruit went down to a great crowd response before to the great dismay of the adoring throng of tight jeaned, checked shirted packed into the front. However, among these victims of the latest trend were smatterings of rockers, punks and everything in between, serving as just one of the many reasons why the Panama Kings are at the top; their rocky, punky, poppy, electronic orgy of sounds appeals to everyone. Euphoria resumed when the band reclaimed the stage for an unforgettable climax, briefly interrupted by a guitar mishap, some profanities from Niall and a quick, tongue in cheek apology to the parents. The night ended with an encore including Young Blood and Children as the crowned kings of Mandela Hall left their loyal subjects more than satisfied with a typically stunning performance. All hail the PKs!