Less Than Jake - Stupid Name, Amazing Stageshow
Who'd have thought that ska could be good? Well, to be perfectly honest here, I detest ska-punk, but for this review I will leave my bias behind, and present you, the deserving reader, with some objective commentary on Less Than Jake's performance at the Glasgow Barrowlands.
Less Than Jake - rock with brass instruments, otherwise known as the infamous ska. You wouldn't expect it, when, in comparison, you look at, say, Iron Maiden fans, but Less Than Jake's fans happen to be a bloody crazy lot - then again, so are the band members themselves. They happily fill the room with banter between songs, requesting for someone to take them out for a drink after the show, or simply slagging off George Bush or Tony Blair. Chris (guitar, vocals) and Roger (bass, vocals) nonchalantly make fun of each other and the crowd, commenting that their "56 year old drummer has better stamina" - but this is all in good fun, and the crowd knows it. Still ignoring their music, Less Than Jake's stage show is top-notch, and this is obvious to see through many things, such as their aforementioned between-song discussions, or perhaps through the fact that they manage to get the crowd to split in half, whilst urging people to get naked and dance down the middle. It was a fun night to behold, and this can be said before I've even commented on their musical performance. As for that, it was decent enough - after all, you can't expect too much from ska: just the usual blend of catchy punk songs with some brassy melodies flowing over the top. Their performance musically was as could be expected from a band that's been kicking around on tours for over ten years now - but it was thanks to Less Than Jake's eternal enthusiasm and ability to get involved with the crowd, as opposed to those shoegazing bands of the early 90s, that truly any one could have enjoyed their show, whether they're a fan or not.