Riot Ska
Leftover Crack are another of those bands that have been on the ‘must see’ list for a while. Formed from the remnants of Chocking Victim they play an infectious mix of high energy ska punk.
Vocalist Stza Crack has a harsh voice but it’s tempered by some great riffs and he doesn’t have to do much during opener ‘Aetheist Anthem’ to get the front rows of the crowd moving. Each sing along chorus is met with a sea of raised fists and the longer they play the more Stza winds them up. Along with the rest of the band he leaps and whirls across the stage constantly, all of which makes for a thoroughly engaging performance. I have to admit that the strength in depth of the material surprises me and the longer they play the better they get as they move through ‘One Dead Cop’ and ‘500 Channels’. Admittedly some of the political speech between songs is a little clichéd but then I have to remember that I’ve been hearing it for 20 years and for some of the kids down the front it’s their first exposure to such things so we’ll let them off with that one.
The advantage Leftover Crack have over much of today’s bill is that they mix up ska and out and out punk anthems rather than sticking to one genre and they are all the better for it. ‘Ya Can’t Go Home’ brings matters to a head before they round it all off by throwing in a Choking Victim song. After some of the more straight laced ska bands earlier in the day, Leftover Crack see a welcome return to a bit of aggression and bite.