Axis Of, Ruby’s Masquerade & The Hubris @ Shadow Rooms – 04/06/2010

June 16, 2010 No Comments

Axis Of are a band that can grab anyone’s attention. The first time I saw them live was in Derry’s Nerve Centre, supporting ‘And So I Watch You From Afar’.

I had never heard of them before or even listened to any of their material. I walked into the venue and was blown away; they came on stage and made it a battlefield, in which they were the turret guns.

Ever since, I have loved Axis Of and have tried to catch them just about anywhere I can. This week, it was the Carrickfergus Shadow Rooms with The Hubris and Ruby’s Masquerade.

The Hubris have been on the scene for a while now, fueling us with nostalgia that brings us back to 1977 and the glory days of punk. The Hubris may be an older group but that doesn’t mean they’re merely a bunch of pensioners trying bring back 70’s punk.

They play hard, fast and harsh but also flashing off some talent with wonderful solos and great bridges.  Drawing in a good crowd (all dancing or moving in some way) and playing some recognizable punk covers such as Blitzkerg Bop by The Ramones and Janie Jones by The Clash; The Hubris enliven their crowd and it’s great to witness an opening band receive such a great reception.

Ruby’s Masquerade are next, playing to a well warmed up crowd. With lead singer (Stewart) holding a bottle of Bud for most of his set, rock ‘n’ roll is now centre stage and armed to the teeth.

The feed the now energetic and eager crowd with fantastic, gritty, dirty punk; even interacting with their fans as far as to invite a member of the audience up on stage to dance along.

It is rare that you see such enthusiastic inclusiveness in a band. ‘Call To Arms’ is a definite set highlight, replicating Stiff Little Fingers crossed with Black Flag; these guys are definitely ones to watch out for.

Axis Of came on and once again took over a venue and put another stage under their belt. They open with the blistering intro of ‘Aung’ to a very small but dedicated crowd as they begin their onslaught of northern sludge and punk.

It was however very upsetting to see such a fantastic up-and-coming band like ‘Axis Of’ be ditched by many for the club’s drink promos and in my view, tacky setting.

Most of the people I could see were in the separate smoking room avoiding the music they paid to see. The band still make enough noise to penetrate through every wall in the venue and show they’re the best reason to come to a dimly lit nightclub like this.

Overall Axis Of are still one of my favorite bands on the scene and I’ll catch them any time I can, it’s just irritating to see that people have paid £3 just to stand in a smoking area and chat with they’re friends while ignoring an amazing band

In my personal opinion I think that the Shadow Rooms is an underwhelming venue for bands to play. Yes it is a big and spacious, but in a sense of audience and setting, it’s just wrong.

People want their nightclubs and others want their gig venues, I think we should keep them separate.

By Chris Leckey

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