The Hog is a small music venue in Pontypool, South Wales where many well known bands once played. The pub is now shut so this blog is just for memories
SO THIS IS THE LAST REVIEW FROM UBER ROCK ON THE GBH GIG. IT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE. I AM SO PROUD OF THE WORK THAT I HAVE DONE HERE AND THANKS TO EVERYONE THAT MADE IT POSSIBLE.
GBH - Pontypool, Hog And Hosper - 3rd May 2013 Print E-mail
Written by Johnny H
Thursday, 16 May 2013 03:00
“And now the end is near….”
GuntysThe first of two nights of Punkfest 2013 here at the Hog And Hosper, this is the most fitting swansong for a venue I’ve grown to love over the last few years. That’s partly because I’ve never actually seen GBH before other than in the cavernous surroundings of the Olympia in Blackpool where it was like an unaired punk rock edition of Name That Tune trying to pinpoint the songs being cranked out thanks to that venue’s infamous aircraft hanger sound, and of course it’s also because this is the last but one gig before we wave bye bye to the Hog. So as I lift a can of Stella in celebration of The Guntys taking to the stage/raised floor area, nothing other than truly happy memories of encounters with the likes of Ricky Warwick, LA Guns, Dirt Box Disco, Diamond Head and Scabies & James fill my horse head. So what better way to send the venue off into the sunset in true style than with two nights of punk rock debauchery?
Thankfully this is something that Abertillery trio The Guntys specialise in, and their brief set, leaning ever more towards the politically charged end of things, is filled with disenchanted anthems such as ‘When The Brick Stops Swinging’ and ‘Height of Stupidity’, Both dedicated to Tory prime ministers old and new had the already filling dance floor screaming along. It is their set climax where they are joined onstage by This System Kills frontman Pig for a run through of Anti Pasti’s ‘No Maggie Thatcher And No Government’ that almost brings the roof down though. Fuck ‘Ding Dong’ this is the true anti-Thatcher song delivered by people who really do mean every word of it.
Vendettas 2
Hailing from the Rhondda just a few Valleys away, The Vendettas are too young to remember John Major never mind Horrible Hilda, so their furious take on punk rock is more about the music rather than the politics. Think what Phil Campbell’s grandchildren might sound like playing Zeke covers, and you won’t be a million miles away. ‘Heartbreaker’ whilst being introduced as a slowie dedicated to the couples in the house is the exact opposite, ripping the skin from your face with its intensity. Likewise ‘Dirty Secret’ and ‘Killing Machine’ (dedicated to the band’s beloved Cardiff City) seek and destroy all comers sending the crowd into an early climax of beer soaked sweat drenched fun. Fellow Uber scribe Darrel Sutton had warned me not to miss these purveyors of filthy dirty ’Bad Taste’ rock ‘n’ roll, and he was once again bang on the button. So to paraphrase old Squidward McPoopshute, make sure you too check out The Vendettas because they are “fucking choice!”
BlatoideaThese types of multiple band line ups always tend to throw up one surprise package and tonight that honour falls to Blatoidea, who deliver a set of stinging Sicilian streetpunk by way of London town. Looking almost exactly like the eighties version of tonight’s headliners the quartet even had someone near me complaining that after paying £10 he would have expected one original member to be in GBH, and the comparisons don’t stop there either, as tracks from their ‘Infected’ album like ‘Alive’ speed past in two minute blasts of punk rock fury ala the Midland maniacs in their prime. Singer/guitarist Manu might conduct his stage banter in a second language but at times he actually reminds me of a ‘Total 13’ era Nicke Borg, which is a comparison that I don’t normally give away lightly. Okay they might have overstayed their welcome a bit playing a set of songs that no one other than the few clued in people stage front really knew but the impression they left had punks flooding to the merch stand to pick up CDs and T-shirts, myself included.
Whilst I’m on the subject of T-shirts I really do have to mention that when I pay £10 for a shirt I don’t expect to get it home to find it is an iron on transfer. But that’s exactly what the GBH ‘Perfume And Piss’ shirt I picked up tonight was, and what was otherwise as perfect a headline set as I’ll see this year this really left sour taste in my mouth I can tell you.
GBH ColAnyway back to the gig and kicking off with ‘Unique’ from the aforementioned Hellcat released return to form; Colin, Jock, Ross and Scott were certainly on a mission tonight, that being to mix the old with the new and send the Hog off with a gig that will be remembered for many years to come by those of us lucky to be in attendance. Of the old we got all of the ‘Leather Bristles Studs And Ache’ EP in its entirety and almost in its expanded Captain Oi CD version sequence too albeit for a ferocious run through of ‘No Survivors’, Big Women’, ‘Sick Boy’, ‘Give Me Fire’ and ‘Hellhole’ before ‘City Baby Attacked By Rats’, and ‘City Babies Revenge’ were called back to close the set with Stooges fave ‘I Feel Alright’.
The other newbie of the main set ‘Kids Get Down‘ gets dedicated to Blatoidea, with Colin not missing the band’s striking resemble to his band’s younger selves, whilst the recently deceased Jeff Hanneman also picked up an earlier song dedication. It’s this link to thrash metal that actually got me into GBH in the mid eighties, when for nights on end me and my mates would sit and watch the VHS of ‘Live At Stoke-On-Trent 1983’ on constant loop, marvelling at just how intense four guys could be on a stage. Losing none of that intensity here tonight the set closing blast of ‘Maniac’ is a schoolboy ending for yours truly, finally sending everyone out into the street well past the witching hour.
If tonight really was the final curtain for the Hog And Hosper as a live venue then Sam and her crew have left most of us at URHQ with many happy memories of what can be done with a relatively small venue and a lot of ambition, however it also paints the harsh picture of reality of what punter apathy and the current economic climate can mean when you are trying to run a business. Unfortunately I couldn’t make the second night of this two day send off (which was headlined by Vice Squad) but this was the perfect way for me to say goodbye to a venue that really did do it their way.
To visit the GBH store on Amazon - The Punk Singles 1981-84
So that was it. A party of all parties to close the pub and we drank it dry. I am now recovering, I have the shakes so please excuse me.
Today I will be chilling out. I will need to clean the Pub as there are empty cans and glasses everywhere and there is someone coming to have a look at the place tomorrow. The pub will be going up for auction next month so we are staying here until 25th May and then moving into our new place which is in the middle of nowhere. Its not far from our friends and its close to where Wayne's Mom is. The new place has 3 bedrooms so the kids have a room as well when they come over to visit. We will need to invest in a new car as well so we can all, kids and fur kids, go out on day trips. Thats what Im looking forward to mainly, going out for trips and not having to worry about rushing back if there is a problem at the pub. I have spoken to a few Landladies that have come out of the Trade recently and thay say that they do miss the Social part of it but not the worry. We have checked out the local Pubs and they are within wlaking distance. The Hunters Moon is the nearest, The Skirrid is a 10 minute drive away and The Walnut Tree about 15 mins drive. Very important to check out the local!!
The house has its on acre of land and we can put a little fence up so the woo's can have a run around. Offas Dkye also starts at the bottom of the garden and the views are spectacular. Our neighours are Sheep to the left and horses to the right. I would like to get into writing abit more as well if possible and earn some money that way. I need to take it easy. I still havent really recovered from my Op as you can never switch off when you run your own business. I was short on cash when I had to pay HMRC and they said I should have made provisions. Sorry HMRC I didnt know I was going to get seriously ill. I do apologise for getting off my arse and starting a Business.
Oh well, time to rest, but first I am going hopping with my Mom. Waynes gone to see the kids in Bristol so I am having a relaxing day withmy folks.
Catch you later
http://intotheble.gtmachine.track.clicksure.com
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So its our last and final gig atThe Hog and Hosper in Pontypool this weekend. We had to make a decision to if we could carryon bailing the pub out based on its current turnover, but alas, it wasnt to be. So we thought we would carry on with Punkfest as planned and go out with a PARTY! Tickets will be availble on the night or online http://www.wegottickets.com/f/5927
saturdays event is now starting at 2pm as a number of bands wanted to play the final gig at The Hog. Its sad times for everyone, but the economic climate is hitting everyone hard and the only people making money are SKY and British Gas. Well you bastards you have helped close another Business down with your over inflated crappy prices. I hope your happy!
There's a point here today halfway through This System Kills mid afternoon set where the band's charismatic frontman Pig turns to the assembled faithful and laments the descent of the majority of mainstream UK rock music festivals into the corporate hellholes that we all know they are. He may be largely preaching to the converted here but he still makes a very valid point, as today's proceedings work out at costing us, the average gig goer, a whopping £1.66 to see each band, and with band shirts ranging from £8 to £12 this is hardly the economics deployed on the festival battlefield these days.
So with so much to offer your avid punk rock fan, and as you can see above spread over the entire May Bank Holiday weekend this Punkfest makes out almost like a mini Rebellion for the South Wales valleys, albeit for yours truly and the boy wonder from out West Dom Daley, it was only ever going to be this, the Saturday's line up that we could actually get our sorry arses along to. So our apologies to the rest of the bands playing who don't get a mention here.
With yours truly arriving at the venue suitably early to catch the 2pm advertised door time, I end up missing first band of the day Meathook who feature father and son duo Michael and Jay Tatler from the English Dogs, but with the Abta-lairy massive already in residence awaiting the arrival of the next band of the day they assured me that they were "fucking excellent". So job done I guess.
Taking their places with military like precision, printed set lists placed in front of them, it was time for Pontypool to experience Trigger McPoopshute - a band these days looking "almost" like a professional porn rock combo. Bearing in mind that some of the audience were perhaps slightly more than a little shy of the 18 years required to share the blue air with such smut as 'Knob Rot', frontman/bassist (and resident Dr Martin boots wearer) Sutton was on fine form, fired up on Polish lager and winking at the ladies ahead of a galloping run through 'Glory Hole Viper', his warning the parents of the aforementioned siblings that he wouldn't be held responsible if any of them turned out to be mass murderers of the future was pure comedy gold. Expect more from the 'Shute anytime soon as they tell me they are in the midst of recording their debut album. God help us all.
With the event poster running order stating that 100,000 Bodybags were due up next what we actually got was a bit of a local punk scene supergroup going by the seemingly makeshift title of Trackstar Pornstar. Featuring two members of the Bodybags and two members of Dead Radio, the band's mix of old Rectify tunes and gothic country/pop covers managed to both confuse and amaze, frontman Brewer raising perhaps the biggest cheers of the afternoon so far by dedicating 'Spent You' to the fall of the Nazi scum party in the recent UK local elections. It'll be interesting to see what these guys do next and under what name, although as a Facebook page now exists for Trackstar Pornstar I'm guessing today's moniker stuck after all.
Nottingham's Girlfixer are the first band of the day to bring a more modern edge to the punk rock proceedings, and that's quite possibly because they are so damn young that they would never in a million years get my comparison of singer Natalie Thornton to one Jody Turner (high praise indeed though old schoolers eh?). Raised on a mix of Hellcat punk and metalcore the four piece bounce their way through a lively 40 odd minute set sounding not unlike Human Waste Project on more than one occasion, new track 'Hitman' meanwhile hinted at a more direct "go for the throat" approach. With talk all day of who had slayed the in-house drum kit the best, I would like to offer up Girlfixer's Nicola Brooks as perhaps the hero of the day, boy can she hit them skins!!!
And so as the clock strikes 5 it's time for the aforementioned scene legend Pig and his This System Kills band mates to deliver what was quite possibly the best set I've ever seen them play. With the frontman "kilted up" and restricted in his mobility as a result, today's set may not have been the liveliest (although the few high kicks we did get instantly make a few of us feel rather queasy), but with the newer tracks that pepper the set with maybe a slightly more metal edge (like on say 'All Sinners Rise') this makes for an all more compelling reason for you to sit up and take notice. Set highlight for yours truly came during a faithful rendition of '30 Years' where stood next to Pig's old Classified Protest band mate I suddenly realised just how much of a formative effect these characters have all had in my years spent following music. Let's just say it was emotional.
So with all the punk genre boxes seemingly ticked at this point up pop Sickpig from the West Country plying a very fine line in anarcho hardcore punk to frighten the shit out of those of us not brave enough to appreciate their more direct 1-2-3-4 approach. The splendidly titled 'Shit What You Eat' finally gets a pit going, whilst also reminding me I should perhaps seek out some sustenance other than what is in my pint glass. However with nothing open for what seems like miles I instead settle for one final slice of Sickpig, and wait for the arrival of my partner in grime Dom Daley who is picking up the evening's bands.
And I wait....and wait. Not since Nightwish got lost in the lanes around Donington Park have I waited so long for a band (and their accompanying uber scribe) to turn up, in fact the natives are starting to get a little restless as the between band silence is almost deafening, then as by magic - both of them appear in quick sucession.
I arrive fashionably late at The Hog just in time to catch the bar before Foreign Legion take the stage, and my first band at this quality all - dayer succumbs to the dreaded sound problems (God damn you gremlins), although it has to be said that the band admirably fought on and soldiered through. The fact that the vocals of frontman Marcus Howells were now working in a Norman Collier style-y was a bit of a shame especially in between songs when he was trying to get a message across to the throng of punters who seemed to be enjoying every minute of throwing themselves around the dance floor. During their brief set they managed to play some pretty nifty tunes along with some choice covers such as 'White Riot' and the excellent heads down 'Commando' from da Bruddas from Queens Noo Yawk. The pick of the Legion's own tunes was the poke in the eye for big corporate food chain stores at the cost of our villages and towns (something sadly quite evident in Pontypool) in the 'Market Trader Song' and the tribute to a drunken friend 'Wasted Your Life'. Always reliable and punk to the core - that is Foreign Legion.
Next up were the lovable English Dogs who've also been around the block and back again with many line ups and a sound that over the years has ebbed and flowed from punk to metal and back again. Here tonight they were on the money delivering a pretty decent support set for the mighty Subs. After the troublesome mic was eventually sorted the band could settle into their slot and kick up a shit storm of throbbing bass lines and furious drumming. Pick of the set were 'This Is A Class War' which again preached to the converted, as the beer was spilt and the fists were pumped, 'Left Me For Dead' and 'Fucked Up People' were also knocked out with suitable aplomb. For a finale English Dogs knocked out a cracker which I believe was called 'Greedy Cunts' (correct me if I'm, wrong guys) containing some right proper old school terrace chants thrown in for good measure, and in turn making one or two Uber scribes beam from ear to ear. "Your going home in a fucking ambulance!" and the 70's terrace classic of "Your gonna get your fucking heads kicked in" had me Oi! Oi!-ing like a fourteen year old. A great addition to the line up and so far so good I'd only been in the venue for over an hour and already seen two quality bands - Result!
Last but not least headlining the Saturday night were the one and only UK Subs, and if I'm being honest I was delighted to see Alvin, Jet, Jamie and Charlie walk in to the venue, as I do believe they are my favourite holders of the UK Subs torch that still burns so brightly. Without much fussing and hanging about the band set up and got straight into business as the punters of all ages crammed into the room to get a face full of top notch punk rock.
Kicking off proceedings tonight was 'Emotional Blackmail' and it was plain to see that the band who are forever on tour were as tight as fuck, and the feeling that tonight was going to be something very special was already starting to deliver.
Now I've seen the band play many many times, and as was pointed out by my learned friend Mr Hayward they never play the same set twice. So whilst you have the usual suspects like the behemoth that is 'Warhead', you will also get more than one or two surprises thrown into the set that the guys probably haven't played in a while. Tonight's set list just got better and better as it went on, and the band really were in absolutely sparkling form as Jet threw out some blistering licks on the Les Paul Jnr and bass monster Alvin Gibbs played the guts out off his guitar looking every inch the fuckin' rock 'n' roller. Those dreaded gremlins were back briefly on the microphones but it was quickly sorted and didn't interrupt the flow or performance as bodies were being flung across the room and drinks were tossed in the air the fans singing along to every word that fell from Mr Harpers chops.
I always think after watching the UK Subs I wish they'd played longer or done this or that one, but the simple fact remains I always know I've been entertained and witnessed a great band play some great songs - both old and new. Tonight off the magnificent and Uber Rock approved 'Work In Progress' we had the Gibbs penned 'Hell Is Other People' as well as the brutal 'Creation', but the heat was turned up for 'Barbie's Dead' which followed a brutal 'Endangered Species', which preceded 'New Barbarians' before 'Tomorrows Girls' finally ended the main set!
Before I finally went off into the cold summers night in East Wales we were treated to a magnificent encore as Mr Harper introduced some crowd participation during 'Organised Crime' with some fetching Slade-esque "Woah oh oh oh oh's" (as on We'll Bring The House Down!), and you know on this kinda form I wouldn't be surprised if they did. Then 'CID' and 'I Live In A Car' followed - and that was it. The night was sadly done and the curtain dropped on another fantastic Subs set that had wasted bodies staggering around the venue and fans beaming from ear to ear knowing that the boys had just done it again. They came - we saw and boy did they conquer.
As Johnny had already commented earlier in the review this event was all about a great venue - great value for money - great company, and most of all fucking great music.
Job done - Love it!
There's a point here today halfway through This System Kills mid afternoon set where the band's charismatic frontman Pig turns to the assembled faithful and laments the descent of the majority of mainstream UK rock music festivals into the corporate hellholes that we all know they are. He may be largely preaching to the converted here but he still makes a very valid point, as today's proceedings work out at costing us, the average gig goer, a whopping £1.66 to see each band, and with band shirts ranging from £8 to £12 this is hardly the economics deployed on the festival battlefield these days.
So with so much to offer your avid punk rock fan, and as you can see above spread over the entire May Bank Holiday weekend this Punkfest makes out almost like a mini Rebellion for the South Wales valleys, albeit for yours truly and the boy wonder from out West Dom Daley, it was only ever going to be this, the Saturday's line up that we could actually get our sorry arses along to. So our apologies to the rest of the bands playing who don't get a mention here.
With yours truly arriving at the venue suitably early to catch the 2pm advertised door time, I end up missing first band of the day Meathook who feature father and son duo Michael and Jay Tatler from the English Dogs, but with the Abta-lairy massive already in residence awaiting the arrival of the next band of the day they assured me that they were "fucking excellent". So job done I guess.
Taking their places with military like precision, printed set lists placed in front of them, it was time for Pontypool to experience Trigger McPoopshute - a band these days looking "almost" like a professional porn rock combo. Bearing in mind that some of the audience were perhaps slightly more than a little shy of the 18 years required to share the blue air with such smut as 'Knob Rot', frontman/bassist (and resident Dr Martin boots wearer) Sutton was on fine form, fired up on Polish lager and winking at the ladies ahead of a galloping run through 'Glory Hole Viper', his warning the parents of the aforementioned siblings that he wouldn't be held responsible if any of them turned out to be mass murderers of the future was pure comedy gold. Expect more from the 'Shute anytime soon as they tell me they are in the midst of recording their debut album. God help us all.
With the event poster running order stating that 100,000 Bodybags were due up next what we actually got was a bit of a local punk scene supergroup going by the seemingly makeshift title of Trackstar Pornstar. Featuring two members of the Bodybags and two members of Dead Radio, the band's mix of old Rectify tunes and gothic country/pop covers managed to both confuse and amaze, frontman Brewer raising perhaps the biggest cheers of the afternoon so far by dedicating 'Spent You' to the fall of the Nazi scum party in the recent UK local elections. It'll be interesting to see what these guys do next and under what name, although as a Facebook page now exists for Trackstar Pornstar I'm guessing today's moniker stuck after all.
Nottingham's Girlfixer are the first band of the day to bring a more modern edge to the punk rock proceedings, and that's quite possibly because they are so damn young that they would never in a million years get my comparison of singer Natalie Thornton to one Jody Turner (high praise indeed though old schoolers eh?). Raised on a mix of Hellcat punk and metalcore the four piece bounce their way through a lively 40 odd minute set sounding not unlike Human Waste Project on more than one occasion, new track 'Hitman' meanwhile hinted at a more direct "go for the throat" approach. With talk all day of who had slayed the in-house drum kit the best, I would like to offer up Girlfixer's Nicola Brooks as perhaps the hero of the day, boy can she hit them skins!!!
And so as the clock strikes 5 it's time for the aforementioned scene legend Pig and his This System Kills band mates to deliver what was quite possibly the best set I've ever seen them play. With the frontman "kilted up" and restricted in his mobility as a result, today's set may not have been the liveliest (although the few high kicks we did get instantly make a few of us feel rather queasy), but with the newer tracks that pepper the set with maybe a slightly more metal edge (like on say 'All Sinners Rise') this makes for an all more compelling reason for you to sit up and take notice. Set highlight for yours truly came during a faithful rendition of '30 Years' where stood next to Pig's old Classified Protest band mate I suddenly realised just how much of a formative effect these characters have all had in my years spent following music. Let's just say it was emotional.
So with all the punk genre boxes seemingly ticked at this point up pop Sickpig from the West Country plying a very fine line in anarcho hardcore punk to frighten the shit out of those of us not brave enough to appreciate their more direct 1-2-3-4 approach. The splendidly titled 'Shit What You Eat' finally gets a pit going, whilst also reminding me I should perhaps seek out some sustenance other than what is in my pint glass. However with nothing open for what seems like miles I instead settle for one final slice of Sickpig, and wait for the arrival of my partner in grime Dom Daley who is picking up the evening's bands.
And I wait....and wait. Not since Nightwish got lost in the lanes around Donington Park have I waited so long for a band (and their accompanying uber scribe) to turn up, in fact the natives are starting to get a little restless as the between band silence is almost deafening, then as by magic - both of them appear in quick sucession.
I arrive fashionably late at The Hog just in time to catch the bar before Foreign Legion take the stage, and my first band at this quality all - dayer succumbs to the dreaded sound problems (God damn you gremlins), although it has to be said that the band admirably fought on and soldiered through. The fact that the vocals of frontman Marcus Howells were now working in a Norman Collier style-y was a bit of a shame especially in between songs when he was trying to get a message across to the throng of punters who seemed to be enjoying every minute of throwing themselves around the dance floor. During their brief set they managed to play some pretty nifty tunes along with some choice covers such as 'White Riot' and the excellent heads down 'Commando' from da Bruddas from Queens Noo Yawk. The pick of the Legion's own tunes was the poke in the eye for big corporate food chain stores at the cost of our villages and towns (something sadly quite evident in Pontypool) in the 'Market Trader Song' and the tribute to a drunken friend 'Wasted Your Life'. Always reliable and punk to the core - that is Foreign Legion.
Next up were the lovable English Dogs who've also been around the block and back again with many line ups and a sound that over the years has ebbed and flowed from punk to metal and back again. Here tonight they were on the money delivering a pretty decent support set for the mighty Subs. After the troublesome mic was eventually sorted the band could settle into their slot and kick up a shit storm of throbbing bass lines and furious drumming. Pick of the set were 'This Is A Class War' which again preached to the converted, as the beer was spilt and the fists were pumped, 'Left Me For Dead' and 'Fucked Up People' were also knocked out with suitable aplomb. For a finale English Dogs knocked out a cracker which I believe was called 'Greedy Cunts' (correct me if I'm, wrong guys) containing some right proper old school terrace chants thrown in for good measure, and in turn making one or two Uber scribes beam from ear to ear. "Your going home in a fucking ambulance!" and the 70's terrace classic of "Your gonna get your fucking heads kicked in" had me Oi! Oi!-ing like a fourteen year old. A great addition to the line up and so far so good I'd only been in the venue for over an hour and already seen two quality bands - Result!
Last but not least headlining the Saturday night were the one and only UK Subs, and if I'm being honest I was delighted to see Alvin, Jet, Jamie and Charlie walk in to the venue, as I do believe they are my favourite holders of the UK Subs torch that still burns so brightly. Without much fussing and hanging about the band set up and got straight into business as the punters of all ages crammed into the room to get a face full of top notch punk rock.
Kicking off proceedings tonight was 'Emotional Blackmail' and it was plain to see that the band who are forever on tour were as tight as fuck, and the feeling that tonight was going to be something very special was already starting to deliver.
Now I've seen the band play many many times, and as was pointed out by my learned friend Mr Hayward they never play the same set twice. So whilst you have the usual suspects like the behemoth that is 'Warhead', you will also get more than one or two surprises thrown into the set that the guys probably haven't played in a while. Tonight's set list just got better and better as it went on, and the band really were in absolutely sparkling form as Jet threw out some blistering licks on the Les Paul Jnr and bass monster Alvin Gibbs played the guts out off his guitar looking every inch the fuckin' rock 'n' roller. Those dreaded gremlins were back briefly on the microphones but it was quickly sorted and didn't interrupt the flow or performance as bodies were being flung across the room and drinks were tossed in the air the fans singing along to every word that fell from Mr Harpers chops.
I always think after watching the UK Subs I wish they'd played longer or done this or that one, but the simple fact remains I always know I've been entertained and witnessed a great band play some great songs - both old and new. Tonight off the magnificent and Uber Rock approved 'Work In Progress' we had the Gibbs penned 'Hell Is Other People' as well as the brutal 'Creation', but the heat was turned up for 'Barbie's Dead' which followed a brutal 'Endangered Species', which preceded 'New Barbarians' before 'Tomorrows Girls' finally ended the main set!
Before I finally went off into the cold summers night in East Wales we were treated to a magnificent encore as Mr Harper introduced some crowd participation during 'Organised Crime' with some fetching Slade-esque "Woah oh oh oh oh's" (as on We'll Bring The House Down!), and you know on this kinda form I wouldn't be surprised if they did. Then 'CID' and 'I Live In A Car' followed - and that was it. The night was sadly done and the curtain dropped on another fantastic Subs set that had wasted bodies staggering around the venue and fans beaming from ear to ear knowing that the boys had just done it again. They came - we saw and boy did they conquer.
As Johnny had already commented earlier in the review this event was all about a great venue - great value for money - great company, and most of all fucking great music.
So whats coming up at The Hog this Easter weekend? Well we are starting to do Live Music on a Thursday night as Karaoke seems to be doing its rounds to much these days and after 4 years on a Thursday Night, we thought we would give Live Music a chance.
So opening up for us this week are Cardiff Based Bete Noir promising us an evening of Punk and Grunge. Yet again The Hog brings you something new and exciting and not just the run of the mill stuff that seems to be churned out these days. Oh the hum drum of being stuck in the same vein week in and out would bore anyone with a music brain stupid. So we try and bring the best of the best to you to listen and tap your feet to,.
Are we blowing our trumpet? Well why not? We have spent 4 years building the reputation of being one of the most exciting small venues in South Wales. But don't take my word for it ask the bands and our regular gig goers. We need them and to keep things fresh we like to be more diverse then, say, well.. you know.
Friday sees the return of Metalers ISOLATION with special guests Iridium and Red Exit Girl. They went down a storm last year so we had to have them back, especially as it's little Trev's Birthday. He is promising some very interesting costumes this Friday which will be in competition with our friends from Isolation. I shall take as many pictures as I can!!
Saturday we see the debut gig of Guns & Roses, yes thats the correct name folks!!! Tickets are selling well already so get down early. Also Jen is celebrating her actual birthday this week as well. We had a Private Party here last week for her but we decided she is much nicer then the Queen and is entitled to two birthdays.
Sunday, now if the weather is nice and it isnt peeing down with snow, we will be doing a BBQ.
This week I will be mainly baking cakes and making Easter pressies for the others halves little ones, ok thats my excuse. I love baking. The New Rock n Roll eh?
And its a fact! Apart from one blip which I wont go into, our Punk gigs have been brilliant! We had the AMAZING Scabies and James here on March 2nd and if you dont know who Rat Scabies and Brian James are well, your not Rock n Roll enough. Google it and then lock yourself away in a dark room whilst listening to their albums. Then kick yourself for missing out for so long. Put it this way they are Punk Royality!!!
Last Friday we saw The Vibrators rock the place and what a mighty fine gig it was as well. so if you love it LIVE, Love The Hog. The best Little venue in South Wales bringing you the best in Live Music, if its Punk, Rock, metal, or Tribute we have it
Alot of venues have looked up to us which is a really nice thing. There wasn't many Music Venues in Wales in my day and I thought I would try and put a bit of Rock n Roll into Pontypool. I think we have managed that and will continue to do so with your support. so thank you to all you guys and girls that look after us every week.
So keep checking back to see who we have lined up. We have just confirmed the amazing NWOBHW band DIAMOND HEAD to play here on June 28th.
Okay me bad, I haven't updated The Hog blog for some time, but if you are a regular visitor to The Hog, you will know why. We have had the most amazing last few weeks. Do you remember the blog I wrote a fair few months ago about bringing CBGB's to Pontypool? well it happened, and if love punk you will love The Hog. Our first big gig was on Feb 23rd with GBH. It was a great night, the band walked in to The Hog with everyone screaming, not at them, but at the TV. It was THE Rugby match between Wales v England, we made it and GBH sighed relief (lol) the band were down to earth and no airs or graces I didn't feel as I had to watch my P's and Q's with them. I say this because when we had LA Guns here last time, I felt they looked down their noses at us, well not the band but sure their Tour Manager did. Nothing was good enough.
Anyway enough of last year (glad to see the back of it and some people!)
First up were local band Hobgoblin with our mate Chris on drums. The lead singer looked a little bit like Rat Scabies. Sadly being on the door all night I didnt get a chance to see their whole set but I could hear them, and they sounded AMAZING!! The whoops and cheers that came from the room confirmed that everyone was indeed having a great time. I htink Chris really enjoyed being part of the whole GBH night! Well he was certainly dancing in the mosh pit later on.
Next band were The Vile, Rat sings lead in this band and also plays in Discharge who are confirmed to play The Hog on March 23rd. I cant really coment on the band as I could see them! like I said, stuck on door!
Anyway, GBH were amazing! It was wonderful to see so many people who had traveled to see them. And we had a laugh. Loved it when Luca 'Stage dived', the stage is about two inches off the ground. Bless him x
Its nice getting a great new crowd and building up a new scene which we are getting a great rep for. More to come folks!
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truly arriving at the venue suitably early to catch the 2pm advertised door time, I end up missing first band of the day Meathook who feature father and son duo Michael and Jay Tatler from the English Dogs, but with the Abta-lairy massive already in residence awaiting the arrival of the next band of the day they assured me that they were "fucking excellent". So job done I guess.
And so as the clock strikes 5 it's time for the aforementioned scene legend Pig and his This System Kills band mates to deliver what was quite possibly the best set I've ever seen them play. With the frontman "kilted up" and restricted in his mobility as a result, today's set may not have been the liveliest (although the few high kicks we did get instantly make a few of us feel rather queasy), but with the newer tracks that pepper the set with maybe a slightly more metal edge (like on say 'All Sinners Rise') this makes for an all more compelling reason for you to sit up and take notice. Set highlight for yours truly came during a faithful rendition of '30 Years' where stood next to Pig's old Classified Protest band mate I suddenly realised just how much of a formative effect these characters have all had in my years spent following music. Let's just say it was emotional.
So with all the punk genre boxes seemingly ticked at this point up pop Sickpig from the West Country plying a very fine line in anarcho hardcore punk to frighten the shit out of those of us not brave enough to appreciate their more direct 1-2-3-4 approach. The splendidly titled 'Shit What You Eat' finally gets a pit going, whilst also reminding me I should perhaps seek out some sustenance other than what is in my pint glass. However with nothing open for what seems like miles I instead settle for one final slice of Sickpig, and wait for the arrival of my partner in grime Dom Daley who is picking up the evening's bands.
Last but not least headlining the Saturday night were the one and only UK Subs, and if I'm being honest I was delighted to see Alvin, Jet, Jamie and Charlie walk in to the venue, as I do believe they are my favourite holders of the UK Subs torch that still burns so brightly. Without much fussing and hanging about the band set up and got straight into business as the punters of all ages crammed into the room to get a face full of top notch punk rock. 
