Bad Manners, Max Splodge, Aka-Ska – at Moshulu – Aberdeen, UK

Tonight we take in a show with Bad Manners, Max Splodge, Aka-Ska at Moshulu. The evening kicks of with local Ska band Aka-Ska who do cover versions of Ska classics from Madness to the Specials. They are great at what they do but now it is time to step it up a gear and maybe do some of their own tunes.

Max Splodge (front man for splodgenessabounds) plays what is known as Punk Pathetique that involves humour and working class cultural themes.

Using some of Bad Manners as his band he is very entertaining and brings a slice of Punk rock to tonight's proceedings. also the driver of the tour bus comes on stage with a snowboard and lies under it while someone hits it with a stick. Singing “2 Little Boys” “Hurry Up Harry” and finish of with his hit “2 Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps Please”

It was almost one year to the day that I took my first photos at Moshulu and the band was Bad Manners, so it was fitting that I should finish the year taking photos at a Bad Manners show. The band turned up very late because the tour bus had broken down, but this month long tour had been dogged with problems. At the start of the tour the bus had caught fire and a lot of equipment had been lost, so taking this into consideration the guys were in high spirits. Bad Manners has lots of members which vary on tour but the main members seem to be Buster on vocals, Simon Cuell on guitar, Lee Thompson on bass, Ritchie D on keyboards and the wacky but highly entertaining Russell Wyn on percussion.

The band come on and play an instrumental till Buster comes on with his traditional leopard suit and shouts “This is Ska” and the show has begun, with Buster singing with his trademark sticking out of his tongue. We are given 75 minutes of Ska and loads of dancing. “Fatty Fatty” where Buster rubs his stomach with glee, never more someone so proud to be of a larger size. “Special Brew” has me dancing away as it is one of my fave songs. “Sally Brown” is another favourite with the crowd.

The “Can Can” has all the brass section doing the Can Can dance and the band is joined on stage by Max Splodge who along with Simon Cuell proceed to headbut the mic all through the song. All through the show there is pillar obscuring my vision of Russell on the bongos, so it is quite hard to get photos of him but made even harder when each time I try to take a photo of him he hides behind the pillar and it turns into a game of ‘hide and try and get the photo’. At one point he has an empty beer case on his head!

After the show we head upstairs to talk and do a couple of group photos and talk about the two-tone tour planned for next year (will update when I find out more) and they tell me how much they enjoy the Aberdeen crown and they will be back at least twice next year.
 

More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 

-Dod M-
BW Overseas Correspondent

 

                                          Go HERE to see all the latest show reviews