Words and images by Johnny
It’s always a pleasure to be asked to attend a gig and review the evening, especially to a venue I’ve not been to before. And this was no exception. Half hour drive over to Runcorn, little or no traffic and we arrived. Through a small housing estate, past The Archer pub, which was originally known as “The Waterloo Pub” after appearing in “2 Pints of Lager and a packet of Crisps. Instantly recognisable if ya a fan of the show. Driving underneath the roadway pillars we are immediately met by massive murals painted on the pillars, which is the main reason for tonight’s gig.
The venue itself, Society Ltd, formally known as Society Tap Rooms, Runcorn, is situated at the end of row of terraced houses, blink and you will miss it. We were met by Jane Rhodes, who had kindly invited us in the first place, giving us a brief tour of the venue, which it transpires was originally an old Butchers shop from way back when, the new owners Alex and Torrey Haycraft has kept much of the original features as possible, which is plain to see with the beautiful tiled walls in the bar area, going out to the rear of the place, we are met with a medium open area, half of which is covered, with trellis walls, tables and chairs for food. The other half housing the kitchen unit, with the most amazing foody aromas emanating from it. This is like a small patch of paradise in and industrial town. To top it off, the majority of the building has been built underneath the arches (song there somewhere) of the railway line, as you look up, the arch is clear to see, a magnificent sight indeed.
Having chatted with Jane for a short while, we eagerly awaited the first band Chasers 3 . As you may have guessed, this is the 3rd incarnation of the band, led by singer/guitar Les Clarke with Tony ‘Fen’ Fennel (bass and vocals) Jeff Ikin (drums). The original band played many a gig up and down the country, mainly concentrating on the north and north west. Theyre a kind of split between melodic rock with a hint of punk thrown in now and again with undertones of early garage rock. So off they went, a storming set. Les belting out old and new tunes, Fen with his solid sounding bass line and of course Jeff keeping the beating heart of the band in time with perfectly orchestrated drum work, a fine set indeed, and a decent audience considering the early start of 7pm.
After a half hour or so break, The Good Host take the stage. A band I had no knowledge of whatsoever prior to the gig, yes, I could have researched them, as I could with any band I see for the first time, however, I like to be surprised, either in a good way or not, and this was indeed a very good way. Group of young lads appear on stage, Jay the lead vocalist, a large presence, with beard to match kicks off the set with vocals that quite frankly belie his image. Somewhat out of my comfort zone, as in this aint no punk band, I was immediately taken aback at the quality of the voice, and just how tight the band were instrumentally. Each song/tune had its own unique sound, and some might argue different styles throughout. A bluesy, almost creole rock at one point, then slow melodic tempo, with the occasional crescendo, oh and I do believe a love song thrown in for good measure. I have to say, one of the best bands I have seen in a while outside the punk scene. Well worth going to see.
A short while later, those who are known as Zen Baseball Bat take to the stage. I’m quite sure many, if not all of you are acquainted with this ska reggae outfit, ive seen these a few times, but for some reason, this was their best I’ve seen em (in my opinion). Raw, gritty music and honest lyrics outlining pretty much all aspects of social issues, had everyone in the place bouncing, so much so, it was difficult at times to get in with the camera, but hey ho, that’s gigs for ya. A fantastic hour ish set with what I call my happy music.
Right then, going into the nitty gritty of this review. As I mentioned earlier, the murals on the road structures, this gig was to celebrate the completion of Reconnecting Runcorn’s Street Art Project, not only by those directly involved, but as a community effort involving many people. As you can see from the photographs, the murals themselves are of the highest quality, painstakingly painted by renowned artists. The gig itself was outside local funding, it was organised, planned and carried out by the following…….
Promoters Jane Rhodes, Claire Pitt, Alex Haycraft.
Society Ltd owners Alex and Torrey Haycraft
Main Sound Man – Matthew McGurty (Also The Good Host)
DJ – Joe Florek and Compare.
DJ Ewan Huzami – Culture Markist DJ (Dub Reggae)
Bar Staff – Jill and Steph
Sound support Colin
Support and Merch Steve
Gary Gleavey from Zen Baseball Bat
Also, credit to Halton Borough Council Regeneration Team
With special recognition to the world-renowned artists on the pillars. Aylo Nomad supported by Seca One & Liam Bononi supported by Brezauz. Amazing artwork and skills
Just to add my own personal reference to this review, this just goes to show, how, with a lot of effort, hard work and time, the community can come together to enhance the lives of, not only ourselves, but those around us, and to give hope, that in this broken world, there are many many good and decent people out there, willing to make a difference. This has been an honour for me to attend, witness and review, and my best wishes goes out to all involved, no matter what part they played, in making this somewhat special achievement come to fruition.
Links:
Chaser 3
https://www.facebook.com/chasersthree
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4JkYJzgDjR9OYj5SO8NxF2…
The Good Host
https://www.facebook.com/thegoodhost
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodhostband/…#
Zen Baseball Bat
https://www.facebook.com/ZenBaseballbat
Info@zenbaseballbat.com
Zenbaseballbat.co.uk