Punk alive and well at Cumbernauld’s Noizy isc

THE NOIZY isc, Cumbernauld, May 28

IS THE punk revival officially on? It was if you were at the last Noizy gig. A belter of a night with the bands playing to a packed venue.

First up was Ayrshire’s M77, with frontman, Joe McCarroll asking ‘Do you want to hear some Punk?’, the crowd politely agreed.(I think they may have been somewhat intimidated) The band opened up with the brilliant ‘Fightman’ an explosive start, full of powerful guitars. The band produced a 45minute set full of simple but clever lyrics, proper punk rock music. What their songs have going for them is a staggering level of consistency that keeps you gripped from start to finish.

Other highlights from the set included ‘Benefits’ and ‘Timebomb’. M77 finished with ‘Evolution’ before heading back down the, well, M77. The band delivered big time tonight and we look forward to seeing them back in Cumbernauld soon.

Headlining tonight was local legends ‘Manic Noises’, with what seems to be an annual event for the guys at THE NOIZY and once again they didn’t disappoint.

You had hardcore die-hards, the young (all hot and sweaty) and the more mature (trying to look cool and not look at the young) all together, enjoying, what was once again, an amazing performance. The band may not play together often these days, but you would never have known.

They kicked the evening off with the classic ‘Second Craving’ (please have a listen if you’ve not already heard this song – go to their Myspace page) before working through their back catalogue of songs. The band has a collection of powerful punk songs and tonight’s highlights include the amazing ‘Cold Stone Floor’ and ‘Samurai Armour’, which according to bass player, Tommy, is the nearest they get to a pop song . They even covered a Lady Gaga song (YES, LADY GAGA), half way through their set and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but the guys put their own spin on the song and executed it well. A thoroughly enjoyable night was had by all. It was also good to see so many people come out to support live music in Cumbernauld.

For anyone wanting to know a bit more about the band, I feel compelled to share;

Manic Noises (formerly Ten Massive Xplosions and SSIK) were a 4-piece punk band in the early 1980’s. The band reformed to play their first gig in over 25 years back in 2009, this also happened to be the first ever gig held by THE NOIZY indie social club. The band members consist of two pair of brothers, William Marshall (vocals + guitar), Tommy Marshall (bass), Graham Muir (guitar + vocals) and Martin Muir (drums).

Already looking forward to next year – Manic Noises, we thank you.

**** CF