Fleece(d)

Last Sunday, Clan K made a rare excursion to Bristol to see Bad Manners live in concert at The Fleece. Our first family gig was Madness last year so, continuing this ska-tinged theme, I'm assuming that our next outing will have to be The Selecter (no bad thing, of course).

 

The two gigs couldn't have been more different in terms of their setting. Madness performed at Westonbirt Arboretum, a beautiful outdoor setting with a large stage and plenty of space to dance, despite the sizeable crowd. The Fleece is a 450-capacity venue (formerly The Fleece & Firkin pub) in the heart of the city and under increasing threat from the encroaching gentrification of the area. 

 

Unsurprisingly, the venue was packed solid, so even getting in and carving out a standing spot was a challenge. We didn't attempt to get to the bar, but no need because support band Belishas were about to take to the stage. 

 

The first I'd heard of Belishas was earlier the same day when I checked social media for the set times. I'm one of those people who insists on trying to see the support act(s) - they've made the effort to turn up, why shouldn't I? - and I very rarely regret the decision.

Belishas are an all-male four-piece based in Bristol and appear to have clocked up a fair few gigs in the past few years, which showed in some pretty tight playing throughout. Heavily influenced by 1980s indie pop - no bad thing - it's left to singer and guitarist Ewan Ferguson to do the heavy lifting in terms of stage presence. This largely involved some frentic solos, head shaking and losing the sunglasses perched atop his head but I enjoyed their brief 30-minute set. Lady K was plugging her ears for most of it but in fairness to Belishas, I think that was more to do with the speaking-rumbling volume rather than the quality of the songs.

 

I couldn't hear much of Ewan's between song announcements but I did catch that one of the songs was 2021 single Whispers, for which there's an official video which wouldn't seem out of place on The Chart Show, circa 1987.

Whispers and another song called Brothers are both available on Belishas' Bandcamp page. Worth a listen.

 

Bad Manners were due on stage at 9.00pm. It was another 15 minutes or so before the band stepped through the curtain and took their positions. I think I counted nine in all, guitars (three), keyboards, drums, saxophone (two), trumpet and trombone. 

 

Although Buster Bloodvessel is the sole remaining founding member, several have played with the band for over two decades now and notwithstanding the relatively younger and newer members, there is an energy and exuberance that emanates from the stage from the off. 

The set gets off to a frenetic start with Echo Four-Two from their second album (and second in 1980), Loonee Tunes! Saxophonist Adrian Cox leads from the front and gets the crowd surging. I hesitate to say dancing as there's little room for it and already some are clearly pissed and being held up by the sheer press up of the crowd alone.

And then the big man himself arrives, Buster Bloodvessel taking to the stage to chants of "You fat bastard!", no doubt appreciating the irony even more having observed over the past four decades as the male audience have literally grown with him. The ratio of unintentional Buster look-a-likes in the audience was roughly 1:3. Countering the chants with a cry of "This Is Ska!" Buster launched into the 1989 song of the same name.

From there, a run of hit singles and covers, starting with their gender-swapped but otherwise faithful version of My Boy Lollipop by Millie and including one of my favourites, Walking In The Sunshine. Looking online afterwards, it seems that Bad Manners have been playing more or less the same set for years now, but the audience - including me - didn't seem to care and were having a good time.

So did Buster, although he was clearly physically struggling. There are several columns positioned throughout The Fleece, a couple directly along the stage edge. A few times Buster rested on one, holding the mic out to the crowd for what I assumed was some regular 'audience participation' in the songs but it was apparent that he often needed to lean on the pole for support. After Just A Feeling, Buster left the stage and the band carried on solo with Red River Ska.

And that was unfortunately the point at which we exited too. Early on in the set, as the crowd surged and the temperature soared, Lady K was finding it a bit much and stepped to the back with Mrs. K (which was equally rammed) and then outside for some air and calm. I popped out several times to check how they were and was urged to go back in, each time more of a challenge with the press of unyielding  bodies squashed against the doors and walls. 

Security staff had spotted a guy inside on CCTV who was clearly drowning in booze and crashing into people and in no fit state to continue. Lady K and Mrs. K recounted seeing the guy eventually emerge, accompanied by two security. As he was protesting that he was perfectly sober, he somehow managed to trip over his own foot and crash to the ground. I think that was the final encouragement for Lady K that the night was over. 

 

I didn't blame her, to be honest. Much as I was enjoying the band and the music, even though Buster was conspicuous by his absence at the point, I was already feeling bruised, battered and covered in (other people's) sweat and decided that maybe it was time to go after all.

Having found Sunday night's set published online, it looks like we saw/heard roughly two thirds of the set, with only three more songs and a couple of encores after we left (and Buster had hopefully returned).

 

1) Echo Four-Two (1980)

2) This Is Ska (1989)

3) My Girl Lollipop (Extended Lick Mix) (Cover of Millie) (1982)

4) Lorraine (Extended Version) (1980)

5) Feel Like Jumping (1997)

6) Ne-Ne Na-Na Na-Na Nu-Nu (Album Version) (Cover of Jonathan Winters With The Martians) (1980)

7) Walking In The Sunshine (Extended Version) (1981)

8) Sally Brown (Extended Version) (1989)

9) Just A Feeling (1980)

10) Red River Ska (1997)

11) Special Brew (1980)

12) Inner London Violence (1980)

13) Woolly Bully (Cover of Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs) (1980)

14) Lip Up Fatty (1980)

15) Can Can (1981)

In the spirit of preserving the evening, today's selection therefore comprises the ten songs from the set that we got to experience, with 12" versions to bump up the playing time.  

 

Fleece(d) (40:15) (KF) (Mega)

To make up for the absence of the big(gest) hits, here are unforgettable TV performances of Special Brew, Lip Up Fatty and of course their unique arrangement of Can-Can, based on Galop infernal, written by Jacques Offenbach and first performed in Paris in 1858.

I didn't take any photos on the night, so the headline photo was taken by Dod Morrison at a different gig but does show off Buster's jacket and gargantuan tongue, which doesn't seem to have aged a bit.

 

Bad Manners are returning to The Fleece on Boxing Day, continuing a long tradition of annual festive gigs in the city. Mrs. K and I are hoping to be there and celebrate with Buster and co in the same room and in full this time. Lady K has already politely but firmly declined.