Saturday 10th October @The Macbeth, Hoxton Street

Whatever happened to P-Rock? returned to the Macbeth, Hoxton street, to deliver another delightful evening of punk rock joy, with performances from Strawberry Blondes, Callum Read, and a handful of DJ sets playing the likes of Sublime, New Found Glory, Alkaline Trio and NOFX  among everyone’s favourite pop-punk classics to keep the fun rolling.

Strawberry Blondes provided an energetic set, with authoritative songs reminiscent of punk rock gods Rancid. Very few bands are producing this anarchistic, raw sound with such conviction these days. With such a powerful live show and accompanying persona, Strawberry Blondes, although not necessarily to everyone’s taste, are well on their way to becoming U.K. heroes in their field. The only set back was a well handled interception by an impatient DJ waiting for what I can only assume was an over-run set to end, which, in all honesty, was well fitted to the atmosphere of the night and only provided yet more entertainment. Listen to Strawberry Blondes online at myspace.com/strawberryblondes, but their recordings fail to do the band justice, so go see them live if you have the chance.

Despite his shortened set, P-Rock veteran Callum Read stepped up to the plate and delivered a concise set of pop-punk sing-a-longs, such as Taking Back Sunday and Blink 182, which fired up the crowd into a vocal frenzy. Callum Read’s covers set is a P-Rock staple, and is what gives the evening such a rare sense of interaction between performers and audience.

If a night reminiscent of the days when you jumped around your room playing air guitar sounds like your cup of tea, you can’t go far wrong with P-Rock.

The next Whatever happened to P-Rock? will take place on Saturday 19^th December at the Macbeth, Hoxton Street.

Rhian Williams

Member of the music team @ Pulse