Punk may not be what it once was, but in the dark, dank basement of Patterns it felt well and truly alive.
On a cold Friday night, a night in which the air seemed to cling to your person like an overly affectionate, wet Dog; the last bastions of British Punk were out in force.
Upon arrival at the venue, there was little to no line and a sparse populus on the floor. But of course, it was early days, and unlike previous nights out, I felt little sense of trepidation regarding an underwhelming crowd.
This was a Punk gig, and even had there been a handful of people in total, there would still be an abundance of energy. I’d head for the bar, grabbing a drink adding to a healthy buzz I’d managed to achieve in preparation for the gig.
To my surprise, as I turned around, drink in hand the crowd had thickened to a healthy smattering, punks lining around the room, with a gaggle of older punks and a few much younger ones permeating around the stage.
Before I knew it, the unmistakable sound of distortion and staccato power chords filled my ears and brain. The support act, Skurvi taking to the stage and blasting into anti-establishment musings, lambasting the government and status quo in typical British style.
They were a younger outfit (well younger than the Cockney Rejects) but upon speaking to the frontman after the show, I learnt they’d been playing together for 15 years. Many of the punk faithful that I talked to later would sing their praises as one of Brighton’s own and a shining light in the dwindling British Punk scene.
From my own personal account, this was a classic British punk outfit. Tight performances, impassioned lyricism with a sound right out of the 70’s and 80’s punk scene. Each song melded into another’s seamlessly, only stopping for the singer to address the audience in typical punk fashion.
The crowd was certainly swayed by them. I overheard multiple younger crowd members express surprise that the Cockney Rejects looked so young, which is a fantastic testament to both the authenticity and ability of the support act Skurvi.
But, perhaps the greatest compliment of all was the small but passionate mosh pit that had formed at the front. Punks young and old colliding like particles. I couldn’t quite help myself in all honesty and a few songs before the end of Skurvi’s set foundmyself in the middle of this punk pressure cooker.
Skurvi bowed out with their last song, to many’s brief disappointment that the set had ended. Nonetheless, there was still plenty of excitement around the room, with the headline act still yet to perform. Taking advantage of the 20 minute interval to have a drink, get some fresh air and talk to some of the patrons in attendance.
Time passed quickly, as after what felt like barely a few minutes, a man exclaimed the Cockney Rejects had started. Following an exodus of punks from the smoking area, I ambled down the Patterns steps before being greeted with an even bigger crowd, now surely at least a hundred punks in this dark basement.
It’s the type of gig every punk surely dreams of. Despite missing the first song, it didn’t take me long to get into the spirit of things. The Cockney Rejects sounding as good as ever, or at least as good as a punk band should sound.
By the third song the mosh pit had doubled in size from earlier, with older punks getting involved and a generational bond founded through the human urge to smash into each other being formed.
The set would consist of much of their early work, with many tirades against the government, punk odes to the working class and tales of British drinking and football culture.
All in all, it was everything you could possibly want in an underground punk gig. Of course it’s not to everyone’s taste. I wouldn’t recommend it to my Jazz loving brother or a BTS fan.
However, if like me, you don’t think clean playing and pretty vocals are everything or you like your music to have some real meaning to it’s lyrics. Then I highly recommend you keep an eye out for more of Black Rabbit Productions events and more alternative music nights at Patterns.
Nights like these are a must see in my opinion. Both Skurvi and The Cockney Rejects put on great sets, and with so many fans of alternative and politically incensed music populating Brighton, there’s no reason why these nights can’t be even bigger.
As a gig I would give the whole night a comfortable 8/10. As simply a fan of alternative music and not specifically a punk, I enjoyed it even more than I expected and can easily put it up there as one of the most lively and enjoyable gigs/nights out I’ve had.
