| GIGS - 1982 |
| RUBELLA BALLET
Conflict Annie Anxiety Starlight Club SATURDAY NIGHT and the Starlight's compact interior is crammed full to bursting point. Trips to the bar become expeditions of considerable pathfinding difficulty as the room becomes a near inpenetrable cluster of leather. Dozens more would-be punters are locked outside. Annie Anxiety is the unbilled opener. Her fierce, brain hammering prerecorded backing strikes a vivid contrast with the reggae tapes played earlier. Starting with an inhibition shedding assortment of severe shrieks and screams, she appears to become totally immersed in her performance. She strides around, continually on tiptoes and wailing in fearsome, demonic tongues like a being possessed. Annie's set is a brief fifteen 'minutes or so, but a short, sharp impact is made. Conflict follow quickly. As they work through their set-opening instrumental the atmosphere tingles with expectancy like a spark hopping down a fuse towards a stack of TNT. Vocalist Colin appears and the proceedings proper commence. The spark hits home and there is a big, big bang. They harness raw street power and mirror the energy straight back at the audience. As they fire out rapid song-assaults people push each other on to the stage while others roll around on the footlights in a kind of mad, celebratory ritual. Conflict release volley after volley of towerblock demolishing vitriol yet spew forth this intense force with an almost nonchalant ease. The guitarist looks too small and harmless to be in any way responsible for the sizzling affray, the lanky bass player grins gormlessly and appears to revel in the mob melee. Colin shakes the mic stand and wields it like a battle-mongering jungle savage. Earlier he told me that he felt that people were now actually listening to the group and that at last they were getting a message across. Tonight they demonstrated their colossal musical charge although any message seemed to simply fly past the ears of those hell-bent on simply pogoing and jumping. Afterwards Colin admitted failure. Conflict are prowling dogs with a vicious bite but Rubella Ballet, in comparison, are of the same breed but younger, playful pups. Into the uniformly bleak and gritty realism of the Crass/Poison Girls corner of the punk spectrum, they inject a bright dash of colour and an optimistic zeal. Their sweetly incredible sound carries a youthful pop freshness. There is a little of prime Buzzcocks wall-of-noise swath, a bit of the psychic cut of early Banshees. I'm sorry to drag these hoary old relics in, but the point is that Rubella Ballet assemble all the good and vital elements of punk-past and seamlessly link them to the committed ideals of punk-now. Zillah and Gemma, singer and bassist respectively, wear dashing loud dresses, both of which are concealed under coats until they actually go onstage (an unashamed nod to showbiz here!) The former dances around with a playground-worthy lack of pretence and self-consciousness. The latter peers out from above her instrument forcing a frown but not able to conceal her inner desire to grin. They share and swop vocals. The guitarist takes a turn on the mic too and occasionally indulges in good-natured minor league axe-heroics. Sid, the drummer, hides his upper torso in a tri coloured Hawaiian beach shirt and provides the major infusion of solid musical ability. The playing is never wildly adventurous, but Just that important step removed from merely pogoable bam-bam-bam to keep it alive and interesting. In this live setting the intent and bite of the lyrics is lost but given the PA size and the crush of the crowd this is hardly the band's fault. After the bodies-flying-everywhere cavort with Conflict, Rubellla Ballet are a more homely affair. People 'sit on the stage and it is a friendlier, unhectic and ultimately more communicative setting. Conflict can offer a concise reflection of harsh street truths, but Rubella capture and absorb the vibe then re-radiate the feeling with their own irresistable sparkle. MICK SINCLAIR February 1982 |
| CONFLICT
RUBELLA BALLET 100 Club, London THE BIGGEST turn-out at the 100 Club since the Rolling Stones, two 'cool' punk bands and the place is packed. Only �1.75 to get in as well. Keep it up. Rubella Ballets re-emergence proved them to be a cheerful improvement on their old selves, and also on their recorded work. For, on stage and without the restrictive wispyness that clouded the 'Batet Bag' casette, the sartorial Ballet gang were bright, tuneful and at times quite raucous although still slightly too anonymous, too insubstantial for any real impact to be made. However, one number did strike hard: The sinister yet pretty 'Slant and Side' from the official tape. Quite entrancing. One day, Rubella Ballet could shock us all. One day, they could come up with some mighty music. They've got it in them; it's their job to find it, for everyones sake. Conflict were a shambles. Highspot of their set was the brilliantly crafted tape that introduced them, a work of genius which merged Gary Glitter, Bob Marley, the Supremes and, at it's climax, 'Anarchy In The UK'...."I wanna be anarchy" croons Rotten; "Conflict!" bellowed Colin.And just as the crowd prepared for communal orgasm amongst a mammoth pogo-explosion, Conflict staggered, then collapsed into their first song. Just like the last time. A shambles. Chronic time-keeping, substandard musicianship, punk melodies of child like simplicity and hellish vocals. l know Conflict were plagued by some sound problems but the fact remains they were one big terrible mess. Did this lot really record the superb 'Wargarnes'? Did this lot really spawn the magnificent 'I've had enough'? Its difficult to imagine, and to be brutally frank I dread to think what they'd do to 'Wargames' if they were to attempt it live. Their hearts might be in the right places, but whats worrying and also faintly ridiculous is that as Colin viciously barks out words like "you cant change nothing with your violence and hate" the one striking impression you get is that he'll tear anyone who disagrees limb from Iimb! I mean what is this? An 'alternative' Exploited or something? Its certainly starting to look that way. How Conflict have got where they are now on performances as weak as this one is beyond me. But then what do I know? I'm not part of the barmy army, and you dont mess. WINSTON SMITH Sounds 1982. |
| CONFLICT
RUBELLA BALLET YOUTH IN ASIA Moonlight, London I guess this goes to show the lie dream of the dead soul scene. Synthesized urchins clothes-hang against the walls propped up with half-pint glasses and leather slogans (Epileptics, Adicts, DOA, Dirt,The Mob...). To each his own crutch. Youth in Asia sound like Penenetration on naff mandrax, painful micturition, more Epping Forest than garageland but then the vocalist muscles in with cathedral soar and climax (she sings so strong!) They've got the barking banners the fotogenic fanzine faces, (you just know they would never sign up) and, no doubt, they'll soon be taken to studded hearts Crass army. But what a waste of that voice.! Rubella Ballet are sharp and spiky. Bassist, singer and drumer in the grand old punk tradition and a guitarist in pinstriped waistcoat and shirtsleeves. Here is punk band, one that provokes, drives you to re-think as against fuzz-doping into pogoing submission.They are too good for Crass ignominia. They play with offbeat rhvthms, flirt outrageously with musical intelligence and take the best from the Mick Jones/Steve Jones noise-culture. Rubella Ballet swap vocals and the singer bounces to someone elses voice. The guitarist sings: "Governments are opting out/Dont know what the fuck they're on about' - a voice with character, Devoto with razors. The noise veers towards Devo's 'String Driven Thing' as the bassist, face locked in profile, hair swept up like a Greek helmet, picks the strings in gold lame fingerless gloves. Style and suss. Rubella Ballet look better than the Crass acolytes and sound better to boot (dm). Conflict takes over the sound with an instrumental that keeps threatening to become a song but the singer enters stage left, mike bound, only at the end. He plays South London's Steve Ignorant and the plectrums start thrashin the background to Conflict's veerbal condemnation of a brutal system. Conflict come from Eltham; it seems to make all the difference. Whereas Crass, the obvious catilyst, bury their heads, Conflict have decided to tackle street-ignorance, playing a number dedicated to the Nazi British Movement (a song as overtly and commitedly anti fascist as specific condemnations hammered out by Crisis all those years back) and another about the shit-of-the-year Eploited Barmy Army ('Exploitation'). The dole queue stylists will have to wait a while for Conflict to slow down and learn to articulate their protest with harder, sharper anger but Rubella Ballet are already there. ASLEF blacked out the Sun, Rubella Ballet eclipse Crass - that's Power. X Moore N.M.E. 1982 |
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| MORE GIGS... POISON GIRLS / RUBELLA BALLET / SANE BUT NOT HEARD SUNDAY 24TH ? 1982 - Drill Hall, Chenies St, W1 London MARCH 27TH 1982 CONFLICT / RUBELLA BALLET/ ASSASSINS OF HOPE / LACK OF KNOWLEDGE - Norwich Road Church Hall, E.8. LONDON APRIL 10TH 1982 RUBELLA BALLET / LACK OF KNOWLEDGE / ANTHRAX / INDECT DOCTORS - London Musicians Collective NW1 LONDON |
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