I’ve seen Sick Of It All twice before, both in my teenage years and both I have fond memories of.
Now a few years have passed, I’m eager to see if this absolute workhorse of a band still has the chops that have made them hardcore legends throughout the years.
A healthy crowd has gathered inside on this cold night in Glasgow, and I suspect many have seen this band before, they know what to expect and they know Sick Of It All don’t fail to deliver.
Delivering the message to the crowd loud and clear, they open with ‘Good Lookin’ Out’ from one of their many great records, Built To Last.
I’m almost at the verge of confusion as I watch these noisy and precise veterans, seeming to have not aged a day: Lou Koller sounding just as sincere and powerful as always has, working the stage and the crowd, his brother Pete spinning around on the spot in the midst of a breakdown.
The rhythm section is pretty much a Rolls Royce of late eighties and early nineties NYC punk; a well-oiled machine packing all the punches.
All the classics are here as the band rips through fan favourites from their extensive and lengthy back catalog: ‘Clobberin’ Time’, ‘Sound The Alarm’ and a crowd participation heavy rendition of ‘Sanctuary’ are all here.
For a hardcore show, especially SOA, I’m a little surprised to see how little of the stage the crowd has invaded.
When they kick into ‘Step Down’, with that timeless bassline, the crowd responds in due fashion; stage dives literally happening every minute if not less, a stream of people queuing up.
When Lou Koller asks for a show of hands from the first timers at a Sick Of It All gig, a surprisingly good amount of young hands go up in the front.
I mean if this is not a clear sign that people are continuing to discover and really love this band, I don’t know what it is; it’s pleasing to see.
I’ve got enough conviction already that we’ll be seeing them again; they have that youthful vigour, they love what they do, they also encourage the tightrope showmanship of getting someone up on stage to bark a song.
All props to the gentleman, he did a vicious and very decent ‘Rat Pack’ and gets a lot of cheers when the song finishes up.
The band continue to put the world to rights with ‘World Full Of Hate’, reaffirm their journey on ‘The Road Less Travelled’ from 2014’s Last Act Of Defiance, and hit us the classic ‘Scratch The Surface’.
I leave feeling nostalgic for sure, but also finding it so endearing to see them still going strong, touring the world year after year, release after release, and deservingly still finding the crowds, young and old coming back for more.
Words: Matthew Thomas
Photos: Neil Jarvie
