What a time to be alive, it’s a school night and the Tramshed is packed to the rafters for some hot, sweaty, punk rock. First up tonight is the trio with the most amusing band name Guantanamo Baywatch with their take on Surf Rock. With a swift half hour to impress they get straight down to business with. Not a lot of singing throughout the set but they did turn in an impressive rendition of ‘Diana’ by Paul Anka the last time I heard a band do that was The Misfits and it was an altogether different experience and version. Anyway not being at all familiar with the band and their set it tended to pass in a bit of a blur they sounded tight and looked like they were having a great time as a lot of people were in the room for the opening band which was great to see and they went down well.

Next up was the full-throttle zero fucks given The Chisel. Right from the off it was ‘Unlawful Execution’ that set the tone for the next thirty minutes. Some incendiary hardcore as Cal prowls the stage like a caged tiger. Song after song it’s uncompromising, uncomfortable and brutal and if you let it get inside your head it can be an explosive yet joyous experience. The adrenalin of frontman Cal is mainlined through the audience as he prowls the stage drawing every sinew of rage, energy and speed out of his band and pouring it over the packed-out audience who are in early to catch some Chisel. They didn’t disappoint that has to be said and after my last experience of seeing them was at Rebellion Festival where the sound let the band down and simply couldn’t cope with their sound however, tonight The Tramshed more than coped and was right on the money, The Chisel deserved a crisp clear sound and got it and it only added to the ferocity of the songs from the epic ‘Retaliation’ album.

From Charlie and Luke the noise was immense it was an avalanche of sharp-in-your-face punk rock as most of ‘Retaliation’ was blasted out they also had time for a new one that was pure rage and a great peek into whats to come. The Chisel came, saw and conquered. It might be time for a headline tour to come back to South Wales and bring a new album and song with them the Chisel did not disappoint.

What can you say about The Chats that hasn’t already been said? They play faster and faster with every tour they do and for that hour they are on stage they give every last drop of blood sweat and tears no doubt about it they leave everything on stage. Like the delinquent bastard kids of the dysfunctional Ramones that they left down under The Chats take the Ramones work ethic of playing the songs, playing them faster, saying very little, playing a bit harder, drinking some beer then getting the fuck outta dodge.

The madness began as the band steamrollered through ‘Nambored’ into ‘Billy Backwash’s Day’ and they were burnign through songs with a feroscious apetite and the packed room were well up for it as bodies were flying over the barrier at a rapid pace.

It wasn’t until the epic ‘Emperor Of The Beach’ was played that you could even call it a breather. the band’s finest song was done and dusted and it was back through the gears and away to go. ‘Stinker’ and ‘Panic Attack’ were also standouts and the sharp riffs flying off Josh’s fretboard have taken the band to the next level they are tighter and the songs sound beefed up to fuck. In this kind of form, the Chats are a match for anyone on the punk circuit. ‘Ticket Inspector’ sounds like they were paying attention when Da Bruddas played ‘Warthog’. These boys are a product of where they come from and sing about it keeping it real. So what if it’s goofy, puerile, and childish these kids are keeping it real. Sure, at times (well, all the time) they look like they’ve been dragged through the bins out the back of a jumble sale, it’s what makes them sell out venues the other side of the world from where they’ve come, and they will have a fit if they didn’t bring their own smokes to shit island because if they think they are expensive down under wait til you see the UK prices! ‘The Price Of Smokes’ is indeed going up again five times the speed. The hour has just flown by and we’ve reached the end of a furious yet epic set that was thoroughly enjoyable and tight as a part of soaking Rizlas in the back pocket of your cut-off denim. So a writhing, heaving, mess of bodies leaves the Tramshed with beaming smiles and ringing ears.

Long may the Chats grow and grow. They play fast as fuck everything is turbocharged so a ninety-minute set is condensed into fifty-five minutes of pure unadulterated punk as fuck noise. They have tightened up and that’s a lot to do with the awesome guitar work that has taken The Chats to the next level. next year they can come back and play some more speed punk but I think we’re gonna need a bigger venue. More people out on a school night watching some superb punk rock is the best, most life affirming activity out there and the soundtrack is fantastic, now do what they say and Get Fucked! Loved it, absolutely loved it!

Before I do sign off I can’t help but think in this day and age where everything is on hand in an instant a thousand people pack out a great venue yet so few of these kids here tonight would go and see bands like The Chats, like the Chisel all over the country in smaller venues with cheaper merch and lighter ticket prices (often free) It was a joy to be in a packed venue on a school night but in order to see more nights like this people need to get out there and see what else is also on – support live music and support punk rock, thank you!

Author: Dom Daley