The Ramonas + Slady 31.10.2021 at The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea, Portsmouth
Back at the Wedgewood Rooms again. Third gig in three days so flagging a bit. I came down from London direct after train chaos enveloped Waterloo connections.
Bit of time to explore some more places to eat and drink pre-gig in Southsea. The Merchant House craft ale bar first with a huge choice (glad we have a hotel. Wife Sally has driven to meet me). It’s only a few hundred yards east along the main road, Albert Road, that the Wedgewood Rooms is on. Next and about 100 yards west from the Merchant House is Nicholsons for tapas… very good. Smart but reasonably priced.
We are in the venue quite early and it doesn’t fill up much tonight even later on. Maybe 150 in by the time the bands are on. Easy to wander around taking pics.
It’s all female tribute bands tonight, Slady (Slade) and The Ramonas (Ramones) and Slady are up first. Their sound has some problems that irritates the lead singer over several songs.
The vocals weren’t that clear and while I’m no Slade aficionado, I know the extensive hits, I’ve seen Dave Hill’s Slade in recent years and I wasn’t recognising much. Given they were advertised as a double bill they were a bit of a disappointment. Anything was a bonus though – I was here for The Ramonas.
I was a big Ramones fan and The Ramonas (band website link) bring an alternative way to enjoy it all over again, while having their own material as well – I’ve bought their albums and there’s a new one out this November.
They won the new band competition with their own material in 2019 at Butlins Minehead Alternative Music Festival which gave them a main stage slot the following year (linked). As well as those two gigs I’ve seen them at The 100 Club in Oxford Street, in the tiny Winchester Gate pub in Salisbury and at Bournemouth Anvil – more times than I saw The Ramones then.
They put so much energy into their shows. Every bit as frantic as an old Ramones gig and before long we are punching the air again to those classic Ramones choruses… ‘Rock Rock..Rockaway Beach‘… ‘Sheena is…a punk rock-er‘ etc etc.
Pet Semetary is a particular winner tonight given it’s Halloween, which the band have got made up for. It gets better and better that one: ‘I don’t wanna be bur-ied, in a pet sem-et-ary…‘
They slot in some new songs – must be from the new album – into the middle of the set but it’s mainly Ramones covers tonight. A great way to round off the week… or is it starting the week off.
Gigs with Ivan 