Sham 69

w/ The Scurvy, The Rawtones, and The Lower Orders

Saturday, September 26, The Backbooth, Orlando

Oi! Oi! Oi!

Sham 69 (official) came through Orlando with a fury unseen since 2004’s hurricane season. With a forceful and energied set these punk legends blasted through 20 songs and did everything you wanted to hear.”Run Wild Run Free,” “Borstal Breakout,” and “Angels with Dirty Faces” all were bandied out for some serious shout alongs. vocalist Tim V was funny and engaging, reminding everyone that “Not every skinhead is a fascist. Sometimes being a skinhead means you got old and went bald.”

At the end of the set, sharing the mic with the audience, a young hispano deviated from the script to great effect, “If the Kids/are united/they can never be divided/Si los chicos estan unidos/no los pueden divider.”

What rang true in London in ’77, rings true in Central Florida 2015. the same forces always try to divide and set people against each other.

Let’s not ignore the opening acts. Melbourne’s own The Rawtones churned out a really solid melodic, balls out punk. With exceptional players making up the band, they charged forward double-quick. “Long Walk Home” was memorable and catchy. But don’t expect them to slow down just so you can sing along. Definitely a band to catch.

From Tampa, came The Scurvy and they delivered a solid, crusty set about drinking and falling down.. “Anchors Away” was the stand out tune of their set.

And a shout out to The Lower Orders who started the show while I was still tryng to get the machine in the parking lot to take my money. Everyone said you were great, and they can’t all be wrong, can they?