Who: Madkaps, Deluxe Inspiration
Where: Bar Fever, Wigan
When: February 7th, 2007
Rock ‘n’ roll is a funny thing in that, by its very nature, even when things spiral beyond control, there’s still a pretty good time to be had.
That’s more or less exactly the way things go down to night at Bar Fever.
When we turn up, eager to escape the bitter cold and warm ourselves on a fire ignited by four promised bands whilst standard background music blares out in vain between sets.
What we get instead is something slightly different, a night that goes something like this:
Walking down the stairs into Fever’s underground lair, we’re greeted with an eerie silence; it seems someone forgot to bring the tunes, or maybe just something to play them on.
As the place slowly starts to fill up, the hustle and bustle of the audience makes for a nervous atmosphere, which may go someway in explaining why Deluxe Inspiration make a slightly edgy start to their opening set.
Almost immediately we want to like the band and shower praise on them for their groovy, stomping brand of blues rock that reminds us of Maryland monsters Clutch getting down at a funk convention.
With simple lyrics and simple riffs, it’s all basic stuff, yet somehow, it all seems to work.
Yet what starts off as simple-yet-effective music wonders off into being somewhat primitive. Couple this with a frontman who wears an ill-fitting red and black shirt like a bad Dennis The Menace costume, and you get the impression that you’re watching a group of blokes in the midst of a mid-life crisis, eager to recapture their youth through the power of punk.
And if ever there was a time to beg the lads to grow up, it’s with a song about the internet, a juvenile jam about the dark side of the web that is almost embarrassing to listen to.
We don’t usually mind immature rock n roll, in fact, some of it can be pretty funny, but this is just weird. Come on lads, even Blink 182, the most juvenile group on the planet realised enough was enough when they hit a certain age.
Next up, we’re expecting one of the other advertised support acts, but instead, as someone finally turns up with a ‘Best of the 90s’ mixtape for tween-set entertainment, Madkaps set up their gear and it seems we’re skipping straight to the main event.
Heading over to Wigan from France as part of a UK tour, it doesn’t take the French punk rockers long to demand the crowd’s attention and keep it for a full, hour long set.
Lead by Anglo-French front-woman Ella, who packs more energy and vigour than her diminutive frame would suggest, Madkaps specialise in the kind of hard, solid riffs, deep bass and unrelenting drums that have been the basis for many a modern punk band, and whilst it’s hard to compare them to any one band, they do have a familiar sound.
Which is perhaps the band’s biggest weakness. Sure they’re good, there’s not a person in here tonight who would argue with that, but they’re good in a way that so many other great punk bands are good rather than in any way they can call their own.
Our only other problem is that most of the time, we can’t tell what they’re saying, not due to any language barrier, but more that the venue’s PA system is about as much use as the proverbial chocolate teapot.
Yet these are small complaints, and on the whole, Madkaps are an impressive band. Though our interest may wane towards the end they have no problem in keeping the crowd entertained with their powerful and catchy punk rock and a 4-stringer who must surely be up for the World’s Most Enthusiastic Bassist Award.
And that’s pretty much it. With scarcely any time to fit the other two bands in, most people call it a night, a night that didn’t quite go as expected, but was pretty fun anyway.
By Jack Conner
Wigan Music Archives 