Agnostic Front // Owl Sanctuary
A great band playing in a great new venue.
Agnostic Front, Owl Sanctuary Norwich 16/08/2014
Funny how some bands just fit the venue. When Agnostic Front last played Norwich back in 2011 for whatever reason the audience was a bit thin on the ground and frontman Roger Miret was less than pleased. Just not an Arts Centre kind of band I guess, and good though they were an air of irritation hung over proceedings. On this visit though they played to a capacity crowd at the Owl Sanctuary, a venue the band fitted just perfectly.
This was my first visit to the Owl Sanctuary since it re-opened in it's current guise and I was very impressed. There was a good Saturday night buzz about the place and the gig room was more than ready for some NYHC from one of the originators of the scene way back in 1980. I loved the mix of short sharp blasts of hardcore noise lasting mere seconds combined with longer more thrash oriented songs from later in their career. The crowd was fully involved from the off with loads of activity on the floor, mini circle pits popping up and people on and off the stage much to Roger's amusement. The sole original member from their very earliest days is living punk legend Vinnie Stigma who laid down some meaty rhythm guitar riffage and generally came across as someone who loves what he does. If anyone of us wants a tattoo next time we're in New York we only have to go visit Vinnie in his tattoo parlour to claim our free one apparently!
The hour long set flew by in a blur and covered 22 songs that ended with their cover of the Ramones 'Blitzkrieg Bop' and there could be no more fitting way for the set to end, especially with the recent passing of the last remaining founding member Tommy Ramone. Just as the Ramones influenced countless bands that followed, so Agnostic Front defined the sound of a certain era of music and that's why for me it's their first handful of records that have truly stood the test of time. The band are on a long run of dates so were battle hardened and Miret really was enjoying himself, telling us at one point that he was spending his wedding anniversary with us!
A great band playing in a great new venue, the perfect way to spend a Saturday night and I'm already looking forward to my next visit.
Stuart Preston
