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RUTS DC - Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach
When I initially started going to punk gigs in the late 70s there was invariably a DJ who played music between the bands, primarily to keep the restless masses occupied and stop them causing any further mayhem. These interludes usually contained several reggae songs which were met with reactions ranging from enthusiasm, ambivalence to even downright hostility. Whilst the majority of the three-chord punk bands at the time spurned any obvious influence by this genre of music, the more socially conscious ones (most noticeably The Clash) seemed to embrace it with open arms and perhaps that’s what made them stand out from the crowd. And this in a nutshell is what makes the Ruts/Ruts DC such a great band. Yes, they were able to match any of their contemporaries with straight ahead balls-out punk rock (“Babylon’s Burning”, “Staring at the Rude Boys”, “Human Punk”) but at the same time clearly had some of their roots (pun intended) in reggae and dub (“Jah Wars”, “In a Rut”, “Love in Vain”). So, nearly 44 years after having the pleasure of seeing them play live for the first time, I once again spent a thoroughly enjoyable evening in their company at Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach.
Whilst forever lamenting the sadly departed Malcolm Owen and Paul Fox, the remaining original members of Segs Jennings on bass and Dave Ruffy on drums have lately been joined by virtuoso guitarist Leigh Heggarty to form a formidable power trio who are easily able to compete with any of their remaining punk peers. Tonight starts with “Faces in the Sky” from their recent (excellent) album “Counter Culture?” and they are soon into their stride banging out stone-cold classics from their back catalogue with “S.U.S”, “You’re Just A…” and “It was Cold”. But, lest any of the approving crowd think they are somehow just a tribute band to a bygone era, they continue with tracks from albums released in 2022 (“X Ray Joy” and “Too Much), 2013 (“Mighty Soldier”) and 2016 (“Kill the Pain”).
And that pretty much sums up how things pan out over the entirety of the gig. Relatively new numbers (“Despondency”, “Counter Culture?”, “Born Innocent”) are interspersed with songs from those halcyons days where punk was a regular interloper in the charts and on radio. I always find “West One (Shine on Me)” a poignant track as it was initially released posthumously after the passing of Malcolm Owen. However a feel of paying homage to fallen heroes continued tonight when, in the middle of “In a Rut”, they segued effortlessly into the Pogues “Dirty Old Town” as a mark of respect to Shane MacGowan. It was a classy touch by the band. “Jah War” emphasised their aforementioned dub credentials and I can attest the bass could literally be felt as well as heard. “Something that I Said” returned things to a more frenetic pace and the show was closed out by an incendiary “Babylon's Burning”. A brief lull was a precursor to the band returning for an encore of “Pretty Lunatics” and “Psychic Attack” bookending a blistering “Staring at the Rude Boys”.
So it was another great gig by Ruts DC, a band that has more in its locker musically than most punk bands could ever dream of and are not afraid to show it. Long may it continue and...Never Surrender! Words - Bones rutsdc.com
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