Tonight Soundshock visited the Astoria, putting down our six string axes and picking up our trombones for a night of bouncy ska punk. A sell-out crowd descends to the Astoria to be a part of an almost homecoming show after Less Than Jake’s previous six night stint at this legendary, soon to be demolished venue.

The first band on the stage tonight is London based 9 piece ska-punk-rock-rap act Imperial Leisure. The band are on great form tonight, and although their set is short, electric front man Dennis made sure everyone had fun. Pretty much every bit of equipment on the stage was climbed and leaped off… even the stage was left behind to perform in the audience. Mad skanking and dancing both by the band on stage and the kids in the mosh pit is the best evidence to show that the band are doing everything right tonight, but as soon as it started the set seemed over.

Next up are Brummies, Beat Union. Sounding like a combination of The Clash and The Police (which the later cover of Message in a Bottle confirmed) and classic American punk, their music does sound a little familiar at times. Beat Union have the songs and the stage presence required to catapult them into the public eye, and a slot on this year’s Warped Tour in the USA will have done their reputation no harm overseas.

Hailing from Hawaii, Pepper’s influence from their country’s sun-soaked musical heritage can be heard above a typical ska-by-numbers sound. Musically, they are the most chilled out band of the night, but the energy they put in on stage makes up for it. They announce from the stage that it is good to be back in London having played here recently, and it’s obvious from the people singing back that they picked up a few fans last time they were here. Tonight though they are simply, a bit boring.

Hot and sweaty… and still one round to go. As the lights dim and the intro to ‘All My Best Friends Are Metalheads’ starts to play, the noise is deafening and the Astoria erupts. The band emerge and launch straight into their opener and the floor is literally bouncing…. Maybe the owners though this would be a cheaper and easier way of tearing this place down to make way for a train station and more shops. Tag team joint front men Chris Demakes and Roger Manganelli are a great partnership on stage. Both as active and as entertaining as each other, never staying still and pulling classing comedy rock poses for the photographers in the pit.

They are here tonight to promote their latest album titled ‘GNV FLA’, named after the airport code of their home town, Gainesville, Florida. But as always it’s the old hits that people want to hear, the opening track ‘…Metalheads’, ‘Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts’ and ‘Gainesville Rock City’ get some of the biggest cheers of the night. Between the music, the onstage banter and audience participation, inviting fans on stage, makes the entrance fee alone worth it. Less Than Jake are all about good time fun. You know exactly what you are in for when you set foot inside the venue… and if anyone left without a smile on their face, well, they shouldn’t have bothered turning up in the first place.

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