No giant women, plenty of Red Stripe

Gigs, especially ones that are underground, are usually only bearable for a maximum of 30 to 45 minutes. After that, the heat, noise and crowds of sweat-drenched drunks become too much for most people to take. So imagine our surprise on Sunday when we not only went to a gig that LASTED ALL DAY but was also underground - and enjoyed the shit out of it.

It wasn’t just one long gig; that would be stupid. Not even Springsteen could pull off a ten hour set. No, the gig in question was ‘Attack Of The Giant Woman’, a sort of urban mini festival at Manchester’s Roadhouse venue, staged by excellently-named local club night Get Girl.Kill Baddies.Save Planet.

Sadly there were no giant women in attendance, but there was a crowd full of friendly individuals who were very much up for having a fun time. The smoking ban provided opportunities for outdoor mingling, and the excellent pass-out system meant people could come and go throughout the day, some leaving for pizza, others for a quick sunbathe in Piccadilly Gardens.

The bands and alcohol were too plentiful to provide a rundown of the full day, but some of our highlights were:

Stars Of Track And Field
Had a difficult job going on at 3pm to a small crowd but managed to do pretty well for themselves, drawing enthusiastic applause at a time when most people were too hungover from the night before to get up and dance. Good mix of female vox and odd Ska licks.

Clarky Cat
This bunch of Brass Eye-referencing loons build up their sound using disparate basslines, beats and riffs until everything has welded together nicely and you’re faced with molten disco carnage. Which is a good thing, obv.

Dead Disco
Bringing oodles of glamour and enough pouting to shame Vicky Beckham, Dead Disco did their usual thing of playing very good pop songs with guitars while at the same time looking completely uninterested by the whole affair. ‘The Treatment’ was fucking amazing.

James Morton (DJ)
One of several DJs who played between bands, Morton spun a nice selection and, along with Jon Grant, spoke passionately for the GG.KB.SP crowd and what they stand for.

Overall it was a marvellous festival, with none of the clouds, scallies or walking offered by last week’s Dpercussion. If the Roadhouse can do something about their piss-poor ventilation, and if the organisers can maybe look at getting a local laughter merchant or DJ to compére next time, this is a concept that could run and run.