Bad Manners…are just plain, old Bad

Where to begin……….?

I was working up the Top End in the Territory and a friend got a ticket for me to watch Bad Manners in Perth at the Rosemount, which is a great little venue.

bad-manners-were-very-badThere was a support band playing (I can’t remember their name) who were a ska band, and they had two girl dancers on either side of the stage. The singer told us their last song was political and serious. They then proceeded to dance around, smiling away – I thought they were going to get the crowd joining in…it was like a pantomime…not really very serious at all, but there you go.

I very rarely watch support bands, and this one just cemented my decision to continue my trend – but they weren’t terrible.

Bad Manners took their time coming out on stage. The DJ was playing some stonking ska tunes, and the crowd were cheering – this went on for some time…but I didn’t come here to listen to someone playing ska tunes…doesn’t matter how classic they are.

At 10pm, Bad Manners mounted the stage, the band played for about five minutes, and then Buster Bloodvessel entered the ‘arena’.

What I did find very strange was the crowd were affectionately chanting ‘You Fat Bastard, You Fat Bastard’ – Buster is a very respectable size these days – was it irony? Well whatever it was, it was wasted on me.

Bad Manners performed a couple os songs, Buster disappeared while the band played another instrumental. Buster then came back on and sang ‘Loraine’ to which he adlibbed, ‘Loraine, she treated me like a cunt’, which did make me laugh. They then did ‘Walking in the Sunshine’. Buster disappeared again while the band played yet another instrumental.

When he came back on, he mentioned that he never had a family, never had a mum or dad, but he did have a grand-child. He looked emotional as he said it. To celebrate this, the band then played ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You’ (The Four Seasons).

Not only were they late coming on, but they were playing bit songs, and now this…it was kind of the last straw. My friend and I left after that.

I have only walked out of one other concert/gig, and that was Ozzy Osbourne in the late 1980’s/early 1990’s. He was just the worst…bloody awful…I still can’t talk about it for the possibility of requiring further counselling. But I felt exactly the same when watching Bad Manners.

Buster Bloodcessel looks a frail old man…perhaps he’s not well…he didn’t look well.

I thought that going to a Bad Manners concert would be fun, and bring a smile to everyone – it didn’t…at all.

Bad Manners were not bad…they were dreadful.

I do hope Buster isn’t unwell, but still, a bad gig is a bad gig.

In my eyes they have ceased to be Bad Manners – now, they are just Bad.

by Wallace McTavish

 

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