Anti-Nowhere League

‘We Are The League’ last saw ANWL in 1982, headlining a packed house in Birmingham’s Digbeth civic hall. Tonight’s gig was somewhat smaller and somewhat less hairier than ’82. The sweat was already starting to fly. Animal, was a feisty frontman who knows more swear words than Gordon Ramsey. ‘Long Live Punk’, ‘So What’, ‘Woman’, ‘Streets Of London’ and ‘For You’ all featured. All the old faves for an ever-balding audience. Veering off slightly to a less angry side, the crowd were wanting more oldies. Even though the band played their hearts out and Animal is still very much an enigmatic frontman, it felt dated. A lovely bit of nostalgia for a rainy evening, to be honest I know they wouldn’t give a monkey’s about reviews or reviewers and you got to love them for that. Maybe in a bigger venue they could still rock like in 1982. Respect.

The Haunt, 26 October 2013
Rating:
Andy Forward