Less Than Jake - Live Review

LESS THAN JAKE / THE INSTITUTE BIRMINGHAM / 6TH APRIL

It would be easy to load a Less Than Jake bill with generic and similar Ska bands in order to appease and placate the crowd that is here mainly to see the headliners. However Skinny Lister, offer somewhat of a palette cleanser, instead bringing back their folky brand of rock and roll. 

I suppose a Less Than Jake crowd has got to conserve energy these days, so that dodgy knees don’t replace the mosh pits and skanking. Skinny Lister are certainly a great band, and not much beats a stand-up bass at a Ska show, but they certainly do their best to get the crowd swaying rather than moshing. 

Less Than Jake are the godfathers of Ska and our first ballot choices should there ever be a Ska Hall of Fame. With Less Than Jake value for money is guaranteed, this isn’t and never will be a band that phones it in, high energy is guaranteed. Less Than Jake bring a PERFORMANCE, don’t expect a band of static musicians, (they don’t need it but) you are going to be treated to huge waving inflatable men, toilet paper guns and Rodger taking the sunglasses from someone in the crowd and prancing around in them! (They were returned.) 

The true art of this bands show is the bants. Bants bants bants. Truly comfortable onstage being themselves, they’re happy to enjoy a random tangented conversation with each other or the crowd, they are just so naturally funny. Four songs in Chris stopping to have a banana whilst explaining to us it eases his cramps !  

The fanbase may be growing in age, the Mohawks in the crowd may be greying, the mosh pits might be fuelled by ibuprofen, but not much beats a Less Than Jake show. And all jokes aside, there were some kids in the crowd, we envy those now just finding LTJ and starting the journey through their epic and timeless back catalogue. If you missed out this time round, I’ve got a feeling they’ll be back because the UK LOVES a bit of LTJ.