Leeds’ finest hip-hop-ska-punk-rappers, China Shop Bull, put four hundred and fifty miles on their van to play unique valleys venue, The Fork n Tune.
No one can say Vinny and Anja, owners of the Cwmcarn Hotel, have not pulled out all stops to create a unique venue in the heart of the Gwent Valleys. They have taken a run of the mill pub, knocked the shit out of it, given it a funky psychedelic make over and gone out of their way to host some of the best grassroots festival bands in the country. They have poured a bucket load of positivity and optimism into their project, with a spirit of, ‘if you build it, they will come’.
Sometimes they do come. There have been many rammed nights with the likes of Dub War, Henge and Captain Accident and the Disasters. But there’s no guarantees of anything in today’s music scene, with venues closing down left right and centre. Particularly in the valleys where audiences are not renowned for taking a gamble on unknown artists.
When we spotted that China Shop Bull were coming to town, we did not hesitate to grab tickets. For us, they are anything but ‘unknown’. We have caught their incendiary live set many times over the last decade or so.
If Vinny and Anja have put passion and dedication into creating this space, China Shop Bull put passion and dedication into what they do. They rock up late, but in fairness to them they have just driven all the way from Leeds just for this one show. The doors are already open when they do their soundcheck and those uninitiated in the ways of the Bull, have their appetites whetted by the taste of what is yet to come.
Once they have got their sound right it doesn’t take long for support act, Applied Science to slide their gear onto the stage – a table with turntables and a laptop. We are in for a session of scratching, hip-hop and rapping, with a bit of Newport Attitude chucked in.
I’m sure I’ve seen these guys before but I’ve never really paid much attention. Tonight I do. And do you know what, they are actually quite good. We have a dude on DJ duties and his mate laying vocals over the top. They have obviously been mates for a long time, as the banter between them is organic, self-effacing and often humorous. The music is quite a heavy, blues influenced, hip hop with interesting samples thrown in. There’s one with Richard Burton reading Under Milk Wood, there’s a light hearted (I think) gangster rap tune ‘Fuck You, Pay Me’ and there’s a homage to children’s cartoons, ‘Loony Tunes’. At the end I look ’em up on Bandcamp so I can dig deeper in the weeks to come.
Then, as quickly as they slipped on to the stage, they slip their gear off and China Shop Bull quickly set up.
China Shop Bull have been around for quite a while now. Hailing from Leeds, they are not averse to making appearances wherever anyone wants them to play. I’ve seen them well over a dozen times, but I think this is only the second time I’ve actually seen them indoors – the first being at our old favourite The Lost Arc. They fit in well with that rebellious, outsider, grassroots festival crowd. They fit in well with people who appreciate musical boundaries being blurred and broken. Guitar, bass and drums, so far so good. Brass section – ok, that adds a bit of variety. Sampler – right, now we are getting interesting. Then layer over the top some rapping, or the Yorkshire equivalent of rapping, and a huge bucket of energy. Are they punk? Are they hip-hop? Are they ska? Who cares? Will they make you dance? You bet ya.
To be blunt, the crowd tonight is not as big as they deserve. There are curious locals joined by switched on fans that have made the effort to travel for the gig, some from as far away as Warminster.
Back to this passion and dedication thing. The guys could not have put more effort in if they were playing to ten thousand people at a big festival. Their energy and professionalism is impressive. Like a punk-hop tornado, they soon get long term fans up dancing and the uninitiated are immediately converted into fans.
They have three albums in their armoury and they grab handfuls from each, firing tunes at the audience, who are blown away. Even those that are unfamiliar with the band get to dance to an old classic as they rip into a brass driven cover of The Dead Kennedy’s ‘Holiday in Cambodia’.
They hit the stage running and gradually picked up speed. The techno-punk beast ‘Sand Blaster’ signals the approaching end of the set, but fear not they extend it from the studio version to become an intense runaway train that has even the most ardent fans pausing for breath half way through before giving it all on the dancefloor.
A tough number to follow, but their most recent single, ‘Ave it’ is up to the job and the band throw everything they have left in them to making sure they have left their mark on the venue.
And pfft – just like that, it’s over. Another audience left stunned. They guys mingle for a while, sell some merch, chat with fans, new and old, before jumping back in the van back to Leeds.
By the time they get to bed they will have spent eight hours on the road for just two and a half hours at the venue. They don’t seem too concerned though. Did I mention passion and dedication? And everyone that witnessed the gig will be eternally grateful for that – and will be talking about this band for a long time to come.