Imperial Leisure: Guerilla Gig on Carnaby Street
I got a message on Facebook this morning telling me that up-and-coming ska-punk band Imperial Leisure would be playing a “guerilla gig” on Carnaby Street tonight - so I decided to go along.
I know IL’s work well - I’ve seen them support Less Than Jake, Sonic Boom Six and headline a couple of times, and have their album. I’m a big fan, I guess. I reckon they could be big - not just in the punk scene, but they’re mainstream enough to appeal to a Radio 1 audience.
It was an exciting gig - as I arrived I saw them parking their van and setting up. When the started playing they had a surprisingly large crowd - I’d say easily over 50 people - both a mixture of fans and passers by. And what was surprising was that they played a good set - they didn’t need a soundman or anything, and the instruments and stuff were balanced perfectly.
They didn’t play any stuff I didn’t recognise - it was all off of the first album. They even got some audience participation chanting “Beast” and so on, which was quite exciting for an uninitiated audience.
It’s terribly exciting seeing a band you like playing in the street. It’s yet another reason that I love living in London.
