Social Distortion - Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London – 7th July 2011 (Live Review)
Thursday, 14 July 2011
Written by Alice Pattillo
It’s great to see a band like Social D touring Europe, even if, sadly, they only do one UK show. The Californian band has existed for over three decades, and having released 'Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes' two years ago, finally made it back to the British Isles.
A bigger venue should have been in order as I was way up in the Gods, not ideal for a gig when you want to get a good view of the band. The sound was brilliant, however, even from way up on the 4th floor – definitely a plus, and the venue has a certain cosy charm, so you can’t help but like it.
Social Distortion played a brilliant set full of old and new tracks and were on stage for well over an hour – a feat even twenty something year-olds in bands rarely conquer. Mike Ness made the show as always and made two guys night when he brought them up on stage and handed them a ten pound note to buy some beers – you won’t get much for that in Shepherd’s Bush though...
It was brilliant to see a band I’d loved since I was a kid on stage for the first time, and would urge anyone to go and see them – with their clever mix of country rock n’ roll and punk they are truly original and you can’t help but get up and dance, whether you are two metres from the band or two hundred feet.
In January Ness confirmed plans of a new album within the next couple of years, so hopefully we won’t be waiting too long for another trip back to Europe.
Gig Rating: 9/10
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