One of the perks of the job is getting to see your favourite bands and writing about them. I had been into The Men They Couldn’t Hang and band members have since become good friends. Here are a couple of reviews from my time in Scunthorpe including my rock n’ roll weekend.

The Men They Couldn’t Hang at the The Boardwalk in Sheffield on Sunday, July 20, 2003.

IN the front of the crowd, a lighter is held aloft in a sad parody of some dodey middle-of-the-road music fan at a Barry Manilow concert.

But, this not Barry Manilow, these are The Men They Couldn’t Hang and we all laugh heartily when the torch bearer burns his thumb.

It’s scary to think this lot will have been together for 20 years next year, and they still sound good, a fresh mix of punk anger and country roots, with a rye smile.

Right from the opener, Singing Elvis, they don’t slow the pace. The songs from the new CD, The Cherry Red Jukebox, sit comfortably with the old favourites.

It’s good to hear the likes of Bounty Hunter, Ghost of Cable Street and Ironmasters, given a dusting off and sounding like a breath of fresh air.

There is a good banter between original band members Paul Simonds, Phil Odgers (better known as Swill) and Stefan Cush. They are clearly glad to be back.

When the hard sell for new CDs and tee-shirts gets too much, sardonic bassist Ricky Maguire tells them to get on and play the music. Quite right too.

Mid-set they slow things down with a few acoustic numbers, including a cover of the Johnny Cash song, When a Man Comes Around, sung with real feeling by Cush.

They encore with Walkin’ Talkin’ and Night to Remember, which sums the evening up perfectly.

The Boardwalk, in Sheffield, is a great venue and worth checking out as it is only 40 minutes away.

At the end of the night I see a man leaning heavily against the stage holding his leg. After asking if he is okay, he replies: “No I’m just getting old” and this rings true, after all these years.

The Sheffield date was one of four British shows, but they are set to announce future gigs within the next week or so.

Let’s hope they play Scunthorpe next time around, as they are well worth going to see – ID

From the Scunthorpe Telegraph on Thursday, July 24, 2003.

Band were well worth a second hearing

Review: The Men They Couldn’t Hang in Sheffield and Manchester.

NOW I am not saying I have been into the band since the beginning, but I did buy my first CD by them way back in 1987.

And in their 21st year, I decided to see The Men They Couldn’t Hang (TMTCH) twice in the same tour, albeit a tour of only three gigs.

It had been two years since I last saw them, also in Sheffield, but this was the first time I had ever seen a band more than once on a single tour – and I thought it was worth it because it was a milestone event.

After having being disappointed last year by the last minute mysterious cancellation at Sheffield I was glad the band had chosen the Boardwalk again.

To be honest, the set-list was pretty similar for both nights, but it was worth seeing the band twice.

Opening with Singing Elvis, from the recent release the Cherry Red Jukebox, they quickly launched into Bounty Hunter from 1987’s Waiting for Bonaparte.

It is good to see the new tracks sit pleasantly alongside the back catalogue. It was good to hear Ghosts Of Cable Street, telling of the fight against Oswald Mosley’s fascists in 1936.

It was worth waiting for Swill’s solo bit for a very funny new song called Shedfire which was a dig at exciting stories which feature in the local press.

Also there was also a haunting rendition of Barrett’s Privateers with just his voice which held the audience entranced and the venue echoed to the methodical tapping of their feet.

Cush was next up for his solo spot with a tribute to the late great Joe Strummer – Bank Robber which sounded fantastic.

When the rest of the band returned to the stage it was good to hear TMTCH classics such as The Day After, Shirt of Blue, Rosettes, The Colours and Ironmasters.

For the encore, Tom Spencer joined the band on mandolin as he had been support by performing solo tracks from his band Fastlane Roogalator.

And it was good to hear the anti-war song, Green Fields of France, which is always emotional, and Walkin’ Talkin’.

Truly, two nights to remember and the audience at both venues did not leave disappointed.

Perhaps the band might even make a return visit to the Baths Hall some day. ID

From the Scunthorpe Telegraph on Thursday, May 19, 2005.

CD Cover…