Rancid Brixton Acadamy 16th November 2006

So after a rather boozy and oddly run book launch, I dashed down to catch the Rancid punx down at their sold out show at Brixton Acadamy. The place was packed, definately more people there than their show at the same venue three years ago. To think with Matt Freeman's recent health scare, it was touch and go whether these guys would ever play together again. But he's been fighting and he's back for now and we were treated to an almost celebratory retrospective show that cover their number of albums complete with covers and additional career spanning film footage shot behind the band.

From the word go and the opening bars of "Radio", the pit was heaving and by the third song, the band actually stopped mid song to say, "Hey, calm the fuck down." It was the mst manic I have ever seen the venue and definately the most rioutous show I've been to since seeing The Vandals and Sick of it All on that tiny little stage the stuck on the outside of the Millenium Dome at the Snickers Game On.

The band never fails to deliver and as usual, I sung myself hoarse. Pics here, set list and videos at the bottom...

Here's the Set List from the night (highlighted tracks have video links):

"Radio"/"Roots Radicals"/"Nihlism"/"Journey to the End of the East Bay"/"Black and Blue"/"Dead Bodies"/"Sidekick"/"Tenderloin"/"Unity" (Operation Ivy)/"Maxwell Murder"/"Gunshot"/"Antennas"/"Old Friend"/"World's End"/"California"/"Rejected"/"Salvation Road"/"St.Mary"/"Rats in the Hallway"/"Olympia, WA"/"Hoover Street"/"Timebomb"

"Fall Back Down"/"To Have and Have Not"(Billy Bragg)/"Bloodclot"/"Knowledge" (Operation Ivy)/"Ruby Soho"