A musical genre with an identity crisis...

Anti-Folk.
The name doesn't tell you much. The interesting thing I've found is that the vast majority of anti-folk gigs won't tell you it's anti-folk on the poster. But ask anybody in the venue, band member or punter, and they will tell you it is.
It is difficult to stay sober at an anti-folk gig. In fact, sometimes it's better if you don't. SHIT are anti-folk. SHIT also like to encourage drinking. The last time I saw them they ended their set by cracking open a nice cheap bottle of Lidl's Sparkling white wine. I have to admit, being under the influence of something a little more potent than an orange juice and lemonade definately enhances the experience for me. Personally, I like to drink most of a crate of cider before even thinking about attending a gig at say, the Free-But in Brighton, or the legendary 12-Bar venue in London's West End.
This time however, things were different. From my last exulted position as Stand-In Drummer at the last gig, I had now been demoted to Stand-In Bassist/Roadie, which now required me to drive to the gig, which meant, obviously, staying sober throughout. I was not pleased.
And so SHIT delivered their usual brand of raucous punk-folk complete with offensive and provocative lyrics. Jesus and Mohammed Song was one stand out, and the usual closer AIDS went out with a suitable bang as it was cheap champagne all round.
Other highlights were MC Fashion and his laptop. Dressed in fake Burberry out he strode clutching his guitar and switching on his notebook. And out of these absurdities came some surprisingly enjoyable funky tunes that, had I not been abstaining from intoxication, I'm sure I would have enjoyed immensely. If anything, the MC's overall use of the stage and surrounding, empty, dancefloor earn him more than just an honorable mention.
It is interesting to see the marked differences between this gig and the previous 12 Bar show in Soho several weeks prior. The big difference being that in London everyone, artists and all, were completely plastered by the time the second band were on. This was not the case in Brighton, and, save the members of SHIT and their entourage who had been drinking in my car on the way, the 20 or so strong crowd never seemed to really liven up until the bands finished. Nevertheless, German band Woog Riots put on a most professional performance, which, seeing as they had only got into the country that day, was rather impressive. As anti-folk goes, this is about as experimental pop as it gets... Like the bastard child of Kraftwerk and The Magic Numbers, Woog Riots frogmarched through their set with military precision, stopping occasionally to regale us with on the road stories about being a mother in a band.
As the evening drew to a close, the bands packed away their equipment, and I realised I now had a sober 2 hour car journey with 3 nightmare drunks to look forward to, I decided that yes, as a genre anti-folk is certainly interesting, but to get the most out of it, just make sure that you're really really drunk.
And so as SHIT's drummer shouted obscenities to passers by as I was driving through Brighton town centre, I drove home with a smile on my face, safe in the knowledge that next time I'll be the one hanging out the car window...