The Hostiles @ The Union, Ayr

In my experience, the best way to judge a ska band in retrospect is by the hangover you have the morning after you see them perform. This morning, it's quite mild, with a bit of a churning in the stomach, but nothing that some toast and coffee can't cure.

Not exactly a good analogy of the band, but I digress...

I walked into a fairly quiet Union last night around the back of nine, to see that The Hostiles were still soundchecking. Having been in the pub since four that afternoon, I was somewhat impatient for the start of the show, and the one band bill of the night seemed confusing. How is one band going to fill up the entire night?

The band began their set with very little fanfare, other than that created by their booming brass section. Their music, a brand of classic ska punk a la Reel Big Fish and Big D, carried subtle hip hop undertones throughout, making the band near perfect stablemates for some of the underground's rising stars, such as Sonic Boom 6 or Random Hand. Imagine, if you will, that Madness had been heavily influenced by House of Pain and Black Flag. I think that would come pretty close.

Mid-set, I start picking up on certain unimpressive elements of tonight's show. For a start, the band's dueling vocals are almost unlistenable through a hissing and distorting PA. The trio of guitarist, bassist and drummer seem to be the only ones in the band with much movement in them, and even that seems somewhat forced from where I'm sitting. A somewhat nervous looking alto sax player seems to compliment an altogether lifeless band in general.

To be fair, I like these guys. They are one of the tightest punk outfits out right now. Every song is well written and performed, every break executed perfectly. Their sound is a genuinely pleasing variation on the ska punk canon, with a very west coast Scottish feel to it throughout. The PA isn't the band's fault, it's just one of those things you can't always control. As for the slightly drab performance, even that is forgiveable, all things considered. In a genre where bands are famous for fuelling themselves on the enthusiasm of the audience, tonight's lukewarm reception begat a lukewarm performance. It's fine, everyone gets one. However, the band does begin to warm up a bit more as the night goes on, taking their cue from a now slightly inebriated Union audience. Therein lies the glory of ska punk: it only gets better when you've had a few.

Needless to say the band are fantastic. Their general attitude to their music, mirrored by their near insanse touring schedule as seen on their myspace, shows the band to be a committed and driven outfit. Obviously, tonight's performance seemed a bit of a drag, considering the lack of crowd and a fairly dismal PA, but overall The Hostiles pull off a fairly sweet live show, which is to be admired considering the circumstances. Needless to say, I'll be seeing them again.

Hopefully my hangover will be worse next time...

The band's debut album, Always Looking Forward, is out now. For more tour dates, check out their myspace.