Guttermouth @ Fowlers, October ’10

I love a band who can taunt, heckle and slag off their audience.

I love an audience who can taunt, heckle and slag off the band they’ve paid to see.

Tonight at Fowlers, Guttermouth let fly with a non-stop barrage of sledging, pay-outs and jabs, aimed right at their audience. It was brilliant to see!

Front man Mark Adkins had quite possibly enjoyed a couple of drinks before their set. Ok, so he’d been drinking all day and could barely stand up.

Entering the Fowlers stage from the regular back/side area, Mark proceeded to then stumble right across and all the way off the stage, right into the audience where he then entered into a number of in-your-face taunts with random punters

The rest of the band assumed their positions up on stage ready to launch into the first song, but it wasn’t until a solid 5 minutes later that Mark actually made his way back onto the stage and picked up a mic.

A funny way to start the show you may think? Not really, considering he then spent most of the show over the barrier (or in some cases, flat on his face in front of it) and in the mosh with the punters.

Crowd participation took a whole new level, with punters grabbing a second mic and hurling taunts right back at Mark, whether it be for his New Balance T-shirt or his rather inebriated state.

A rant against people wearing surf brand shirts even though they don’t surf was particularly hilarious. It was made even funnier when one observant punter in the front row quipped back with “You did, in the 90’s. On the warped tour!“

Mark’s reply included a loosely tied together sledge about having to work a day job, whereas he has be in a punk band for 20 years. I’m not sure how that concluded anything, but it sure was funny.

If you were scoring this “match” however, the eventual win clearly went to Mark as he used his status to make out with a chick in the front row who had been flashing her tits his way for sometime. They proceeded to make out for waaaay longer than comfortable, tongues and all, most of us not knowing whether to watch, or in my case, snap pics (I did, check my facebook). The same chick shard the love later also making out with their guitarist. Punk? Love.

Punk shows like this are a total treat to photograph. The attitude of both band and punters is one of mutual appreciation. To the untrained eye it may appear as if both were at each others throats, however an unspoken, pre-agreed notion to not take things too seriously removes most of the barriers often seen between bands and fans. Mark Adkins levels with his audience, showing that we are all one, all there for the same reason: to have a damn good time.