RW ENTERTAINMENT, GOOD VIBES PROMOTIONS and THE GROOVE GUIDE presents
STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO
The name evokes something dark and revolutionary. Streetlights provide illumination in the darkness, to protect against would-be attackers that seek to catch you unawares. A manifesto is a philosophical compendium to provide insight and shed light on the truth, handed out freely on the street in peaceful rebellion. But both are also notorious for their limits. The shadows on the edge of a streetlight’s circle of protection are more menacing than the open night. And a manifesto is only pages long, unable to delve deeply into the topic at hand, only skimming the surface. Manifestos are meant to ignite rebellion, not provide the fuel.
Adopting members from existing popular ska groups Catch 22 and One Cool Guy, Streetlight Manifesto became a ska supergroup of epic proportions. Like all supergroups, the members’ previous successes drove their new project with little need to advertise or promote. Those who were interested in Catch 22 and One Cool Guy did not need to look far to find Streetlight Manifesto. The band’s first full-length album, Everything Goes Numb musically took the Catch 22 influence to a darker, more sinister place.
With subsequent releases Keasbey Nights - a re-recording of Catch 22's 1998 debut - and Somewhere In The Between, Streetlight Manifesto further consolidated the band's position at the forefront of the ska-punk movement. Jubilant horns and an irresistible swing are just part of the charm of this band, who barrel into one exuberant song after the other with catchy rhythms, clever lyrics and sheer musicianship. While many ska bands are famous for being constantly lighthearted and upbeat, Streetlight Manifesto are a band deranged, with themes of theft, suicide, oblivion, and violence played with the razor’s edge. Instead of blurting and popping, horns and brass are sharp, cutting, and pulse-pounding. The entire genre has been turned on its head.
Following a year of sheer turmoil and upheaval for the band, including a split with Victory Records - their home for five years, and multiple robberies that have left the band on the brink of financial collapse, Streetlight Manifesto have continued to push on as modern ska's most vital touring act. A skilled party of horns, percussion and guitars with an unrelenting tempo and toe-tapping urgency, the band are in their element in the live setting. Putting on a concert is easy. Creating a live music experience that captivates and leaves a life-long impression on fans' Not so much — though Streetlight Manifesto made it look effortless.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch'v=A-UTPKL-UGY[/youtube]
STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO
with THE MANAGERS, ATSUSHI and THE MOISTIES and YEBISU
THE KINGS ARMS, AUCKLAND
THURSDAY MARCH 31st
TICKETS ON-SALE MONDAY NOVEMBER 29th FROM www.undertheradar.co.nz, Real Groovy and www.moshtix.co.nz
