So fuck it, back to the wall

I'm sitting here having quit my job. The little bit of money I have left is rapidly depleting. I live in a country that is getting more and more right wing with every passing breath. I'm about to leave Norwich behind and everything I've built up here.

As long as POS exists though, everything will be okay.

I spend a lot of time on Punktastic.com. Far, far too much time for it to be healthy. That website is, basically, the entire extent of my knowledge of current music. I am okay with this. PT is where I find out about most things, such as that Bouncing Souls were touring the UK. Last time I saw the Souls was a few years ago supporting Dropkick Murphys, and I wasn't impressed. Singer Greg just stood there, seemingly showing no emotion nor wanting to be there. It put me off them to a point.

I was later informed by enough people that, well, that's just what Greg does. It wasn't that he was having a bad night, he just doesn't tend to move around much.

So, upon some further PT reading I found out that some rap guy called POS was supporting. As a hip-hop fan, I thought I'd hit up his Myspace and check out some tracks. I did and was suitably impressed. I then headed to my local indie record store (cheap plug: Soundclash Records in Norwich is ace) and - staring me in the face - there was POS's new album. The incredible packaging helped this too. I felt that this was too important a sign and, even though I was pretty broke, bought the album on the spot.

After getting home and investigating the packaging more (it's a clear digipack with a bunch of panels to arrange and build as you see fit) I ripped the CD to my iTunes library (as my hi-fi is shit and plays up when you put CDs in it) and gave it a spin.

Wow.

Never Better by POS changed my life. Fact. This album was - from start to finish - incredible. Every track is a winner. The whole way through there would be something else that would jump out, slap me in the face, and make me weep for the fact that nothing will ever be this good ever again.

Purexed may just be the best song in the history of music. The way it starts off slow and then that insane drum beat just hits you like a car speeding round a corner. Beautiful.

So that settled it. We were going to London to see the Souls and POS. It would be the greatest experience of my life. I was determined for it to be.

Fast forward some weeks. Gig tickets ordered. Train tickets ordered. Everything was ready to go.

We're at Islington Academy. A venue I actually really like. Good views from most places. Bars everywhere! I'd seen Jimmy Eat World here before, as well as the Deck Cheese Records 'Bigger Than Christmas' party. Both of those gigs were fun times, so I have good memories of this place.

Firstly we had to sit through Koopa, and the less said about them the better. Even with their bland, turgid, insipid, insert-your-favourite-way-of-saying-"it's-shit"-here pop-punk I wasn't going to have my night spoilt.

Black President were up next. All I knew about them was they were one of those "featuring members of..." bands, and the only band I could remember was Goldfinger (it later turns out there's a Lagwagon member, and others, in there too). The first two songs weren't great, then it got a lot better and I started to really enjoy them. Still, they weren't POS so I wasn't that interested.

Then it was it. The drum kit is lugged off stage, being replaced by a huge table adorned with two turntables, a sampler, a laptop, and other electronic goodies.

DJ Plain Ol' Bill comes out, followed closely by POS. This is it, I'm about a few seconds from seeing POS and I'm the most excited I've been in literally years.

And then he plays.

And it lives up to all my expectations.

Shit just got real.

This is fucking amazing.

Going into the gig, I'd been scared that - as my expectations were insanely high - there was no way this could live up to them. It did. So very much so. The set was probably about two thirds songs from Never Better (the only POS album I have, but I will rectify this soon) and a few older ones thrown in. Obvious highlights were the aforementioned Purexed, Optimist, Drumroll (We're All Thirsty) and, well, every damn track. POS owned the crowd tonight. Those who wanted to be there were enjoying themselves thoroughly. Those who didn't know him seemed suitably won over. This was the greatest 35 minutes of recent memory.

After POS I was scared that the Bouncing Souls wouldn't be able to match up. How the hell could they follow something as mind-alteringly brilliant as POS? How about opening with True Believers...

A perfect start to the Souls' set. Admittedly I don't know much Souls (my knowledge is limited to an album or two, an EP or two, and some odd tracks) so having them open with something I knew put my mind at ease that POS's brilliance wouldn't over-shadow them too much.

Lots of classics, a few new ones (off the 20th Anniversary EPs). All-in-all thoroughly enjoyable.

Alas, owing to living in a backwards city with poor train links, we had to leave about ten minutes early to ensure we'd catch the last train. Then, as sods law would have it, we got back to Liverpool Street with 20 minutes to spare. Fuck.

Even a 30+ minute delay on the train wouldn't ruin my night.

So, I'm sitting here having quit my job. The little bit of money I have left is rapidly depleting. I live in a country that is getting more and more right wing with every passing breath. I'm about to leave Norwich behind and everything I've built up here.

As long as POS exists though, everything will be okay.

POS is better than you.

I've been listening to POS a lot recently. So much so that I am determined to start a UK alt-hip-hop collective. We'll be awesome and sound like Sage Francis or some shit. Anyway, buy Never Better by POS and it WILL change your life. Like really.