With their latest release, ElectrAcoustic Volume 3, legendary punk band Ruts DC further explore their vast back catalogue with more acoustic versions of both their earlier and more recent songs, and the results are fantastic. To celebrate this release, the band have been back on the road, playing both an acoustic set and an electric set in an evening of celebration of the 45-year existence of Ruts DC and The Ruts.
We catch the band on a hazy Thursday night at the excellent Crescent venue in York to see Segs, Dave and Leigh deliver their classic punk/dub/reggae tracks and salute the past four decades of Ruts’ goodness; and with it being the both the 45th anniversary of the band and their classic 1979 debut album The Crack, there is no better time to do this.
With a specially curated playlist by the band – containing crucial dub and reggae cuts by the likes of Culture and Bob Marley, and even some curveballs by Sublime and Ini Kamoze setting the scene before and after they play their sets – the vibe was one of anticipation; and as the three members of Ruts DC took to the stage to rapturous applause, the acoustic set began.
Kicking off with protest song ‘Music Must Destroy’, the band are in fine form as they tear through the track, and it is evident immediately that this is going to be a fine celebration of the music and history of Ruts DC/The Ruts, indeed.
Segs and Dave precede the songs with jovial anecdotes about the band’s history, including tributes to the bands late original members, vocalist Malcolm Owen and guitarist Paul Fox, while tales of Henry Rollins fronting the band when they returned to Dave Ruffys birthplace in York and the huge ifluences of reggae and dub music (meeting Dennis Bovell and Matumbi in particular) gain vast applause. Delivered with honesty and humour, it all adds to the celebratory vibe of the night.
With more recent songs like ‘Kill The Pain’ (about being “young punks”), ‘Too Much’ and ‘Born Innocent’ (with its “hate nobody, harm nobody, hurt nobody” refrain) alongside Ruts’ anthems like ‘West One’ (“The last one we wrote with Malcolm”), ‘Love In Vain’ (dedicated to Malcom Owen and Paul Fox) and ‘Something That I Said’, this first set was a perfect example of the power of the bands music and how these tracks still stand up after all these years.
The band’s dub and reggae influences come out so well acoustically but so do their punk roots too, losing none of their power and bite as Ruts DC blast through this first set, leaving the stage to a mass applause.
After a short break in which the audience is treated to more of the band’s favourite music, the trio return to the stage to a heroes welcome for the second (electric) set, with Segs switching from acoustic guitar to electric bass, and while sonically it may be louder, the power, the passion and the meaning of the songs remain exactly the same; and as the set kicks off with ‘Vox Teardrops’ the same joviality of the first set remains, with the overall vibe being that of a family gathering.
The programme continues in fine style with plenty of onstage banter and concentrates more on The Ruts’ material (although there are a few newer songs like ‘Poison Games’ and ‘Pretty Lunatics’) with classics like ‘Dope For Guns’, ‘Jah War’, ‘Staring At The Rude Boys’ and ‘Babylon’s Burning’ sounding as relevant and vital as ever.
The evening ends triumphantly with ‘In A Rut’ (complete with added parts from Neil Youngs ‘Rockin’ In The Free World’) and ‘Criminal Mind’, and it’s safe to say that the band have gone down a storm in York. This was the perfect way to salute the past and look to the future of Ruts DC, with every member of the band looking happy.
Tonight has been an amazing way to celebrate the music and the legacy of Ruts DC and The Ruts, with both the band and the audience having as much fun as each other. And what better way to salute their legacy than hearing these timeless songs, both new and old, belted out with the same vigour as ever. Long live The Ruts, long live Ruts DC!
