There were a few strange glances from the audience watching ¡Forward, Russia! play Uprock in their sold out gig at The Swan.
 | | crowd |
The Leeds based quartet took a lot of people by surprise, blasting out their set list like they were at the Astoria. But the slightly taken aback local audience were quickly drawn into the band's innovative punk sound and were calling for more, as they finished their short but perfectly formed set. ¡Forward, Russia! have no names for their songs - only numbers, which could be perceived as a bit pretentious and art school, but I think it works and because the guys are so genuinely passionate about what they are doing - you can't help but believe in them. There is a certain frantic energy to lead singer Tom's performance. He seems desperate to get the message of his songs to you as he winds the microphone cord around himself and struts out into the audience making sure he can be heard (he was
heard) at the back. Whiskas, who plays lead guitar, also runs his own record label 'Dance To The Radio' in Leeds - which has to be one of the best cities in the world for new music right now. I am sure of a bright future in the music industry for both the record label and for ¡Forward, Russia!
Ipswich needs more gigs like this. There is no reason why we shouldn't be included in the tours of new British talent like ¡Forward, Russia! In a week that sees Ipswich play host to the world famous R.E.M, it's good to see that people are also supporting the up and coming bands on the scene. A flyer I picked up at the gig has already got me excited about the next bands to come to Uprock. Well done to them for making the effort to book bands from outside Suffolk. Let's hope this is the start of a beautiful friendship with new music in Ipswich. | 
