Reviews
Suburban Legends / Offbeat Offensive
The Junction, Plymouth - 7th May 2026
Words : Richard Haywood
Photographs : Keith Conlin Photography
A Night of Ska at The Junction
To coin a phrase, “You're gonna need a bigger stage!”
The thing with ska bands is that once the truck pulls up outside, people and gear just keep pouring in through the door until there’s really nowhere left to put your coffee.
And so it was, on this night at The Junction, with not one, but two seven-piece bands forming an orderly queue to cram themselves inside the building.
Suburban Legends
All the way from Orange County in California, headliners Suburban Legends piled into The Junction for the second stop on their “Loaded & Electric” tour. Filling the stage with their kit, and the entire building with their vibe, and what a great bunch of people; outgoing, approachable, talkative and, well quintessentially American.
Seasoned professionals with a glowing passion for their craft, their infectious enthusiasm immediately sweeps you up and takes you along for the ride.
With the full band returning to The Junction for the first time since 2018, they exploded into their set with more energy than your average supernova, bending the needle of the “exuberance meter” around the top stop, and never letting it drop back.
What followed was a masterclass in musicianship and stage craft from a band that simply oozes talent and showmanship. They are so polished, so tight and so in touch with their audience, it’s as if they were born on stage and have only one setting… 100%.
Frontman Vincent Walker is very much the band’s quarterback, with a glint in his eye and a hypnotic stare that can move an audience bodily from side to side. Out on the wings, trumpet playing backing vocalists Aaron Bertram and Chris Lucca are his wide receivers, catching their cues from Walker and running with them as the effortless stage banter flows throughout the set.
Brian Robertson’s trombone provides the horn section’s counterpoint, while in the trenches, the drums of Josh Hatfield,
bass of Mikey Hachey and guitar of Paul Smith ensure that the solid, driving dance beat never lets up.
In keeping with ska band tradition, the horn section keeps the crowd mesmerised by interleaving brilliantly synchronised dance moves with their playing - a real joy to watch!
British crowds can sometimes be a little reserved compared to their American counterparts, and on many occasions I’ve seen US bands scratching their heads, wondering what on earth they have to do to get these people cranked up and bouncing.
No such problem for Suburban Legends, they have a secret weapon… they turn the crowd into human fireworks!
Dropping the volume to a low, tension building pulse, the band smouldered quietly in the background as Bertram and Lucca split the crowd down the middle and staged a quick “scream-off” to warm them up. Next, they got everyone to crouch down and emulate the sound of a firework being lit. After the
appropriate “fuse burn” time, the band re-ignited and the crowd leapt into the air with their hands held high and fingers splayed, as if they were rockets flying into the sky and exploding into starbursts. This is obviously the ska equivalent of the metal breakdown and “wall of death” routine, but with far less bloodshed and fewer missing teeth.
It takes years to achieve the level of skill so comfortably demonstrated by these amazing musicians. It also takes years to learn the stage craft required to keep such a highly dynamic performance looking well-balanced, natural and effortless. By my reckoning that makes each member of Suburban Legends at least 150 years old. How then, do they manage to project the fantastically happy, bouncy and carefree image of a group of American college teens, larking around at a tailgate party before the ball game, or enjoying a beer and a hotdog at the local drive-in? I don't know but I think I was meant to be American –it’s not fair!
Offbeat Offensive
The task of opening for Suburban Legends is a formidable one indeed, and on this night it fell to Portsmouth-based ska-punk band Offbeat Offensive, who immediately proved themselves to be well up to the challenge.
These guys definitely know what they’re doing, having established their credentials supporting such pioneering ska royalty as The Selector and The Beat.
Active since 2010, and with three Isle of Wight Festival appearances in the bag, plus one at Winchester’s Boomtown Festival and many more at Portsmouth’s Victorious Festival, Offbeat Offensive have carved out quite a reputation for themselves.
A lively, uplifting and exciting band to watch, they have a sound that is firmly rooted on this side of the pond. To me, UK-based ska always feels as though it has more space within the sound; not every nook and cranny has an instrument filling it as is generally the case with the US style.
The drumming of Arran Hartley and the bass of Dan Sawyers provide the rock-solid foundation, while the “chanking” guitars of Sam Jenkins and Mike Yates (depping courtesy of Portsmouth’s Skaraman) mesh perfectly to create that classic ska sound.
Sailing above the guitars we have the horn section:
Jen Norman (saxophone), Ian Jenkins (trombone) and “Teddy” (trumpet). These three effortlessly combine their musical talents with some great little dance moves to add a really nice visual element to the performance.
Topping out this impressive musical pyramid are the vocals of Sam Jenkins and Jen Norman, sometimes trading the lead, and sometimes mingling to create a harmonised melody line.
All in all, what we have here is a band that’s as good to watch as it is to listen to. Nobody stands still when Offbeat Offensive are in the house - this is full-blown “get off your backside and shake it” stuff.
So, if you’re planning a night out with these guys, remember to wear your Baggy Trousers in case you need to go One Step Beyond. Personally, I always check my look in the Mirror in the Bathroom before I get in the car and see what’s playing On My Radio. Yes, I know, I’m really old! Sorry kids, I just need to go and lie down for a bit.
