Saturday night. As the years go by, you don't get to go out on a Saturday night. Not unless it involves a nice meal and a long - and usually one-sided - conversation on what happened this week on reality television. Of course, I could just have stayed in and watched X Factor. Or I could go out and relive old memories and catch the Anti-Nowhere League playing live.
The League weren't alone tonight with an odd choice of support acts to keep them company. First on were local band He Hates Us. Certainly more metal than punk, they dug up every tired rock riff there is and threw it at an audience that successfully managed to feign indifference. Or maybe they weren't pretending.
Next on were Honour Kills. After quickly surmising that their Dropkick Murphys approach to punk was not going down too well, they headed back to a more mainstream style. Whilst this was not really their audience, they nevertheless impressed with their energy and high standard of musicianship.
An altogether more appropriate choice of support were local stalwarts The Zips. They may have been around since the early days of punk in Glasgow but it was clear that they have never lost their enthusiasm. Songs like "30 Years of Punk Rock" told their story better than I ever could and Jonzip McNeil belted out the band's political message like a man half his age. You truly can't keep a good punk down.
Ever wondered why the Anti-Nowhere League have survived so long? Because they do what they do well. Animal is the perfect front man and they sound massive. Far bigger than four men should, in fact. Their message of nihilism remains strangely relevant even if the youth of today can't really be bothered to protest about anything anymore. Tonight, as the room filled to the sound of cataclysmic drums, the front stage area was as it should be for a band like this. Driven on by vicious guitar riffs, crowd surfing and stage invasions were the order of the day and, true to the spirit of punk, these were boisterous rather than violent interludes. The League didn't short change their audience either with a set that lasted well over an hour. They were - and are - the genuine article.
A wave of sentiment washed over me as I watched The League. In every way, this country is in a worse state than it was when punk was a boy. Sure, most of us have more but we own less of what we have. That's the best way to end protest. Be like everybody else. Wear the right brands. You're only as good as your last repayment. Think about it. We've all been down to the crossroads, made our deal with the devil and came back with a Ben Sherman shirt and a really nice HD television. But, as the Anti-Nowhere League would put it - "So What?"