Eight Gigs: Culture Shock

Those only familiar with the goofball marching-band-horn-section-meets-pop-punk version of ska-punk popular in the U.S. in the mid-’90s might be a little surprised at what an intensely political force the U.K.’s Culture Shock was. Arguably one of the first purveyors of punk-ska, the band was formed by Subhumans’ Dick Lucas, and while it only lasted a few years, its three fierce anarchist punk-ska albums dealt ruthlessly with the unjust political system, animal cruelty and the North Ireland war. Lucas later formed Citizen Fish, a group that combined politics with a similar messy punk-ska sound. 2708 J Street, www.cultureshock.me.uk.