Author: Crossfire

Koko Camden

Friday 16th September

It’s hot and sweaty and Koko has just witnessed the wrath of the Immortal Lee County Killers who came, rocked and left a crowd thinking of who cool they were with their screeching blues tinted rock and roll. Quote of the set was from the drummer Doug “The Boss” Sherrard at the end when he said, “this song is about the Rolling Stones, if you got acid drop it, if you got a coca cola, drink it!”. He also makes slashing gestures with his sticks as he drums, cool as fuck!

Talking of cool, when we heard Mudhoney were to visit London and play their legendary album Superfuzz Bigmuff from start to finish, it was a no brainer that we had to be there. I remember seeing them 2 nights in a row at The Hibernian club in Fulham as Mudhoney played with various Sub Pop bands back in 1992 covered in sweat blood and beer. Mudhoney are remembered for their electric live shows but 13 years on, was it going to be the same?

Well, nostalgia kicked in, we smiled, laughed as the band ripped through the album kicking off with the monster that is Touch Me I’m Sick, Hate the Police, In and Out of Grace and everything in between but the band seemed to be very relaxed about the whole thing making jokes in between songs and generally goofing around. Nothing new there but once the album was out of the way and early 7″ tracks kicked in, the night seemed to resemble something that did not really have a crescendo ending knowing all the so called “hits” were already done.

With Suck Me Dry and some new stuff thrown in at the end, it was apparent that we should have cherished the good old days as this show was a gig not to look back on as it actually said on the advert…

Z

Evenings such as this are often daunting events for the self-respecting metal fan. Not necessarily as a result of the quality of music on display, but more due to the fact that the audience of which bands such as Thrice attract have an uncanny and almost frightening ability to look almost identical. An endless stream of youth size shirts, waist crushing jeans and ghastly chequered slip-ons; one can only hope that tonight’s headliners produce a performance capable of making such a daunting social experience worthwhile.

As the lights dim and the band stride onstage, deafening screams reminiscent of a thousand boiling teapots ring out from those in attendance. Almost immediately the opening chords of ‘Betrayal is a Symptom’ wash over the venue to be met with sheer jubilation; the crowd rolling back as one before smashing into the barricade with all the synchronised force of an unstoppable tidal wave. The circle pit inducing ‘Paper Tiger’ is as sharp as a razor and twice as dangerous, while anthem ‘Artist in the Ambulance’ provokes a sizeable majority into screaming along with such passion that their very eyes are in danger of exploding clean out of their sockets.

It’s obvious that Thrice are a band most comfortable when in the presence of fans that are truly tirs and theirs alone. The only question that remains unanswered is whether they can pull it off outside of the spotlight as convincingly as when in it.

3/5

Ryan Bird

There’s an uneasy feel in the crowd at Shepherds Bush Empire as we wait for The Lemonheads to come on. Tonight’s reunion could go either way – will they still have that magic? Will Evan Dando be on time, will he even be coherent or in a crack induced mess – would this all be a horrible mistake? You almost want your idols to stay in your memories in case they shatter your illusions. But bang on 9.30, a tall figure lopes on to the stage, a wry grin in place and an appreciative nod to the crowds, and the crowd seem to breathe a collective sigh of relief. He’s here, he’s smiling..and he’s wearing a reassuringly random outfit.

In the early ’90’s The Lemonheads were riding the wave of their success with critically acclaimed album, a talented frontman popular for his boyish teen-idol hippy looks and song-writing alike, churning out tracks ranging from the harder grunge through to alt-country – they seemed to have it all going for them, until Evan Dando’s drug habit spiralled out of control. Erratic performances, losing his voice, and no-shows followed until he woke up at an airport one morning, with no idea how he’d got there or what he’d even been doing the day before. The band disintegrated post Reading ’97, and when Atlantic released the ‘Best of’ album in ’98 it only confirmed suspicions that this really was the end. Now years later, The Lemonheads are back, bought together by ‘Don’t Look Back’ for a two night stand.

Standing tall on the stage, his good looks and boyish charm very much intact, Evan Dando looks endearingly self conscious at first. Stand-in bassist Josh Lattanzi and drummer Bill Stevenson follow him out, but it’s very much Dando who the crowd have come to see. . In his floaty red shirt and needlepoint white drainpipes, his trademark blonde hair as unfairly shiny as ever, it’s like we’ve stepped back in time, and from the word go, it’s clear that this is going to be a night to remember.

Without so much as a ‘hello’ they slide straight into the set with ‘Rockin’ Stroll’. The first lines of a ‘It’s a Shame About Ray’ are drowned out by the crowd, and Dando allows himself a smile. ‘Confetti’, ‘Drug Buddy’ (allegedly about Juliana Hatfield) and ‘Kitchen’ are lovingly reinstated, he dedicates ‘Hannah and Gabi’ to ex-bassist Nic Dalton, and ‘Alison’s Starting to Happen’ keeps that little bit of grit in the closing verse.

There’s no banter or chat in-between songs, they glide through the ‘It’s a Shame About Ray’ album, until Dando is left on the stage alone, to pick away at some tracks on his own, they seem to merge into one, like he’s just picking up whatever tune comes to mind. It’s with this section that the alt-country quality comes to the forefront, Dando’s love of Gram Parsons shines through, especially with the breathtakingly beautiful ‘Outside Type’ and ‘Being Around’ , Dando’s haunting voice full of melancholy and regret. A cover of Mike Nesmith’s ‘Different Drum’ is a high point; standing there, guitar in hand, and a break to his voice, Dando is the epitome of the tragic hero, his lyrics floating across the crowds, who are literally hanging on his every word. And so the hour long set ends all too soon, and it takes the drum tech to actually start taking the drum kit away to convince the ardent front rows that this really is the end.

Rumours abound that, like The Pixies and Dinosaur Junior, The Lemonheads are going to give it another go together. Evan Dando certainly appears to have his demons under control, and with tonight’s life-affirming set, it’s clear he’s made it back from the brink to be every bit as talented as he was. Goofy and modest he may, but then it always was the quiet ones you had to look out for wasn’t it?

Dee Massey

05.09.05 – The Underworld, London

The chances of many people reading this right now who saw the original Misfits live are slim to say the least. They only made it to the UK once as support to The Damned in 1979 (a tour which was cut short when then frontman Glenn Danzig wound up in jail after a bar fight) and appearances on their homeland were sporadic to say the least. Thanks, however, to Metallica’s endorsement of the band long after The Misfits disbanded allowed their legend to grow and when bassist Jerry Only won the right to use the Misfits name, he didn’t let the small matter of being the original member left get in the way of his career.

The Misfits that greets us tonight feature pre-Rollins Black Flag singer Dez Cadena on guitar, original Misfits/Black Flag drummer Robo and Jerry taking lead vocals and bass. The fact that this isn’t really The Misfits doesn’t stop an unbearably hot and crammed Underworld from slamming seven shades of shit out of each other as Mr Only charges his motley band of aging US punk legends through every Misfits song you could ever want to hear, plus a few you didn’t (anything post-Danzig). This is immediately a far superior performance to their dismal display in Camden a couple of years back when, with Marky Ramone on drums, they play a scrappy set of apparently barely rehearsed Ramones, Misfits and Black Flag songs. Marky’s weak and decidedly basic drumming style made the band sound painfully thin, but tonight, Robo hits the skins with the power of a man half his age and the splattering of Black Flag classic like ‘Thirsty And Miserable, ‘Six Pack’, ‘Jealous Again’ and ‘Rise Above’ are the highlights of an extremely hot, sweaty and entertaining night.