Category: Music

London Astoria
06/05/06

Picture a bunch of blokes with beer bellies and battered instruments, murdering a selection of your favourite songs in the back of a pub. That, my friends, is a typical covers band; there’s probably one playing just down the road from you tonight. Me First And The Gimme Gimmes, however, are something of an anomaly; a Californian covers band that not only feature NOFX leader Fat Mike amongst their ranks, but have also sold out two nights at the London Astoria – all thanks to their speedy punk rock covers of classic radio and show tunes. Bizarre? Tell me about it.

Canadian quintet The Sainte Catherines get the party started with some raw, unpolished hardcore, reminiscent of Hot Water Music if they’d gargled whisky from an early age. The venue’s not even half full yet, but the band’s three-guitar attack sounds bold and brash enough to win them some new fans amongst the sparse crowd.

“We’ve finished our new record’, declares live-wire Capdown frontman Jake “it only took us five years!” Five years in which the popularity of the UK’s ska-punk scene has waned considerably; but tonight Capdown look and sound more vital than ever before, as they launch aural smart-hombs like ‘Cousin Cleotis’ and ‘Ska Wars’ into a grateful pit. The new songs sound excellent, especially the aptly titled ‘Surviving The Death Of A Genre’, and could well gain them the recognition they’ve deserved for so long. Make no mistake; these guys aren’t finished yet.

Mind you, Capdown’s scathing political commentary and Me First’s unashamedly silly sense of humour make for odd bedfellows, to say the least. “A punk cover of Stairway To Heaven!” laughs Me First singer Spike, after his cowboy-clothed band have butchered Led Zeppelin’s signature anthem. “It can only go downhill from here!” Indeed, punk rock covers of songs like ‘Seasons In The Sun’ and R Kelly’s ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ may be well beyond the boundaries of good taste, but certainly not of good fun. When nearly every song is introduced with a shout of “This next one’s a cover!” and a circle pit is spinning to a warp-speed rendition of ‘Over The Rainbow’, surely only the most churlish punter would leave without a smile on their face.

Me First will not change your life; but that was never the plan. All they can promise is a good night out, and some truly tacky Hawaiian shirts – and tonight they easily make the grade on both counts. Gimme more!

Alex Gosman
[Photo by Graham Grieve]

Scientists, Comets On Fire
London Shepherd’s Bush Empire
11.05.06

If you want your mind blown, Comets On Fire are the band for the job. Their freaked-out psychedelic abrasive noise is enough to make your skull crack. Easy listening this is not. If you want background music, go elsewhere. Comets On Fire travel the same uneven musical path as past free-form rockers like the MC5, Pink Floyd, Blue Cheer, Hawkwind and The Stooges and fill every inch of the venue with swirling, soaring guitar, rolling drums and bass and harsh, howling vocals. Anyone for some brown acid?

Scientists are genuine Australian punk legends. Formed in 1978 by James Baker and singer-guitarist Kim Salmon, they’re back again to show us exactly how this rock n’roll shit should be done with a dirty, boozy bluesy whiskey soaked set that is as harsh as Kim’s gravel shredded vocals, yet swings harder than your mumma. Or something.

The last time I saw Mudhoney live was at ATP’s ‘Don’t Look Back’ series of concerts last year. Mudhoney were asked to perform their classic guitar-scorched ‘Superfuzz Big Muff’ album in it’s entirety. Something lacked in their performance that night; to witness Mudhoney playing this material at their peak in the late eighties was one of the best rock n’roll gigs you could ever hope to see. Our memories are scorched with drunken nights and hair, limbs and guitars flying in all directions. Mudhoney gigs were largely chaotic affairs always teetering on the edge of complete disorder. The Mudhoney or recent years is a far more mature, though no less brilliant musical beast. So to see them play their old material as more sedate, older men was strange.

Tonight however, Mudhoney kick off with a frantic blast through ‘Suck You Dry’ and the whole place kicks off like it’s 1989, the dancefloor turning into one giant, lurching moshpit as the audience lunge around the floor. It soon becomes clear that the band are on fine form tonight and crank out a set that effortlessly mixes new material with old classics like ‘Touch Me I’m Sick’ and ‘Sweet Young Thing’. Finishing off with a glorious romp through ‘In And Out Of Grace’ that sees guitarists Mark Arm and Steve Turner playing the last part of the song laying on the backs wiggling their feet in the air, tonight Mudhoney prove that there’s still plenty of life left in them yet!

James Sherry