The Scare
London Garage
07.06.06
Hey Colossus’ psychedelic drone rock seems out of place on a bill like this, but if you take the time to listen properly, you’ll enjoy losing yourself in their swirling, expansive sound. Unfortunately most of tonight’s punters can’t be bothered, focusing their attention squarely towards the bar instead.
However, their apathy is soon kicked into touch when The Scare hit the stage. This Australian quintet are a revelation; like the bastard lovechild of Gang Of Four and The Stooges at their most fucked-up and abrasive, constantly teetering on the brink of pure sonic warfare. They throw themselves around the stage with wild abandon, singer Kiss Reid occasionally jumping down onto the floor to scream in the faces of the disinterested. Rock n’ roll is supposed to be unpredictable, and The Scare leave many a jaw dropped by trashing their drumkit and then exiting after only twenty minutes onstage. It’s the only suitable conclusion for such a wonderfully chaotic display.
Given that the Drips’ vocalist Matt and guitarist Joby are also members of LA nutjobs The Bronx, it’s no surprise that the Drips take a similarly fast, furious, raw approach to their rock n’ roll. Songs like ‘Downbrown‘ and ‘Triplets’ zip by in a glorious rush of squalling garage-punk mayhem, providing the perfect soundtrack to the sweat-drenched, stage-diving chaos that ensues both onstage and in the crowd. There’s no grandstanding here, no time wasted; just a full-throttle rock n’ roll experience, the likes of which we need more than ever these days.