live!

Rip It Up, Issue 168, 1 July 1991, Page 31

live!

MOTORHEAD, SHIHAD ' Town Hall, Sunday June 30. . A very early starting concert for this one, which is fine by me. Shihad knocked out a great support set full of precision and exuberance. Their new material shows signs of deviation from the . traditional territory, which is always . welcome. This was an evening characterised by sharp contrasts between the young and the old. Lemmy himself commented on the fact that he was old enough to be the father of most of the members of the audience. Motorhead were simply classic rock n'roll. Every cliche was pulled and stretched out to the point where it ■ became a comedy act. The group obviously enjoyed themselves with witty stage banter to control any possible tension, even when one less than sane individual decided to climb on top of the PA. "Don't fall o me!!" was the warty one's prompt response. ' The set was comprised mostly of ~ material from the new 1916 record with standout tracks being 'Angel City' and the moody 'Love Me Forever'. The crowd seemed somewhat tame compared to previous Town Hall affairs but when the 1916 backdrop was removed to reveal the true Motorhead logo the crowd went wild to the backdrop of the classic encore 'Ace of Spades'. A great concert, and proof to the fact that you don't have to mellow as you grow older. Motorhead could well become the first heavy metal pensioners! LUKE CASEY SONIC TWISTERS PLYMOUTH FURIES Powerstation, June 22. The Plymouth Furies started this rather jolly but damn chilly night off playing to a slowly filling Powerstation, the crowd unfortunately still sparse by the end of the night. Still, this did not seem to reflect on the bands who played full on to an enthusiastic ... audience. Much better in fact than the pussy rockabilly band on the video screen between sets. The Furies do a lot of covers well, working their own sound into classics such as 'Fever', 'Domino' and 'Quick Joey Small'. Watching a drummer applying 1234 beats as well as theirs is always driving, with chugga chugga guitar and bass more so but it's the singer who makes this band roll. . Influences like Elvis, Lux and the punkier early 80s psychobilly style are apparanet but to really shake it more personalised vocals would be cool. ■ Even so, definitely one of the better singers in Auckland, with a voice that seriously hits those bastard bottom notes. '

This band should be more popular but they seem to be preaching to the, converted rather than converting rock n'rawi fans other than quiff heads to their cause. Same could be said for the Sonic Twisters, for what they lack in jen-you-whine southern USA singing impersonations they make up for in howls between proper verses. Some nice instruments too — two flying V guitars, double bass, semi-acoustic guitar and a wicked looking drumset if you're into toms. Playing drums standing up looked very hip too. Hell, I could describe their clothes if you like but suffice to say they looked like Joan Jett's backing band, ok? Actually, come to think of it they played like Joan Jett's backing band too with reworked covers taht I'll bet Joan Jett's backing band have played though perhaps not in quite the same way, which was a plus. The pattern seemed to be a Dee Dee Ramone — whoops, Dee Dee Kinglike 1 1213141 followed by fast and speedy chorus then slow angst

then fast stuff again, or perhaps the other way around. Concluding with boom b00m... boom schssshhh to finish. See what I mean? The second set with double bass was the better of the two complete with the spin the bass around trick and I'm still wondering how much practice it took for the lead guitarist to perfect, balancing on top of it while both kept playing. Anyway, they and the Plymouth . , Furies were good with an obvious’ unabashed enjoyment of what they were doing and I enjoyed them a nd so will you if you go and see them next time. SHIREELOVE r ' , THE WARRATAHS AL HUNTER Armadillo Restaurant, June 27. Much as I love spending my time watching loud, obnoxious youngsters hammering their instruments into submission in the name of art, variety is the spice of life so I the combination of the Warratahs and Al Hunter seemed like a damn good idea on yet another wet Auckland night. Things didn't stay cold and miserable for long though. The Armadillo was literally overflowing with one of the wildest crowds I've seen in a long while and the place was truly kicking. There was an insane mix of hooligans, westies, yuppies, punkers. and petrolheads all tanked up and ready to go, an ideal atmosphere for the kick-ass singalong that the Warratahs usually deliver. Sure enough, the wannabe Texans from Wellington were in fine form, and the crowd ate it up. The major criticism that seems to be levelled at the Warratahs is that the/re not 'real' country but what the hell do you expect in New Zealand? They were plenty real for me, lots of nice hooks and melodies, a little rough round the edges in places and most of all, they really seem to be enjoying what they're doing — no tortured artists bullshit here. The Warratahs tore through a set of old favourites from 'Settin The Woods On Fire' to their own gems like 'Hands Of Heart' or ? ’ 'Maureen' which proved they really can write a damn good pop song. As if this wasn't enough, Auckland's own Al Hunter, ably assisted by Neil Findley, proved that he too knows his way around a few melodies. Al really has a great voice and with Neil adding some real nice Bluesy harmonica he was a real counterpoint to the Warratah's full band sound. Later on in the night Al elevated himself to god-like status by ripping through what was basically a loose jam with a few Warratah's helping out. They just pulled a whole bunch of covers out of the bag and were simply, utterly brilliant. It was a real treat to kick back in nice, warm, dean surroundings and enjoy the bar band concept at its finest. Al Hunter plays the Armadillo regularly on Wednesdays so do yourself a favour and check him out. There's a bar to lean on and some fine music, which is pretty much heaven. KIRK GEE . EMULSIFIER SPERM BANK FIVE SOUND OF MUCUS Dog Club, June 14. I suppose this was a sort of grown-up alternative to the giant funk festivities organised for the following night, but it was also a great way to see Emulsifier in a small venue with some like-minded maniacs helping out. After Sound of Mucus's relatively non-eventful dress wacky and play badly set, the entertainment machine that is Sperm Bank Five rolled into action. It's not often you find a band whose attempts to set the stage up are more fun that most shows I've seen of

late, and that was just Sperm Bank Five warming up. Once they were actually playing properly things seemed to take a few songs to fall into place but when

it was happening it was truly happening. From behind a sort of screen onto which movies were projected, Sperm Bank Five created

an awesome noise which I suppose could be called industrial but really it has too much life for that. Behind the blast of sound lie some clever samples and all sort of oddities, like a Latin American beat appearing for one < song. Sperm Bank Five are always worth the effort to see, not just from a musical perspective — these folks really give you a show. Next up were Wellington's finest, Emulsifier. Like Sperm Bank Five these guys really seem to enjoy themselves and it's infectious. Starting with a good, dumb-ass rap Emulsifier were a night of fun. They work their samples in with the riffs and just go wild. I like the less "acceptable" stuff, like the Black Flag rip-off 'Rise Above' which has some serious guitars, and the paean to petrolheadism, This One's For The Motherfucking White Boys' which celebrates being white with wheels over a sample from the DOC — very cool! The hits were played too, 'Terrified' in a very messy fashion and 'Rock Your Radio' in full rock mode, ' prompting all sorts of singing along. As Redds And The Boys were prone to say, "Ain't nothin' but a good time".

KIRK GEE

QUEEN MEANIEPUSS BLUE MARBLES GODSTAR Surge, Saturday, June 22. Godstar wasn't. In spite of the blessing. Live musicians don't break down due to technical failure. Hex of binary function begat crucifixion. Though the single song performed imparted a taste that left one salivating for more. I admit it. This review is rife with nepotism. My sister's band the Blue Marbles gave their final performance in their present form. To say my sister's band is unfair. Caroline, Phillipa and Stephanie share vocals, guitars and the song writing. Ranging from the soulful to the strident to that sing-songy stuff best left to Mainlanders. With all that cavorting up front it's easy to forget Greta's tight syncopated rhythms, Deb's funky dancing basslines. The overall effect was loose. All that tuning up! However, this gig was not intended as showcase but celebration. On stage, offstage, these are the good times. Next stage? Never early, always late, caught Queen Meanie Puss by the tail. A history that takes in Fisk and If, Deineke Jansen is still one shit-hot axeperson. These chicks are hot. Don't mess with them in a dark alley, they'll scratch your

eyes out. Go cats go!

BARBIE