As some of you might know I now also fill the drum stool for Thee Exciters, we played our first gig in their hometown of Southampton at a place called Hampton’s. The preparation for the gig was one recording session and one rehearsal, regardless we were confident, it’s only rock'n'roll and beer was being drunk so it would be a spectacle none the less.
The crowd awaited with beer brains and baited breath and we set up drums, guitars, vocal pedal and oscillator (psyche out!). Paul Brock the shaman front man pulled people to the front and from the first verse the crowd was with us, girls grooving and boys jumping. It was a great mix of people and all of them nicely pissed and rocking to the beats, shaking off the working weeks drudgery. In the last song, which was a cover of Frank Zappa's “Willy the Pimp”, the shaman front man, disrobed, put his Southampton sausage between his legs and went to embrace his adoring crowd like a acid head in Woodstock. Unfortunately after doing this he proceeded to twiddle his vocal pedal knobs, which left me as the drummer, with a view of his naked arse and what can only be described as a be-headed turkey neck poking out from underneath his arse i.e.: his cock. A fitting end to a rocking gig!!!
The following day we travelled down to London for the mod festival known as Beat Bespoke. Unfortunately I brought the wrong outfit and instead of some Liam Gallagher pretty green clobber, I was wearing double denim (denim jacket and jeans) and a Metallica shirt citing the phrase “Metal Up Your ASS!”. This fashion faux pas was immediately felt when playing the gig, it was like playing to a bunch of disapproving Liam Gallagher and Paul Weller cardboard cutouts. The general crowd had as much atmosphere as a rusty scooter, actually rusty scooter sounds pretty cool and metal, so let's just say the crowd was boring. We ended the set to a half arsed applause from the mojo cardboard cut outs and some woman yelling
“£6 for 10 minutes what a rip off!”
Unfortunately we didn’t inform her when we were starting and how long we would play for. Would-be-bands take note always inform people you’ve never met how long you going to play for and make accommodations for them when they turn up or else they could call the front man a “shit head”.
The evening did end on a good note as I got to see one of the best garage/freak/fucked up/psycho shit around: Wau Los Arrrghs. Damn did they fucking rule even thought it was a big venue with big shitty sound. Everything fits and works perfectly the band is super tight and the singer fucked up. Not like oh I've done soooo much smack fucked up more like stage movements and vocal noises fucked up just fucked up go find them on the internet to see what I'm talking about.
ARSEHOLE
Let me put it this way there was a mosh pit at the front of the mod fest (much to the disgust of the Liam and Weller Mojo cutouts) fucking ruled.
After that the Polecats played and I didn’t catch much just saw some old Billy jumping around with bleach burnt hair (colour of chlorine )jumping around in Rockabilly looking pyjamas. Word on the street was some of the Spanish Wau los arrghs moshing contingent tried to join in with the square dancing segment of the show but were disapprovingly nudged out .
In conclusion I had my fun but who know music created with the angst and freedom of youth has now developed such boundaries no amateur square dancing at rockabilly gigs, no Metallica shirts at mod fests, what’s next only studded jackets at 77 punk gigs?
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