DEVILISH PRESLEY.

Colchester Twist: The Dark Triad Album Launch.

Greetings dear readers & all you salivating Dandy Dogs.It seems like many a moon since we last spoke of all things Presley, so what better excuse than the launch party for the new album?
 The last time we came to watch Devilish Presley at this venue was way back in December & what a nightmare we had. Battling through heavy snow & blizzard like conditions, it took us a full ten hours to reach the place.

 Not so on this balmy spring eve. 'Twas a real pleasurable drive, although we did get the odd touch of the heebeegeebees every time we passed a certain spot where we recalled being stuck in hellish conditions for hours on end.
 So it was a real good vibe when we saw Jacqui & Johnny taking our cultural & spiritual leader 'Withnail' for an early evening stroll.

I annoint thee with my geetar

An even greater vibe when we got in the venue, for there it was; on full display at the merch stall if 'ye' please; the new album, the Dark triad. We were so eager, we bought two & promptly stuffed 'em in the boot of the car ready for the journey home. 'Twas also grand to bump into old friends & fellow Dandy dogs Darren, Dave & Janice to name but a few.

 I'm glad to say that this was a well attended affair & with 2 quality support bands; bonus!
 Talented though they were, we had come for the main event & as ever the mighty Devilish Presley did not disappoint. 

Tonight they appeared to go for the jugular. Ms Vixens voice was at its blood curdling best, spewing forth the verbs like a pack of hounds with the scent of blood in its nostrils.
 Mr Johnny Navarro (aka Ming the Merciless) has now handed over all lead vocal duties to Ms Vixen, thus allowing himself a free reign to explore the stage.

 ......& explore the stage he does, in no uncertain terms. He is hither & thither like a whirling dervish. One moment he is laid on his back, the next climbing any piece of apparatus to gain a vantage point. He jumps into the audience & annoints our heads with his guitar, then he's back on stage using his fan to cool down the heaving pendulous bosom of a poor young girl who must have fallen into a swoon at the very sight of his antics.

 The only problem I have with these Devilish Presley gigs, is that they don't seem to last long enough. I guess time does fly when you're enjoying yourself.

 As another evening of Devilish Presley hi-jinx drew to a close, it was hugs all round as we bade our fare thee wells to the Mighty Devilish Presley & friends. Also a special hello to the good people of Colchester who have dubbed us the 'Pontefract nutters' in light of our recent exploits. (Though we do prefer the term 'space cadets', it does add a touch of glamour).

 As Madame Tightpocket & myself made our way back to the car we knew our night was far from over, we had a couple of hundred miles of road to tackle as well as fighting off the sleep demon whilst driving. 
 However we did have the new Devilish Presley cd to keep us company. In short; it is magical, taking their songwriting to another level yet, but more of that in a later blog.

Aah, Mr Johnson, your guitar is ready.

  Chin chin my dears.

HEAVY METAL KIDS.

THE WINNING POST WHITTON  1-5-11
  Greetings me old shipmates. 
  First of all let me apologise for not posting this sooner, but your old mate Flash Tightpocket has been wrestling with his conscience as whether or not to post these pictures at all. 'Twas a bad day at the office indeed, photography wise. The lighting was dull & red. A nightmare for such as I. I even had to resort to the dreaded flash. 
 But enough of my vanity. It's merely a record to show we were there to once again witness this red hot band.

  It had taken the bread knife & me a good 4 hours plus to drive the 188 miles to get to the Winning Post taking into account several toilet stops & the lure of those giant burgers at the Burger King.
  So it was a great feeling of comfort stepping over the threshold of this grand old boozer to see a lot of the familiar faces. Keith, Cosmo & Justin always willing to chew the breeze & let you know what's happening regarding all things H.M.K. Ronnie holding court & indulging himself in the odd birthday brandy, furnishing us further with some marvellous stories from a life of rock 'n' roll.

   
  On the back of the vinyl re-issue of 'Kitsch' called 'Chelsea kids' (I still have it, in fact I still have 'em all) is a revue of a H.M.K gig at this very venue. Geoff Barton describes the show & his overriding memory of dear old Gary Holton with a bucket containing a severed head bawling, ''IS 'EAD FELL OFF'' stating that somewhere up in those rafters those words are echoing still.

  
      Not so flash & theatrical this line up of the Kids. Although Justin has stepped into the role of axe wielding frontman with effortless ease, Striking a classic pose at every available opportunity.
  It was also refreshing to see them play to a very healthy sized crowd. 
  Geoff Barton was right though, when you see a great gig it's not always the obvious that you remember, it's those little personal moments that seem to remain with you more than most.

Like when Ronnie introduced the song 'Whisky' he also slipped in the fact that it was soon gonna be his birthday. No sooner had the words left his lips, when a gallant punter burst forth brandishing a large scotch. As a smiling Ronnie knocked back his whisky, with a cheesecake grin he quipped 'it pays to advertise'. Class!
 The defining moment for me though was Cosmos' solo during 'It's the same'. It's always been one of my favourite songs but tonight it seemed to have a certain edge & Cosmos' solo cut through everything around him. Crisp clean & perfectly executed. The hairs on the back of my Gregory Peck were stood firmly to attention.

 Boring, is one thing this band can never be accused of. When they introduced 'The cops are coming' & the high camp of 'Uncontrollable' it also came with the added bonus of guest vocalist, formerly one of their number, Mr John Altman, just to lift the tempo of the evening to another level.

  Another great show had come to a close, but be warned discerning reader, the H.M.K have yet another ace up their sleeve. 
 Former 'Girl', 'Torme' & 'L.A Guns' vocalist 'Phil Lewis' will be bolstering their ranks for 3 gigs only, at the end of May, culminating in what should be quite an evening at the Camden Underworld on May 29th. Miss this at your peril.

  As Madame Tightpocket & me headed off on our long journey home, I couldn't help but think of Geoff Bartons words & Cosmos' stunning solo. You probably won't hear it echoing around the rafters of the Winning Post for ever; but it's still fresh & firmly lodged in my head & that's just where I'm keeping it.

 Chin chin.

Grinderman

Nottingham Rock City  25-09-2010
Leeds University Refectory  27-09-2010.

 Now what is it about Nick Cave & Warren Ellis that reminds me of the characters from the books I used to read as a child? Sinister little characters from dark fairytales. I can just picture them dancing round a fire playing violins & cackling manically circa Rumpelstiltskin.

Step into the deathray.

 Oh how long we had waited, three years since the first Grinderman album & now the bread knife & me had tickets to see them twice in 3 nights.We were going to see Grinderman for the very first time & we were giddier than a box full of monkeys on a special delivery to giddy town.
 I'm sure you will agree my little cherubs, there is nothing finer than seeing a band playing to a packed house & believe me, Nottingham Rock City was packed to the gunnels. DANGEROUSLY SO. 
 Just prior to the band coming on stage, I paid a visit to the can & it was literally a fight to get there. The room was so packed there was hardly room to breathe. Tempers were fraying & there was a real bad vibe about the place. There is no doubt in my mind that had a fire inspector been present, the place would have been shut down.
 I know for a fact this show had been sold out for a while, so why did I see cash changing hands betwixt punters & the bouncers as we were making our way in? Hmm, very strange.

 Grinderman came on stage mercifully early & I don't think I've ever witnessed a gig so full on,so fired up & so beautifully manic & hostile (& I'm talking about the audience here). This must have been such a thrill for the band to play. This must be the scenario that every band strives for. 
 I'll not bore you with the song details, because if you're reading this you probably know them anyway. Needless to say, they were all carried off with a degree of technical perfection without skimping on the ragged   rock'n'rollness of it all. In short; perfection. 
 About a quarter of the way through the set, poor Mrs Tightpocket was feeling a little worse for wear. She'd been trampled kicked & shoved (that was after trying to move 15 yards away from the stage) & was looking more than a little upset. Then a small miracle happened. A gap appeared near the bar, which is situated to the left of the stage, I grabbed her by the hand & ran for this gap, it was beautiful, it was like the parting of the seas. Within a minute we were up the stairs, on the balcony & in 7th heaven. we had the best view in the house, not close enough to take pictures but hey, what the hell.

After finding our place of comparative safety, we could chill & absorb the show. There was one moment I was aching to witness. Oh yes boys & girls; you know the one. No Pussy Blues. For those of you seeking some kind of deep, philosophical higher thinking from the Cavemeister; it's a song about not getting any pussy really.
 With it's spoken intro, it gently builds & builds to the sickest sounding crescendo of a lead break ever to come from the fingertips of Warren Ellis. This nearly tore the roof off the building, the crowd below were one seething throbbing mass, I swear there were bodies stuck to the ceiling. How people didn't come out of there with bones 'a' broken & still in full possession of all their limbs I will never know.
 It took us a full 30 minutes to filter our way out of the building. We were sweat soaked, a little relieved but also glad that we had witnessed this spectacle. We only had 2 days to go to do it all again in Leeds.

Leeds was much less of a tense affair. A complete sell out but with a fantastic atmosphere.
 Madame Tightpocket & me travelled there with Tony & his wife Sharon. Tony being a man who once made the journey to Barcelona to see Grinderman, only for he & his travelling companions to get so shitfaced that he missed the show. So tonight was a real big moment for my old mate Tony & Grinderman made his wait to see them more than worthwhile.

 Grinderman were once again gobsmackingly awesome. Cave all high kicks & as you can see from many of the pictures he points a mean finger. It's one of the best points this side of the great Johnny Navarro.
 Me old mate Jonno likened them to the early Cramps. I know what he means but I Don't think they can be likened to anyone. They are so fresh sounding, raw but touching a degree of technical perfection.

  
  All in all boys & girls; there are 3 little words which can be best used to describe these Grinderman shows & all the other Grinderman shows to follow I'll wager:......


                                        PURE  F+++ING  GENIUS.

Chin chin my dears.