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 This long-anticipated
new record mixes originals and covers (Peter and the Test Tube Babies
'Banned From The Pubs' and Stiff Little Fingers 'Here
We Are Nowhere'), short drinks and long cigarettes, and picks
up a bit of party powder that musta fallen between the piano keys after
the last, superlative 'Fight Songs...' album and shouts
'Drinks on the house'.
Recorded in an illegal gambling den between hands, dodging rival mobs,
blinking under stage lights, police sirens and the fog of cough
syrup...the rawkus racketeering is a rejuvenating round or three for
sure...but long years of experience, while not wearying them, teach them
that under the party popping bass slapping beer and cigarette fumed bonhomie is
a well acquainted tear or two. 'Only Time' and the ill-fated character of
'Over The Counter Culture' are hard, leather-boot-bitten barrelhousing
blues, bawled out with the voice that sounds like vocalist Torr's
stagedived onto a grand piano and sliced his vocal chords on the gutwired
strings. It's a voice that
could leap out and beat all comers in a bar brawl of it's own accord.
Indeed, ya wouldn't want to be dancing in the disco bumper to bumper and
be faced with this cat laying a bear paw on your shoulder, snarling 'Wait
a minute, where's me jumper?' Old time ignition sambuca spitting sax and
psychobilly bass slap pummel the Kings along in such a wrecked crew
playing the house band locked in Spider Stacey's head as he twats himself
with the drinks tray bouncing 'em about frantically in a bulldozing
pinball machine.
Don't let any Poguery melancholic mayhem mixed with a splash of the Ant
Hill Mob degenerate your delight in getting made. Thankfully, and
crucially, there's neither the pure comic-book face mask melting drudgery
of too much psychobilly, the ska of certain other
saxed-up acts, or the metal edged tomfoolery of the UK's Dead Pets. Under
the gonzoid 'billy blaring out at you, there's a pure passion, pertinence
and hard won truths that can be overlooked in a liquorized sing
along. In fact they sound like you imagine great Rock'n'Roll always did,
but when you dig back it was never quite like this, of course.
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