Now let's get one thing straight right here. I DON'T go to see Japanese heavy metal bands to have some off his tits on drugs crusty fsck hit me in the side of the head. You must forgive the resulting glower at said offender in order to let him know that while I appreciate that the music is particularly boisterous, fun, exciting and exhilerating, there really is no need to punch me in the side of the head as my cup as it were, is already flowing over with aural pleasure. Or at least it was, until you hit me. Idiot. How very Rock and Roll.
The terrible support, whoever they are - Electric something, really are terrible. Through the window (before the actually terrible support) we see Turnbuckle striking poses and kicking out furious heavy metal while their frontman camps it up in a feather boa and tight top. We retire to the pub next door, where they play the Wurzels. When we return the noise has abated and the terrible support come on. They are men of an age who play music of an age, mainly the U2 / Marillion / Queensryche epoch but somehow more pedestrian and ultimately lifeless. We resist the powerful urge to heckle them to hell and I spend much of the period after I finish wanting to scream at all the people who congratulate the singer on how 'awesome' his band is.
Electric Eel Shock are a band who seem to spend most of their time touring the UK, mainly Bristol. They have played here four times in the last six months, always in small venues and are touring their album Beat Me, which was out early 2005. Playing to a half-full pub of people who inexplicably seemed to like the last band I really thought the gig was in serious danger of falling flat on its face.
But from the first wide-eyed gurning power-chord, the naked drummer's monkey antics and the furious heavy metal punk to the last screaming feedback solo of utter 80's rock destruction the six or so 'rows' of people left have the best time. I find myself there at the front, devil sign aloft as the lead singer calls us all bastards. YOU bastard! No, I bastard! Okay okay, HE bastard (pointing at the bass player)! Even with the drugged-up Crusty incident it's still grin your arse off and revel in the unashamed poseur punk /rock / metal that ensues.
The crime in all of this is that with such a great show, such fantastic driving completely unoriginal but totally honest songs and relentless touring this band still can't attract more than a few people to a gig. They really should be more famous.
