Important Note
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From now on, the main page at HangNine will feature recent reviews and anything else current that takes our fancy. Reviews will eventually be added to our extensive archive.
HangNine now has a MySpace site. Pop along and become a friend of HangNine.
First, though, a short explanation of our new rating system:
AFBOM - A guitarist friend, frequently asked, "What did you think of the band?" felt it best to avoid answers of the, "Not much, to be honest," variety and always picked on something positive to say. This might have been, "Great chorus to the last song," "Loved the guitar sound in that first number," or even, "The drummer's trousers are really cool." Favourite of the lot, though, was, "Fine bunch of musicians," which became something of a catchphrase round our way. Not really our kind of thing.
NBAA - Not bad at all. Our kind of thing - worth a listen.
PDG - Pretty damned good. If you like this genre of music, you will probably enjoy this.
AB - Absolutely brilliant. Most of this is very good. If you like this genre of music, you won't regret buying/seeing this.
AFB - Better even than absolutely brilliant. All of this is very good. If you like this genre of music, you really should buy/see this.
The Only Ones - Brighton, Concorde 2 22/03/08
Who are they? I've already said enough about the Only
Ones in the review of the Shepherds Bush gig. They don't really
belong on HangNine, but they're pretty much my favourite band and I
get to write about whoever the hell I like!
What's good? In the previous review, I hinted that they should play in Brighton; tonight they do.
In the previous review, I hinted that I'd love to have heard This Ain't All (It's MAde Out To Be); tonight they play it at the end of the encore. I'm starting to think they read my review and actually acted upon it.
Three more new songs; the album can't be far behind.
The Only Ones are still back and still brilliant; I'm still in heaven. The equal of the Shepherds Bush gig, although perhaps not quite on a par with their blistering show in Bristol.
What's bad?
In the previous review,
I hinted that I'd love to have heard Watch You Drown; tonight they
still don't play it. Maybe they didn't read my review after
all!
HangNine Rating: AFB. Enough said.
Jon Deadman
'63 Burnout - Trouble At The Speedway (Go Guitar Records)
Who are they? Seattle-based instrumental rock'n'roll band featuring the signature guitar tones (or so says the promo-blurb) of Thom Beckman, Jim Freeman on bass and Rodd Karp on drums. Apparantly these guys have featured in several legendary Pacific North west bands, although we have to confess that none of them have reached our ears in sunny Brighton, UK. The album certainly is pretty rocking, leaning heavily on Thom's riffing, layed over a solid rhythm section, although it does also have it's more laidback moments (eg Drag The Lake and Sleepwalk) and even features acoustic guitar picking on Pin Up Doll.
What's good? These guys can sure play and rock up quite a storm when they put their minds to it.
The band's theme tune, '63 Burnout is mighty fine indeed, as is Theme From "Attacko".
Nice versions of Pipeline and Sleepwalk.
Beautifully presented promo pack (I know, I know, we're just suckers for the superficial stuff).
What's bad? This album is not big on melody.
Pipeline, in particular, is a tune which has been much covered, which always makes it pretty risky to cover yet again!
HangNine Rating: PDG - Visit the '63 Burnout website for more details.
Our apologies for taking so long to review this album, but we've been hellishly busy what with our real-life jobs and with being confined to our sickbeds.
Jon Deadman
The Phantom Four - London, Beatrocket at the Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes 24/08/07
Who are they?
The return of Phantom
Frank (see the review of latest album Madhur for further details).
Drummer, Niels Jansen, had read our plea for UK shows and invited us
along to this one. Any promoters reading this please note that the
Phantom Four would like to play more UK shows.
The Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes are just what it says on the tin; a lovingly created, 50's style, bowling alley in the bowels of the Tavistock Hotel, just off Russell Square. Not only can you bowl, there's a miniature cinema in the entrance, live music, diner-style food and private karaoke rooms for hire. This heady mix of entertainment seems to make the venue rather popular with hen parties, so it's not quite the typical surf/instrumental crowd that witnesses the first visit to these shores of the Dutch masters. No need to worry, though; everyone is in a good mood and the Pahantom Four go down and absolute storm.
What's good?
Phantom Frank is not a
small man, but the rest of the band are lanky giants, who appear to
have to crouch somewhat, in order to fit beneath the venue's low
ceiling. Not to worry, though, since they are in dazzling form,
wowing the crowd with rocking versions of tunes from the Madhur album
and many more besides.
Frank brings out the Rogue sitar-guitar for Sitara, which is just wonderful. He's also created a great stage presence, teetering on arrogance, which just says, "How good am I?" without ever becoming irritating. A fine line, well walked.
During a storming Malaguena, the entire band, complete with cymbal toting drummer Niels, step off the stage and intot he audience, where they dance, pose for photos and continue playing. This is just the kind of thing that we at HangNine love!
What's bad? Only one UK show? Not good enough boys. Must try harder!
HangNine Rating: AFB - Visit the Phantom Four website for more details.
Jon Deadman
Rumble On The Beach - Brighton, Concord 2 19/08/07
What Is It? Billed as a surf/rock'n'roll all-dayer, Rumble On The Beach features instumental bands The Squadron Leaders and Los Fantasticos, HangNine favourites the Surfin' Lungs and splendind sets form Slim Slip and the Sliders, local heroes the Long Tall Texans, the Cordwood Draggers and the punk/rockabilly soundclash of Switzerland's Peacocks.
What's good? My band, Los Fantasticos, get to play our biggest gig to date.
A great crowd, a great atmosphere and greart music form all concerned.
Slim Slip and the Sliders: consumate rockabilly, great haircuts and lovely lovely people to boot, For me, the band of the day.
What's bad? Since I was playing, my attention was not entirely focused on the stage for parts of the show. Next time I will split myself in two!
HangNine Rating: AFB.
Jon Deadman
Michael Lindner - Cocktail Napkin (Alley One Music)
Who is he? Michael Lindner began playing the accordion at the age of eight. In 1964 he was inspired by the Beatles to take up the bass guitar and he's been playing it ever since. Of most interest to HangNine readers is likely to be the fact that Michael has been in the splendid Aqua Velvets since 1982. Here he presents us with eight original (although not especially surfy) instrumentals and four of his favourite vocal songs from the 1960's (Little Red Book, Endless Sleep, 2000 Man and Party Doll) and, with the exception of Pete McRae's lead guitar on Party Girl. Michael plays everything (he also priduced, engineered and did the cover art - so quite a tour de force).
What's good? As I know, it's all too easy when working entirely on your own to become rather one dimensional in what you produce; it can be very difficult to provide all the ideas, while also remembering to get all those technical dtails right as well. Michale Lindner, however, succeeds in not falling into this trap. The instrumentals, particularly, are never less than interesting and some are truly captivating, with special mention having to be made of the Indian-flavoured Whirling, the lovely Birth-Day-2004, Conquistador, and 8 Strings.
What's bad? The covers are fairly straightforward (although Endless Sleep is a seriously strange song, which I had never knowingly heard before), despite being lovingly crafted. The instrumentals are much better (but we would say that, wouldn't we?).
HangNine Rating: PDG - Visit the Alley One Music website for more details.
Jon Deadman
The McDeath
Trio - Hove, The Greenhouse Effect 03/08/07
Who are they? Fronted by Dan Whaley, formerly of the Charles Napiers, on guitar and more than ably assisted by Clive Pearlman on bass and Danny O'Brien on drums (both also former Charles Napiers), the McDeath Trio are "purveyors of sinister, stripped down instrumentals." Actually, that's their description of themselves, but it sums them up pretty damned well. As befits one devoted to the instrumental cause, Dan claims to have almost never spoken to the audience during his long tenure with the Charles Napiers and tonight, barring and almost inaudible, off-mic greeting at the start of the set, he remains true to this code.
The Greenhouse Effect is a rather cosy and welcoming basement venue and it is to be hoped that it might host plenty more great music in the future. Tonight the smallish, but perfectly formed, crowd are treated to a splendid set from Dan and the boys and certainly show their appreciation.
What's good? It's perfectly possible that every
number the band play tonight is a cover, although I certainly don't
recognise them all. However, this is certainly a band that believes
in placing it's own stamp firmly on whatever tune they play and
tonight we are treated to great readings and renditions of I'm
Branded, Nick Cave's Red Right Hand, Misirlou (particularly and
refreshingly notable for being played nothing like Dick Dale), the
splendind theme from Get Carter, I Put A Spell On You and the Dead
Kennedy's Too Drunk To Fuck. All are delivered at pretty high volume,
but in beautifully laid-back way (the words "sinister" and "stripped
down" do indeed spring to mind) that makes the McDeath trio a
pleasure to observe.
What's bad? Well, they could have played for even longer, I suppose, but, in truth, it's hard to find any fault.
HangNine Rating: AB.
Jon Deadman
The Only Ones - London, Shepherd's Bush Empire 09/06/07
Who are they? Well, not at all the sort of thing we cover on HangNine, not surf, not instrumental (they do have a song called Instrumental, but it has lyrics, although not many) and barely punk. However, The Only Ones are just about my favourite band ever and, a mere twenty-six years after I saw their last gig at London's Lyceum, they're back and this is the last night of their currnet (fairly short) tour, so we're going to review it. Lead singer Peter Perrett once explained in an interview how the songs of Bob Dylan helped him to survive adolescence and I've always wanted to get the chance to tell him that his songs did exactly the same for me. I once chickened out of the opportunity to audition for his mid 1990's band, The One, and missed the chance to meet him at a book signing due to committments with Dead Man's Curve, so this review will have to suffice as my chance to let him know. In many ways it's an absolute miracle that they're here. Perrett should, by rights, be dead by now, such are the legion stories of his drug taking and it seems that things didn't exactly finish on a good note back in 1981. However, they are here and while most of the audience is made up of us old folks, there are a few yougsters to be seen amongst the crowd, no doubt drawn by the use of the band's most famous song, Another Girl Another Planet, in a recent mobile phone advertising campaign.
What's good? For men well into their middle ages, The Only Ones look pretty damn good. When I saw The One, one wag behind me commented that, "That's what Keith Richards would have looked like if he'd really taken a lot of drugs," and to be fair, the words spectrally thin still seem aposite to describe Peter tonight. Given that, however, he is pretty damned sprightly, while guitarist John Perry, bassist Alan Mair (who we apparantly have to thank for this miraculous reformation) and drummer Mike Kellie have all aged remarkably well and all look a little like the cat who got the cream.
The Only Ones were always better live than on record, where their rougher edges tended to get rounded off. Tonight, in the absence of the drug mania which surrounded some members of the band in the past, they are on awesome form; tight, powerful and intense.
Most of my favourite songs are played: from their first album there's No Peace For The Wicked, The Whole Of The Law, It's The Truth, Creature Of Doom and, of course, Another Girl Another Planet; from Even Serpents Shine we are treated to From Here To Eternity (which opens proceedings in fine style), Flaming Torch, No Solution, Miles From Nowhere, Programme, Someone Who Cares and, my personal favourite, Inbetweens; their last (and least good) album, Baby's Got A Gun, provides The Big Sleep and Me And My Shadow, while we also get treated to the alternative version of As My Wife Says, Flowers Die, a new song (hallelujah, who'd have predicted that?), Dreamt She Could Fly and a fantastic Lovers Of Today, which closes the final encore. OK, I've missed a few out and maybe even mis-remembered a couple, but it was an emotional night.
What's bad? I hate that thing where the support band gets a terrible sound because the soundmen are the kind of wankers who think that's how it should be, because that's how it's always been. When the support band (Love Minus Zero) features two of the main man's kids (Jamie and Peter Jr) it's plain insane. Guitars were barely audible, as were lead vocals, while the occasional trumpet flourishes and female backing vocals were absolutely inaudible. However, on the plus side, Peter Jr looks axactly like his dad (only less spectrally thin).
With such a past to draw upon, it's bound to be the case that some songs get missed out. Two I would love to have heard are This Ain't All (It's Made Out To Be) and Watch You Drown, which reduced me to tears at that final show in 1981.
HangNine Rating: AFB - The greatest band in the world ever, bar none, are back! I can't wait for the Brighton gigs (there's a hint there boys). Visit The Only Ones website for more details.
Jon Deadman
The Squadron Leaders - The
Pavillion Tavern, Brighton 18/04/07
Who are they? Stonking, sax-driven instrumental twangers from Brighton. According to their website, there are four Squadron Leaders, but tonight there are only three and the bass playing duties are handled by a digital multitracker, playing pre-recorded parts (and chipping in with some pretty amusing between numbers vocal samples for good measure). This actually works surprisingly well.
What's good? Some strong tunes and they dress up in RAF uniforms. Guitarist, Squadron Leader Stephen Fagan, also wears a rather unlikely aiman's moustache, which falls off after a couple of numbers, but we enjoyed it anyway.
Lovely Gretsch.
What's bad? When you use pre-recorded parts, the drummer has to play to a click-track and, so, has to wear headphones. This isn't the greatest look and, might I suggest, could be improved with the use of proper vintage flying ace's headphones!
The booking policy of the Pav Tav seems to be to get any three bands thay can find and put them on in any order, regardless of how (and indeed whether) they might fit together. The place is also full of people who make me feel very old, but that's more my problem than anyone else's.
HangNine Rating: AB - Visit the Squadron Leaders' MySpace site for more details. The Squadron Leaders are back at the Pav Tav on 16/05/07.
Jon Deadman
The Phantom Four - Madhur (Mirananda Records)
Who are they? Anyone who had the same good fortune as we at HangNine did and managed to see The Treble Spankers will know what a great band they were and what a great guitarist was Phantom Frank; indeed, in terms of tone, I thought that they were the best sounding instrumental band I had seen at the time. Sadly the Treble Spankers had to call a halt to proceedings in 1997, due to Phantom Frank's troubles with RSI (an occupational hazard for frantic double-picking guitarists). But, hallelujah, Phantom Frank is back and his new band, The Phantom Four, are as great as you will remember The Treble Spankers being. Frank handles both guitar and sitar duties and is joined by Marnix Krabbendam on guitar, Marc de Regt on bass and Niels Jansen on drums.
What's good? Fabulous Arabic/North African-influenced tunes. Phantom Frank is back and this time he uses a sitar as well! Beautiful, desert landscape photographs on the CD cover.
What's bad? The Phantom Four are from the Netherlands. No bad thing in itself, but I see no sign of any UK gigs in the near future: this is a very bad thing.
HangNine Rating: AFB - Visit the Phantom Four website for more details.
Jon Deadman
The Vibrants - The Exotic Guitar Sounds Of... (El Toro)
Who are they? Yet another release on the wonderful El Toro Records' Reverb Series from Spain. The Vibrants serve up a fine-sounding selection of "wet sounds for your dancing pleasure," half of it instrumental, the other half vocal, in a kind of Untamed Youth, but not quite, style. Around half the tracks are covers. Both tunes and songs are firmly rooted in the 1960's, which is a pretty good place to be, but don't be expecting anything terribly groundbrreaking here.
What's good? The instrumentals are very much to our taste, reminscent, at times, of The Atlantics and with plenty of surf-twang.
The sleeve notes are written by Father Dick, someone we came to love very much when visiting Calella a few years back (he is, it must be said, quite mad!).
The cover also features a lovely collection of guitars, which always makes us envious, but in a good way.
What's bad? Well, the vocal numbers are a little less to our taste. As mentioned above, like the Untamed Youth, but not quite. That "not quite" is pretty important.
HangNine Rating: PDG - Visit the El Toro website for more details.
Jon Deadman
The Sidemen - Go Too Far (Zentral Records)
Who are they? Well, if the sleeve notes are to be believed (and they are rather enigmatic), "There are rumours concerning their obscure Eastern European origin." Suffice to say, The Sidemen are signed to a German lable and have a website with a .de address. It seems that they live on a diet of caffeine and never dress casually, which would account for the rather dapper looking guys dressed in crisp white shirts and skinny black ties, who gaze out rather sinisterly from the back of this nicely packaged CD. So, after all that, what are we expecting The Sidemen to sound like? Theme music for films about rather sinsister caffeine-addicted Eastern European spies, that's what! Guess what, they do! Well, OK, that's a bit of an over-simplification; for one thing, there are covers of Mr Moto, Walk Don't Run and tunes written by Eddie Angel and Bobby Fuller, but there are also versions of John Barry's theme from The Persuaders and Danny Elfman's from Sledge Hammer, which contribute a little to the spy idea.
What's good? Good, strong, original tunes. Good choice of covers. Good sounds. Good shirts and ties.
What's bad? If was being picky, I would be looking for a little more variety in mood, but I'm not being all that picky right now.
HangNine Rating: AB - Visit the Sidemen website for more details.
Jon Deadman
The Plungers - The Band That Time Forgot (No Sweat Records)
Who are they? A seven piece band from Austin, Texas, featuring three guitars, bass, Fender VI (always a good thing), baritone guitar, 12-string guitar, electric sitar and drums. On some tracks the band is augmented with yet more guitars (on Heavy Duty Plunger), lap and pedal steels and percussion: so not the sparsest of sounds, as you might imagine. The sleeve notes proudly proclaim that, "No acoustic guitars or keyboards were used on this recording," although, overall, this is a somewhat less rocking album than all of this might lead you to expect (although they cetainly can rock out when they choose). The album is pretty long, at fifty-five minutes and features twenty-five tunes, including a medley of Astronauts numbers.
What's good? Excellent, accomplished playing by everyone involved.
Some decent tunes.
Fender VI AND baritone guitars!
What's bad? If you like your surf music raw and rocking, some of this album may not be for you.
By and large, us rock'n'roll types should avoid trying to play reggae (The Simple Life), we feel.
HangNine Rating: PDG.
Jon Deadman
Los Tiki Phantoms - Regresa LA Tumba (BCore)
Who are they? A fine rocking instro band from Barcelona (Europe really does have some great bands right now), who appear absolutely terrifying in the leopard skin-trimmed smoking jackets and skull masks, sported on the album sleeve and in their publicity photograph. Unfortunately the press release is in Spanish (or maybe Catalan). this is perfectly reasonable for a band from Barcelona, of course, but it didn't make a whole heap of sense here, so we're unable say too much about the band, although both the Neanderthals and Los Straitjackets get a mention in there somewhere. The press release does categorise the band as Surf/Punk Instrumental, which describes them pretty well.
What's good? Hight energy rock'n'roll playing, tempered by sweeter moments, such as Biarritz and the Sleepwalk-esque Ojos Verdes.
The on-stage-introduction-style opening to the title track (which also features some pretty splendid theremin squeals low in the mix).
A great Spaghetti Western number (for which we are always suckers) in the shape of Saguetti.
The smoking jackets.
The skull masks.
What's bad? Rather than take the traditional route of sending a CD for review purposes, we were given special access to a download of the tracks on the album and the front cover artwork. This is opbviously the twenty-first century way of doing things, but we rather like having real CDs to add to the collection!
Not too much in the way of classic surf guitar tones here, if that bothers you. It doesn't bother us unduly.
HangNine Rating: AB - go to their MySpace stie for more information..
Jon Deadman