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Review: 'Real Kids,The , Atomic Suplex, Scraps'
'Live at Nambucca, Holloway Road London'   


-  Genre: 'Punk/New Wave' -  Release Date: '29.6.16.'

Our Rating:
Yes you are reading that correctly The Real Kids actually came over and played on the Holloway road for the band's first ever London show since they formed back in 1972! Yes after a mere 44 year history that includes most of the original members dying and all sorts of drug issues John Felice has finally brought the current line-up of The Real Kids over for a European tour to help promote the bands second studio album Shake...Outta Control. That came out in 2014 yes they have put out 2 studio albums in 44 years giving Television a run for their money in the productivity stakes.

So first on were Scraps who I wanted to see again with the hope that they would be less scrappy than the last time I saw them opening for the Parkinsons whose singer Al Zheimer is on the wheels of what tonight. Well Scraps opened with a very tight and taut instrumental to get the pace going. That was followed by a really cool almost Wire like song that had a chorus with lots of Don't you Tell me in it, sorry I don't know the song titles.

The three piece seemed a lot more together than last time and as the singer sang/shouted that we should Shut Up he needn't have worried as most of us had and were listening. They played fast and frantic for most of the set. Haunted sounded really good and the paranoia of Someone's watching Me worked really well with some good fractured guitar.

No matter how many times they sang that they wanted to Fuck You Up it didn't sound like it was going to be with violence. As the set went on they seemed to get looser and slightly less together so that I think they should have finished a couple of songs sooner and the final pair the song with loads of Hey Hey Hey's and I'll Stand By You were really a bit too messy. But they are well worth catching live.

Next on were Atomic Suplex who I have been meaning to see for a while and now having seen them I'm not so sure I needed to see them, They are an odd band but then the singer and lead guitarist plays wearing a crash helmet and bike goggles with a microphone attached to the helmet as well as a leather jacket and splayed legs stance like an Alvin Stardust tribute gone wrong. They also have a honking sax player but for most of the set they had all sorts of sound issues with feedback drowning any actual songs they had.

No amount of attitude as you introduce a song as being I'm A dick was gonna help them as it was frantic and messy as can be. They appeared to have about 5 songs with Rock & roll in the title as if that's enough, personally for me on the night it wasn't, as they sort of became annoying and forgettable at the same time. The song that I think might be called Rock & Roll Asshole sort of summed them up as all the prancing and madness they tried to conjure up just made the singer seem like a bit of an asshole. Sorry I just didn't get it or what the fuss is about Atomic Suplex.

Still I was really only here to see The Real Kids and just finally getting to see Hippy Johnny in the flesh still standing all these years after Johnathon Richman wrote I'm Straight in about 1972 about how jealous he was that Hippy Johnny who was always stoned and never straight got all the girls and yes the versions that feature John Felice has Johnathon singing about Hippy Ernie but well it soon became Hippy Johnny and now finally Johnny is straight enough to make it through customs and come and play for us.

Yes the band all look like they have lived the Rock & Roll lifestyle and John Felice is sporting a t-shirt for The Methadones as they crank up the sound and launch into the opening number all about being on The Street Tonight well yes they are indeed and damn they sound great as the guitars mesh and they sound great.

Bad To Worse sounded great and had a great solo in it from John Felice who thankfully can still play a mean guitar and sounded great as he went on about being back ion his feet again. She Don't Take it sounded pretty great all bruised emotions and stellar guitar action.

Do The Boob was the first of the "hits" to get almost everyone singing along to it and I'm sure one or two people had some sort of dance moves to go with the chorus! Who Needs You had just enough spite in the lyrics, about the love that has left, to make it really work quite brilliantly. I think John introduced the song about Believing in what you believe in as the new song that still hasn't been recorded. It keeps to the power pop punk template with great lyrics as you'd expect it too.

Shake Outta Control sounded great and had many of us shaking and grinding and getting totally into the magic of Billy Cole on the other guitar. They then slowed things down to a properly opiated pace for a great version of Fly Into The Mystery the old Modern Lovers classic it was wonderfully downbeat.

I think they then played Tell Me What You Want Me To do but as ever my notes are a mess either way that led into All Kindsa Girls that caused a mass mosh pit to open up as the place went totally mad complete with stage divers crowd surfers and everyone screaming the chorus back at the band as they brought a great set to a close.

Of course they came back for an encore and from the opening bars of Solid Gold that Mosh pit went crazy again it was a total riot with some mad crowd surfing as the band looked on in some sort of shock at the reaction and it only got more insane on the show closing Reggae Reggae that saw some of the audience commandeering the microphones during the instrumental break to continue singing the chorus while the crowd surfing and stage diving continued to get madder and madder a brilliant end to a great show from a band I really thought I'd never get to see play.



  author: simonovitch

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