Psychobilly Forum ~ View topic - Koffin Kats/Hyperjax and more, Manchester 28/06/2010

Back to Manchester again then - I can't seem to stay away.

Given the crossover appeal the Koffin Kats have between the (horror) punk and psychobilly scenes, it was a smart move to put together a bill which had something on it to appeal to fans of both.

First up were Blackpool all-girl horror punks Pink Hearse. A band I have seen many times before and they have never really grabbed me, but they did a good set, most of the action thanks to their singer, as the rest of the band seemed to prefer standing around not being very lively. If you like X-Ray Spex and Siouxsie and the Banshees, you'd probably enjoy these.

Zombina and the Skeletones are another band I've previously struggled to find enthusiasm for. I've caught a few of their gigs and it always seems to be a case of play a song, dick around tuning instruments and fixing equipment for five minutes, play another song, and so on. That said, I thought they were pretty great this time around - perhaps mindful of the other bands on the bill they stuck to their faster, punkier songs, rather than the sax-heavy, jazzier stuff. And kept the dicking about to a minimum. Although did they ever actually play that theramin, or was it just there for effect?

The main draw for a lot of people seemed to be a home-town show for The Hyperjax, and the crowd weren't disappointed. Not got a lot to say here, except that the boys delivered a great set, all the old favourites present and accounted for, a good little wreck to Happy Pilz (sorry to Sam for knocking his mic stand flying, hardly room to swing a cat in there!), and the new songs sounding excellent (lots of people shouting for 'Whatever Happened to the Krewmen?' already).

So, the Koffin Kats. You can find my review from the last time I saw them (almost a year ago) elsewhere on this board, but to summarise, I thought there was too much wanking about and not enough actual songs in the middle of their recreation of Guitar Hero: Psychobilly Edition.

That was then. This is now. Vic still fronts the band, although Tommy Koffin has left for health reasons I believe. The dynamic of the group has changed and what I saw last night was mercifully short on extended guitar or bass solos - faster, punkier, more aggressive, more about rockin' than rockin' out.

I went to give them a second chance, and I was pleasantly surprised, After a lengthy, sweat-soaked set they departed only to be demanded back for a three-song encore (a far cry from last year's Sheffield show, when all but a few of the crowd had left by the end!).

So, while they might not be to everyone's taste, they put on a good show, they have the songs to back up the bass-clambering antics and I can confirm, as everyone who has met them has said, they are pretty good guys to boot.

Another excellent night out in Manchester, well done to Mr Liam Revenge once again, here's hoping the next one won't be too long to wait.

Praise also to the DJ for the choice selection of tunes afterwards, was worth sticking around for (Dead Boys? Yes please).

I apologise to no-one for my dancing.

Good night. I managed to have a few drinks this time around as my wife came along to the show, there's a first (and last) time for everything!

Quite enjoyed Pink Hearse, singer's got a set of lungs on her. And I do mean 'lungs' Hotrod... Perhaps because she was belting out the vocals I felt that they were far too low in the mix for the next two bands, could hardly hear a word of the Zombina and Hyperjax sets. That said I really enjoyed Zombina and the Skeletones, but unlike Andy I've got no prior knowledge to compare this too.

Hyperjax were excellent. Particularly liked the bit where Liam lifted up his bass and got the endpin stuck in some overhead cabling! Laughing

Coffin Kats aren't my thing at all. I just find all of their material sounds too similar.

Cheers to Liam for another excellent night. If the Retro Bar becomes his regular venue for BFTG then that sound needs sorting!

Good reviews and thank you for sharing. Sounds like it was a success

Wreckmaster Joined: 30 Jun 2008 Posts: 1634