I wasn't about to cry over missing the first half of the first act's acoustic rock set, but their cover of Michael Jackson's 'Man in the Mirror' almost brought tears to my eyes. Still it was nothing compared to the cock-rock fiasco that was Raw Deal. Imagine Motley Crue fronted by a roly-poly midget woman with big lungs... you're on the right track. The two guitarists throw all the well-worn postures, synchronised boogying, shouting backing vocals into the same mic together and the like. The reception they receive from the sizeable audience - notable for its proliferation of back-combed hairdos, waistcoats, skinny jeans and Def Leppard T-shirts - is enthusiastic, and they're probably the kind of band you might get excited about if you like old-school hair rock. And are deaf. And blind.
I had checked out Baby Godzilla on MySpace during the afternoon before the show and thought they sounded promising. Live, the studio recordings truly explode, burning with raw power and barely contained energy. The audience might have thinned out, but it doesn't deter these guys, and really, it's their loss. Baby Godzilla really put the 'psycho' into psychobilly, cranking out their brand of swaggering, ballsy 'Post-Hardcore Blues' with an exhilarating intensity. Matt leaps around the stage like a maniac, while drummer Tom vacates the drum kit and takes one of the cymbals on a deranged wander round the stage. The set ends in carnage, instruments wailing feedback on the stage floor, a bent cymbal and broken cymbal stand in the front row. A belting performance, and 98 Pages have got a tough act to follow.
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It's probably about two years since I last saw 98 Pages play, and since then the band have been mostly on the road, and they've really honed their heavy whiskey-soaked garage blues rock. Tonight's set is lean, mean and muscular. Pages are tight and loud and deliver a selection of tracks from last year's debut album 'Broken Homes and the Halfway House' in style. What makes 98 Pages cool is the fact they don't look like they're trying too hard, the stomping raggedy riffs flowing naturally. Maximum r'n'r, maximum entertainment.
http://www.myspace.com/98pageslive
http://www.myspace.com/baby-godzilla
http://www.myspace.com/rawdealmusic
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