The Rezillos not only rolled away the years they positively ripped them up and kicked the backside out of them. Bursting with energy from the off, they slammed straight into "Destination Venus" closely followed by "Flying Saucer Attack". The crowd went wild and there was no let up from there, "Mystery Action" then the superb "Getting Me Down" kept up the pace. Time has looked down kindly on The Rezillos, Eugene's quiff was intact and Faye danced and bounced around the stage like I remember from their Top Of The Pops and The Old Grey Whistle Test appearances back in the day. It's hard to imagine it's over 30 years since the release of their one and only album "Can't Stand The Rezillos" which certainly must rank amongst the top ten best Punk and New Wave debut albums off all time. With its' super powerful production, razor sharp guitars, inventive bass runs and the shared boy/girl vocals, it was a colourful and upbeat sci-fi bubblegum classic.
The humourous and irrereverent choice of cover versions such as Gerry & The Pacemakers "I Like It" and The Dave Clarke Five's thumping "Glad All Over" also helped to set them apart from some of their more earnest Punk contemporaries. Tonight it's a short but perfectly formed set taking in most of the album along with the new single, "Out of This World", and two excellent new songs that did not detract from the flow of the set in the slightest. In fact one of them "So Deep", was easily on a par with their much loved classics and I am sure will grow into a real crowd favourite. It also points the way to the highly anticipated hope of a new album.
Although Faye and Eugene are the main focal points, new guitarist Jim Brady seems to have fitted in extremely well, the chemistry between him and the two vocalists was excellent and he has already built up a rapport with the audience, so much so that you would think he was one of the original members. He took to the task with a refreshing enthusiasm and matched Faye and Eugene with his energetic guitar theatrics. The rhythm section of drummer Angel Patterson and Bassist Chris Agnew, whilst remaining in the background somewhat, certainly played their part in ensuring the songs were driven along at a breakneck speed and reminded me that The Rezillos were always one of those bands that you just have to dance to, it's an involuntary reaction. Well, when I say dance, in my case that would mean stop everything and jump around the room like a lunatic. They played another of their unexpected cover versions in the shape of "River Deep Mountain High" and closed the main set with an awesome version of "Can't Stand My Baby". The band are called back for an encore that culminates in an extremely boisterous "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight" and the crowd are left as satisfied and happy as the band appeared to be. So a hugely entertaining gig and I seriously hope this is a more permanent line-up with a future of many more excellent live shows to come, and please...a brand new album very shortly!
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All photos and video of The Rezillos at The Camden Underworld by Steve Worrall
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