The WitchDoktors & The Phobics live at The 100 Club London Friday May 09th

The WitchDoktors at The 100 Club - Photo by Steve Worrall

Two of Retro Man Blog's favourite bands, The WitchDoktors and The Phobics, appeared together at the legendary 100 Club last Friday as part of The Bermondsey Joyriders launch party to celebrate the release of their new album "Flamboyant Thugs". DJ Jeff Munday warmed things up perfectly with a stomping collection of 70's Glam, Stooges and early Punk from both sides of the Atlantic and he even slipped in a track from The Fallen Leaves for good measure...! After a brief and humorous dance routine from The Action Men, who I was surprised to notice included an ex-guitarist from King Salami & The Cumberland 3 (more of them later...) it was time for The WitchDoktors.

Andy Last of The WitchDoktors - Photo by Steve Worrall

The band launch straight into "Movie Star" the opening track from their superb "$3 Hooker" album, and despite the early hour, the crowd get into it straight away. Name-checking lots of iconic stars of the golden age of cinema and with it's "I just wanna live like a movie star..." chorus, this song is a perfect calling card for the band. They are steeped in the classic Rock 'n' Roll traditions and imagery of Americana, with their uniform of cool bowling shirts, they look like a good time, hard partying gang, Bassist Zig, Guitarist Tony, drummer Joe and Singer/Guitarist Andy, all unashamedly throwing poses and shapes but always with a wry smile. They mix up Clash style Punk Rock, raw Rockabilly and sleazy Garage Rock all crushed up with a twist of voodoo and a good measure of Jack Daniels.

Tony, Joe and Andy of The WitchDoktors - Photo by Steve Worrall

Two new songs follow, "Tie Me Up" and the supercharged "No Pain No Gain" which are both excellent and promise that more good things will come to those of us that wait (somewhat impatiently...) for a new album. A crunching version of "I'm Sick", where guitarist Tony shows off his considerable skills on the harmonica, is followed by the Johnny Cash influenced "Big Black Sack" which half-way through morphs nicely into a cover of "Guns of Brixton". The infectiously catchy "Knock Me Back" is quickly followed by a raucous "Neck Tattoo" and it's clear that most of The WitchDoktors songs could be released as stand-alone singles in their own right they are so good. The too-short set draws to a close with "Common Prayer (For A Working Man)", Zig jumps off one side of the stage and disappears into the crowd still playing. Then suddenly from the other side day-glo Punk legend Spizz appears after a bit of seamless swapping of the bass and manages to keep up quite admirably for a few bars. Then Zig takes over again and normal service is resumed! The WitchDoktors are quite simply one of the most phenomenal live acts out there!

The WitchDoktors - Photo by Steve Worrall

Joe & Zig of The WitchDoktors - Photo by Steve Worrall

The Phobics were next up and they treated us to some prime South London meets downtown Manhattan Punk Rock. Most of tonight's tracks were taken from their excellent "Deptford Calling" album with the highlights for me being "Split Personality", "One Girl" (probably the best song the Ramones forgot to write) and "No Faith" with it's New York nihilism "drop the bomb, annihilate us all..." refrain and Johnny Thunders riffing. Vocalist Tom, with his slicked back hair, prowls the stage whilstnext to him bassist Moyney, head down is a picture of concentration, ripped jeans and low slung bass. There's a nice bit of tension fizzing around the band as the rhythm guitarist seems hell bent on winding up his band-mates but he does add a nice bit of aggression and unpredictability to proceedings, no bad thing in my book...Check out The Phobics if you get chance, they are one of the best Punk Rock bands on the circuit at the moment and well worth seeing play live.

The Phobics at The 100 Club - Photo by Steve Worrall

The WitchDoktors will be appearing at our Retro Man Blog Night at the Half Moon Putney on Friday July 18th along with King Salami & The Cumberland 3 and The SuperMinx'70, which is shaping up to be a great night out. You can hear tracks by all three bands, and The Phobics, in various episodes of Retrosonic Podcast, have a rummage round the archive.

  For cheap advance tickets and info on the July 18th gig please visit the Half Moon event page here.

 

DJ Jeff Munday - Photo by Steve Worrall

The WitchDoktors - Photo by Steve Worrall

WitchDoktors guitarist Tony Major by Steve Worrall

The Phobics - Photo by Steve Worrall

For more photos of the gig at the 100 Club, please head on over to the Retro Man Blog Facebook page and hit "Like" for access to the photo album.

A Musical Celebration of Jeff Munday's Birthday: Featuring The Fallen Leaves, The Past Tense, The Legendary Groovymen and The SuperMinx '70

Jeff Munday "guesting" with The Fallen Leaves - Photo by Steve Worrall

DJ and dapper Man-about-town, "Chelsea Jeff" Munday, celebrated his birthday in style last week at the William Morris in South Wimbledon with a great line-up of bands that bore close resemblance to the last Retro Man Blog Night at the Half Moon in Putney. The evening kicked off with The Past Tense, who played their danceable little garage pop nuggets to perfection. Drummer Warren Samuels and bassist Ken Halsey are getting a reputation as the best rhythm section on the circuit, and tonight Warren had the crowd's mouths agape at one particular point in proceedings with some tremendous drumming. They ended on the Quadrophenia tribute "Jimmy's Love Song" from their excellent debut album "Take Three" and singer and guitarist Andy Norrie-Rolfe performed a perfect Pete Townshend leap to round it all off, captured here by Paul Slattery...

Andy takes off! The Past Tense by Paul Slattery

Next up were The Legendary Groovymen, who are one of those perfect party bands, with their mix of catchy originals and a choice selection of cover versions including songs from The Jam, The Strangeloves and a cheery "You Need Wheels" by local heroes The Merton Parkas.

The Legendary Groovymen - Photo by Paul Slattery

It was my first time to see The SuperMinx '70 and they were a pleasant surprise - off stage I'd always seen singer and guitarist Paul Osborn dressed to the nines, perfectly suited and booted, so I was expecting their sound to be more of the Mod persuasion. However, the band are refreshingly different - on stage Paul was more casual - wearing a Mott The Hoople T-Shirt that gives a slight clue to their sound. They play brash South London street-tough tunes nicely augmented by Sax and Trumpet. There's hints of the rougher bovver-boot end of British Glam Rock such as The Hollywood Brats and Jook.  If you've ever heard the early demos of the Sex Pistols where Glen Matlock plays his melodic bass lines then you might get an idea where SuperMinx are coming from. Paul's a great singer and his lyrics are also original and amusing. Unfortunately, the band have not yet been in the studio, but I am eagerly awaiting their first recordings and look forward to seeing the band again.

The SuperMinx '70 - Photo by Paul Slattery

The Fallen Leaves close the show with their usual brilliant set, I've already waxed lyrical about The Leaves so many times on the Blog, but they really are the best band out there playing now. Tonight they wow the crowd with their Punk Rock for Gentlemen! Jeff Munday gets the ultimate birthday present, he gets to join in on backing vocals on "Trouble"...money can't buy a gift like that!

The Fallen Leaves - Photo by Steve Worrall

In the audience were spotted members of The Aadvarks, The Onlookers and The Transients and Ray Gange, star of the Clash's "Rude Boy" movie, was also there. So, a great night of music in celebration of Jeff Munday's birthday, brilliantly organised by Paul Osborn, Paul Philips and Tony Holton. Cheers Jeff! Here are a few more photos from the evening.

The Past Tense - Photo by Steve Worrall

The Legendary Groovymen - Photo by Steve Worrall

The SuperMinx '70 - Photo by Steve Worrall

Rob Green of The Fallen Leaves - Photo by Steve Worrall

Bill Lewington & Matthew Karas of The Fallen Leaves - by Steve Worrall

Rob Green of The Fallen Leaves - by Steve Worrall

Rob Symmons of The Fallen Leaves - by Steve Worrall

Birthday Boy Jeff Munday with Rock Photographer Paul Slattery - by Steve Worrall

Thanks and "hello" to all the bands, Jeff, Paul Osborn, Paul Philips, Tony Holton, Paul Slattery, Andy Norrie-Rolfe, Les, Albert, Emer, Adam, Ray Gange and Mark Leech.

Retro Man Blog night with The Len Price 3, The Past Tense, The Fallen Leaves and The Legendary Groovymen at The Half Moon Putney December 07th

The Len Price 3 (and friends...) - Photo by Anders Magnusson

December 07th was my fourth Retro Man Blog night at The Half Moon in Putney and it proved to be the best one yet, so I'd really like to thank all of you that braved the cold and came along. We got in close to 200 people in the end so it was a fantastic turn-out, and me and all the bands really appreciate the support. I make no apologies for my insistence on putting on gigs for my two favourites - the night's headliners and the best live band in the U.K. - The Len Price 3 and the fantastic Past Tense. Even though, having worked with them so much over the past year a friend inadvertently asked "so when is your next gig for The Ten Past Three?".

The Legendary Groovymen by Steve Worrall

This time round we added the superb Fallen Leaves to the bill, along with The Legendary Groovymen and DJ Jeff Munday, for a packed night of raucous entertainment that would end up in a joyful stage invasion. Actually, this is something that seems to be a common theme at the Retro Man Blog nights as we had a stage invasion at the recent joint Retro Man/Podrophenia/Southend Punk night for the legendary voice of The Adverts, TV Smith, at The Railway in Southend. Although that one did include a bit of near-lethal stage-diving too, something TV said was extremely rare for him at his solo acoustic shows! Anyway, back to last Friday and kicking off the proceedings were The Legendary Groovymen, who proved a perfectly enjoyable warm up act with their run through of a mix of some choice cover versions and original numbers that set the good natured tone for the rest of the night to follow. Next up were The Fallen Leaves who were a revelation, I'd never seen the band live before so it was a treat to be able to get down the front and enjoy their set.

Rob Symmons of The Fallen Leaves by Paul Slattery

They open with "Did You See Her" and then into "Passing By" from their exceptional new album "If Only We'd Know". Guitarist Rob Symmons, one of the original members of Subway Sect, attacks his guitar sometimes quite literally, banging the body and strings to produce a taut Garage Rock sound full of splintered and jagged riffs. Vocalist Rob Green, resplendent in tweed jacket and cravat, looks the quintessential English gentlemen, "We play simple songs for complex people" he announces at one point. "Is She Somewhere?" from the album "That's Right" is followed by two more new songs, the sinister "I Made a Mistake" and the night's highlight "Against The Grain" which is a hook laden delight. During "Shining" from the "It's Too Late" album, singer Rob takes off his jacket to reveal a fetching waistcoat complete with pocket-watch on a chain. He then suddenly produces a thermos flask and pours himself a cup of tea, it's a nice, amusing piece of theatre. "Revenge" is followed by The Fallen Leaves last number of the night "Trouble" and then they finish to a great reception from the crowd.

Rob Green of The Fallen Leaves, sponsored by PG Tips by Steve Worrall

Next up it's The Past Tense and they nailed it tonight with the best performance I've seen from the band yet. Starting with the fantastic "Lost Without Your Love", they power through their tight, perfectly formed little nuggets such as "Poison Arrow" and "My Baby". They play a catchy new song called "Remember The Days", and follow that with even more great songs, "Angel Face", "The Optimist" and the classic "The Wolfman". The band end on "Jimmy's Love Song", a tribute to Quadrophenia, with it's urgent, strummed guitar intro it really raised the temperature. They got a well deserved encore too and treated us to "Out Of My Mind" before disappearing to wild applause.

The Past Tense by Paul Slattery

There's a real buzz around the venue as The Len Price 3 take the stage and it's like 0-100MPH in the beat of a drum as they slam straight into "Words Won't Come" and the catchy "You Tell Lies". They play a promising new song "My Grandad Jim", before revisiting their debut album to treat us to some rarely played oldies such as "Amsterdam" and "Hard Times Forever".

Glenn Page of The Len Price 3 by Paul Slattery

Then it's the unbelievably catchy "With Your Love" followed by the first single "Christian In The Desert" and the awesome crowd favourite "Rentacrowd". "The Girl Who Became A Machine" gives way to another new song "Praying Mantis" which will hopefully feature on their long awaited fourth album due to be released in 2013. The classics keep on coming, "After You're Gone", "Pictures", "Girl Like You" and another rarely played number "Sailor's Sweetheart". The band end the set with a raucous "Chinese Burn" before being urged back for a well deserved encore. They kick off again with a version of Link Wray's Surf classic "Comanche!" a cover that they have pretty much made their own. The fact that it is virtually instrumental gives lead vocalist and guitarist Glenn Page an opportunity to leap into the crowd without missing a strum.

Steve Huggins of The Len Price 3 by Paul Slattery

He makes it back on stage for that perfect piece of Kinks style pop "Mr. Grey" before powering through "If I Ain't Got You", "If You Live Round Here" and "Chatham Town Spawns Devils". Then Glenn invites the crowd to join him on stage and a fair few take him up on the offer for the traditional closing singalong "Shirley Crabtree". Then as the chants of "Easy, Easy" die down it's all over and a thoroughly satisfied crowd applauded what must go down as one of The Len Price 3's best performances yet. We have been honoured with two excellent reviews, a nice one from David Chandler on The Afterword web-site and then Adrian Ainsworth really captures the atmosphere brilliantly on his Specs Blog: "For this crowd, the 'Scene' has always been here. It was a joyful sight to see the sharp attire, the men were decked out in hooped shirts, flat caps, and shirts so floral they actually started photosynthesising - while the women, as usual, looked even better in short pinafore dresses and flats and, frankly, the willingness to simultaneously pogo and give the bands the finger as a sign of affection. Almost as if we'd put some hippies and punks in a blender - perhaps that's how this music can sound aggressive but feel inclusive: good, fast times." Well said Adrian! Everyone then moved into the main bar where DJ Jeff Munday, played a great selection of tunes that had people dancing away until closing time at 1am. So, again I'd like to thank the great crowd, Jeff Munday and all the bands and I would also like to thank Carrie at the Half Moon and her great staff for the work they put in, not just at the Pub and Venue itself, but also behind the scenes in helping to promote the shows.

Neil Fromow of The Len Price 3 by Paul Slattery

My thanks also to Paul Slattery and Anders Magnusson, for contributing the excellent photographs. All photographs strictly copyright as credited. Also thanks to David Chandler and Adrian Ainsworth for their great reviews. Here's some more shots from the night...

The Legendary Groovymen - Photo by Steve Worrall

The Fallen Leaves - Photo by Anders Magnusson

The Fallen Leaves - Photo by Steve Worrall

Rob Green The Fallen Leaves by Paul Slattery

Ken of The Past Tense by Paul Slattery

Warren of The Past Tense by Paul Slattery

Andy of The Past Tense in full flight by Paul Slattery

Glenn of The Len Price 3 by Anders Magnusson

The Len Price 3 by Paul Slattery

Neil of The Len Price 3 by Anders Magnusson

The lovely Half Moon Crowd by Steve Worrall

DJ Jeff Munday Photo by Steve Worrall

 Here's a Playlist of some exclusive live videos of the gig, more can be found at the Retro Man Blog YouTube Channel.