Oh! Gunquit - New Album "Lightning Likes Me" & Weirdsville Headline Show on June 24th

Oh! Gunquit have released a new album "Lightning Likes Me" on Decapitator Records, it features four tracks originally released last year on their "Hot Cross Fun" limited edition cassette only E.P. recorded with Jim Diamond and six superb brand new songs. The album also introduces new saxophonist Chuchi who has previously played with King Salami & The Cumberland 3 and I'm sure he's going to add another dimension to the band's already exceptional live shows. The album is packed full of Oh! Gunquit's strongest material to date, so if you are already aware of the band's previous releases then you'll get some idea of just how good this record is. Oh! Gunquit don't just straddle various genres but gleefully kick them to pieces as you might gather by this description from Dirty Water Records, who released the band's debut album: "Oh! Gunquit are a Rumble-Bop, Surf-Punk Band who concoct a brew of Raw R&R, Wild Garage Rock and Twisted Freak-a-Billy" - try finding that in the record store racks! Their blend of eminently danceable swampy, voodoo-touched Exotica will get even us old-timers bouncing around the room. The album is packed full of clever riffs and twists and turns that defy any categorization and the abundant melodies are nicely underpinned by some welcome off-kilter touches that on occasion remind me of Gallon Drunk meeting the B-52's. My personal highlight off the album has to be "Greasy Moves" which distills the essence of Oh! Gunquit into four lip-smackingly lascivious minutes. You can hear another highlight from the album, the stunning "Fireballs" in our Retrosonic Podcast Episode 25 here.

You can order the "Lightning Likes Me" album direct from the Oh! Gunquit Bandcamp site here. One track from the album "Nomads of The Lost" was released as a limited edition green vinyl single on  Trash Wax Records and it's well worth getting from the label here, now enjoy the video!

Oh! Gunquit will headline the always excellent Weirdsville club night at the Fiddler's Elbow in Camden on Saturday June 24th with support from Emptifish and DJ's until 3am. It's sure to be a busy night so better make sure you book your tickets in advance from Weirdsville at the link here.

Oh! Gunquit photographed by Paul Slattery

For more info check out the Oh! Gunquit Facebook page here. Colour photo copyright Paul Slattery.

Oh! Gunquit - "Eat Yuppies and Dance" New Album Out Now on Dirty Water Records + Live at Hipsville & Dirty Water Club

Oh!Gunquit photographed at the Dirty Water Club by Paul Slattery

One of the highlights of the whole Hipsville weekend for me was getting to see Oh! Gunquit again, and this time with their complete line-up. When I first saw them play at one of Mr A’s Weirdsville club nights at the Fiddler's Elbow, which was reviewed on the Blog here, the band started off the gig as just a three piece. Vocalist Tina, Guitarist Simon and Drummer Alex took the stage with Bassist Veronica joining in half way through the set. This time round they had the full complement from the start with Kieran on Sax and I was really looking forward to seeing the band in all their glory. As this year’s Hipsville was “Horror” themed, Oh! Gunquit appeared decked out in Addams Family fancy dress, Tina’s familiar shock of multi-coloured hair was covered by a black Morticia Addams wig and drummer Alex was completely hidden by a long “Cousin It” wig and shades. Simon had spooky white skull-like face paint and Veronica was dressed up as Wednesday Addams which all added to the excellent party atmosphere that is so typical of the Hipsville Weekenders.

Oh! Gunquit at Hipsville - Photo by Steve Worrall

Despite Oh! Gunquit only just releasing their excellent debut album “Eat Yuppies and Dance” on Dirty Water Records, the sets at both Hipsville and the Dirty Water Club gig the following Saturday night, featured quite a few new and as yet unreleased songs. All of them point to an exciting follow-up, particularly "Fireball" with its slinky, sassy Spy movie theme riffing. "Nomads of The Lost" was another number that could easily be in the running as a potential new single, but anyway, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. “Eat Yuppies and Dance” is definitely my favourite album of the year so far, it’s one of those perfectly conceived albums where everything from the cover artwork to the production to the track-listing to the songs themselves are damn well faultless. It’s probably the diversity in the album that is most impressive, something that might not be so apparent from their live show, where it’s probably the colourful full-on visual assault that hits you hardest. However, on the album the songs really come into their own and deliver in impressive style.

Oh! Gunquit photographed at the Dirty Water Club by Paul Slattery

The refreshing thing about Oh! Gunquit is that despite the odd reference points such as The Cramps, The B-52’s or the swampy Voodoo Blues of The Gun Club, these are only fleetingly touched on and then they are gone, nothing is laboured and nothing is predictable. There’s also an extremely danceable edginess to their sound that conjures up early Talking Heads and the lo-fi Post-Punk funk of The Au-Pairs, The Slits and The Raincoats but basically, it all just sounds so incredibly fresh and dynamic. There really is nothing else quite like Oh! Gunquit. The opening song at both shows is a new one "Smiling Snake" that starts off with some great tribal drumming by Alex. Another non-album track "Cindy's Got a Tiger" with it's audience participation hand-clapping makes an appearance too but of course most of the stand-out tracks from "Eat Yuppies..." are all present and correct. "Bad Bad Milk" is a sublime stomper with Simon and Tina sharing lead vocals.

Oh! Gunquit photographed at the Dirty Water Club by Paul Slattery

Tina is all-action, she’s a unique performer and not just because she’s the only person I’ve seen to play the trumpet and hula-hoop at the same time, she also happens to have one of the best voices around. What I really like about the Weirdsville and Hipsville gigs I’ve been to recently is that they often feature bands with a really strong, charismatic female presence. I’m thinking of acts that I’ve seen in the past couple of months such as The Jackets, Autoramas, Kinoco Hotel and Thee Jezebels for example just off the top of my head. There’s a real diversity that reminds me of the early Punk days of The Slits, Poly Styrene, Gaye Advert, Fay Fife and Siouxsie. I love Simon’s trebly, spindly cinematic guitar riffs and there’s a great chemistry between him and Tina particularly when they trade vocals. Kieran’s sax playing, augmented by Tina’s trumpet on a few numbers, adds another dimension, while the rhythm section of Veronica and Alex keep it all rumbling along perfectly.

Tina from Oh! Gunquit photographed at the Dirty Water Club by Paul Slattery

Oh! Gunquit will be appearing at “Stay Sick” in Brighton on Saturday June 13th, for more details please check this link. “Eat Yuppies And Dance” is out on Vinyl, CD or download and is available from the Dirty Water Records store here. Thanks to Paul at Dirty Water Records and to Paul Slattery for the photos. For more photos of Hipsville and the Dirty Water Club gig please head on over to the Retro Man Facebook page and, if you're not already following, hit "Like" and "Get Notifications" for access to the photo albums. There are videos at the Retro Man Blog YouTube Channel too.

Oh! Gunquit photographed at the Dirty Water Club by Paul Slattery

Hipsville Day 1: Les Grys Grys, Kinoco Hotel & Autoramas

Kinoco Hotel by Paul Slattery

Well, I must say that organizers Ade, Mr A, Alex and their team definitely surpassed themselves with this year’s spooktastic Horror themed Hipsville Weekender. We were treated to a wonderful three day event packed full of some stunning international live acts, DJs, Go-Go Dancers and much more besides. Luckily, the sun was out and this added to the cheerful party vibe and ensured that the outdoor activities, such as the vintage car and motorbike show (not to mention the drinking and socialising), could be thoroughly enjoyed in the lovely “Hi-De-Hi” style grounds of Bisley Pavilion.

Autoramas by Paul Slattery

Autoramas by Paul Slattery

Friday night couldn’t have been more International if they’d tried as we were treated to a trip round the globe with the Autoramas from Brazil, Kinoco Hotel from Japan and Les Grys Grys from the South of France. I heard before the show that the Autoramas have had a recent change of personnel, beefing up to a four-piece line-up, but as this was my first time to see them I can’t really say how this compares with what went before. But what I can say is that this new-look Autoramas is absolutely stunning – I mean I have a few of their albums, but nothing really prepared me for the sheer power of their live assault. Charismatic front-man Gabriel has the quiff and the twitchy energy of Joe Strummer and he plays his guitar fuzzed, phased and flanged almost out of recognition, blasting some seriously wired mutant Surf and Rock riffs. 

Autoramas by Paul Slattery

Autoramas by Paul Slattery

Erika, who has recently joined the band, doesn't stand still for a second, one minute she's going through a unique cheerleader routine, then robot dancing and the next she's joining in with the stunning Go-Go dancers Wanda De Lullabies and Dottie Gooseberry, who can't resist the band and leap on stage during "Abstrai" to freak-out in impressive style. Erika's busy, she plays rhythm guitar, keyboards, tambourine and sings too, in brief she's one of the stars of the whole weekend. Later on, well after the band's set she's still dancing away at the merchandise stall! Kicking off with the excellent "Mundo Moderno" then into a new track "Quando a Policia Chegar" which is my highlight of the set, a brilliantly catchy singalong, in fact it's so good they play it again for a well-deserved encore. The rhythm section of Fred and Melvin are pretty damn impressive and "Nada a Ver" is one big bludgeon over the head with an intensity that reminded me of Steve Albini's Big Black. 

Autoramas by Paul Slattery

Unfortunately "Abstrai" is the only track from my favourite album "Música Crocante" so I don't get to hear the rather wonderful "Tudo Bem", which I always felt was a song that the Pixies would have been proud to have written and put on "Doolittle". "Couldn't Care At All" is a rare excursion into English lyrics, it's a head-long piece of prime Power Punk Pop. Some more stand-out tracks for me included "Paciencia", "1,2,3,4" which sounded rather like The B-52's and "Jogos Olimpicos" which is a quirky Devo style instrumental that sees Erika rocking out with her guitar. Three more excellent brand new songs get an airing tonight, the manic Disco beat of "Kung Fu", then there is "O Que Que Você Quer" and "Jet To The Jungle" - all from their forthcoming album "O Futuro dos Autoramas", and yes, I think the future of the Autoramas is looking very bright indeed! 

Kinoco Hotel by Paul Slattery

Kinoco Hotel from Tokyo, were playing their first ever U.K. show with the help of a promising new booking Agency called "Bang The Noise", and what a show it was too! Drummer Fabianne, bassist Julietta and guitarist Isabelle take the stage all dressed in identical military inspired Hotel bell-hop costumes and started off playing an instrumental introduction before the alluring singer, songwriter and organ player Marianne appears and whips the crowd into a frenzy with her thigh-length boots and riding crop. I have not seen so many photographers fighting to get a spot at the front of a stage for ages. Kinoco Hotel play an energetic set crammed full of fuzzed-up organ driven Sixties inspired Garage Rock that goes down really well with the Hipsville crowd. At one point Marianne even gets on top of her organ and poses cat-like for a while and it's certainly a striking image that will live long in the memory! Rock photographer Paul Slattery was impressed to see such a great Japanese band over here as he has worked extensively over in Japan, touring with Stone Roses and Oasis and also working for the Japanese music magazine Rockin' On. Hopefully Bang The Noise Agency can get more talented Japanese bands over here soon. The band will be playing in London on Saturday May 23rd at the Dirty Water Club (the Rhythm Factory) along with the excellent Oh! Gunquit – we’ll be along to that and will be sure to report back on what promises to be another great night out.

Kinoco Hotel by Paul Slattery

Kinoco Hotel by Paul Slattery

Les Grys Grys were much, much better than I expected, they were tight and powerful and blew my head off the moment they took the stage. They had that early, raw Twickenham/Eel Pie Island R’n’B sound down to a tee and having recently seen The Others, local veterans of that original 1960's scene, Les Grys Grys were what I imagined The Others had sounded like back in the day. 

Les Grys Grys by Paul Slattery

Les Grys Grys channel an authentic sound that is far more early Blues and R'n'B based than Garage Rock. There are shades of The Downliners Sect, Pretty Things and The Flamin’ Groovies but it all sounds very fresh and exciting. In fact their opening few minutes were astounding, it sees the Guitarist on stage alone picking out a riff before being joined by the rest of the band and then suddenly kicking into life with a powerful cover of The Kinks' version of "Milk Cow Blues". 

Les Grys Grys by Paul Slattery

It was a raw and aggressive visual assault that reminded me of the very first time I saw The Soundtrack of Our Lives. To be honest, I wasn't aware of many songs in their set but I could pick out "You Said" by The Primitives", "Don't Mistreat Me" by Lightnin' Slim and their excellent State Records single "Hot Gully Wind". They are a great visual band, one minute the guitarist plays guitar with a drum stick and the next he is down playing amongst the crowd. The harmonica playing is also superb throughout and I am determined to find out more about this very promising band. Les Grys Grys have just released a brand new 7" vinyl single and it's out now on Dirty Water Records. 

Les Grys Grys by Paul Slattery

Les Grys Grys by Paul Slattery

With thanks to my Retro Man Blog colleague Paul Slattery for the photographs - Paul has worked with The Cramps, Flamin' Groovies, The Clash, Ramones, The Smiths and many more iconic bands over the years. Thanks to Mr A, Ade, Alex, Paul at Dirty Water Records, Fumie, Grant and Sue.

Les Grys Grys by Paul Slattery

For more photos of the Hipsville Weekend please head on over to the Retro Man Blog Facebook page and if you are not already following, hit "Like" for access to the photo albums. Reports on Day 2 and Day 3 to follow soon...Finally don't forget our Retrosonic Podcast Hipsville Special...

The Dustaphonics: New Album "Big Smoke London Town"

The launch party for Graham Day & The Forefathers new album “Good Things” at 229 The Venue in London on October 31st is shaping up to be one hell of a Halloween night as The Dustaphonics have now been added to the line-up along with The Fallen Leaves. The Dustaphonics actually have a new record of their own to promote too, the fabulous “Big Smoke London Town” has just been released on Dirty Water Records and is fast becoming one of Retro Man Blog’s favourite albums of the year so far. The lead single and title track “Big Smoke London Town” is a perfect example of the delights that can be found within – it’s an evocative tale of late night London with characters inhabiting seedy nightclubs, afterhours drinking dens and Burlesque clubs. The Dustaphonics could be an ultra-cool gang who are just heading out for a night of, quite possibly illicit, entertainment as most of us are crashed out on the last train home. The titles of the band’s debut album “Party Girl” and single “Burlesque Queen” (Also released on Dirty Water Records) hint where the band are coming from and in fact “Burlesque Queen” was co-written with chesty cult movie star Tura Satana who appeared as the high kicking heroine in Russ Meyer’s trashy 60’s underground classic “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” 

The Dustaphonics - Photo copyright Zig Criscuolo 2014

After various line-up changes The Dustaphonics are now based around guitarist, songwriter, promoter and DJ, Yvan Serrano–Fontova and the stunning flame haired vocalist Hayley Red with a revolving rhythm section of Eric Frajria or Bruce Brand on drums and Dan Whaley or Devid Dell'Aiera on bass. The band are just one big joyful celebration of an eclectic mix of 1950s Rock 'n' Roll, Garage Rock, Soul, Blues and instrumental Surf music, they are equally at home playing a Rock Club or The Jazz Café and have a celebrity fan and occasional lead vocalist in the shape of The Blues Brothers Dan “Elwood” Aykroyd. “Big Smoke London Town”, the album, starts of with a killer trio of up-tempo floor-shakers that will have you up out of your seat as soon as the first chord strikes up, “The Message”, “When You Gonna Learn?” and the title track are all instantly addictive with memorable hooks in abundance. The swinging rhythm section and Yvan’s equally rhythmic scratchy Lo-Fi guitar lay down a hip-shaking groove that allows Hayley’s vocals to shine throughout the album. Suddenly, there’s a brief revving up of engines and it’s into “Grand Prix” which is an effective Dick Dale style Surf instrumental. “Ride On Louisiana Red” is a steamy slice of swampy Blues which is followed by the fat twanging guitar riff intro of the excellent “Rockin’ Boogaloo”. 

Hayley Red & Yvan - Photo Copyright Zig Criscuolo 2014

“Back To Mono” shows that the band can switch easily to great Go-Go’s style guitar pop before spinning out another instrumental “Fire Dance”, with its ominous Link Wray American Indian riffing, reminiscent of “Comanche!”. Next up is one of the album’s highlights “Mojo Yar Bones” with its great sing-along chorus and melodic backing vocals; it’d make a great follow-up single. The last track comes as a surprising but ultimately satisfying twist in the shape of “Flesh & Blood” which calms everything down. It’s the quiet reflective glass of whisky at the end of a full-on night of partying. The song is built solely around a simple repetitive, almost flamenco guitar motif over which Hayley’s sultry vocals float seductively, it’s a perfect ending to a pretty much perfect album.

The Dustaphonics - Photo Copyright Zig Criscuolo 2014

You can order the album “Big Smoke London Town” from the Dirty Water Records on-line store or of course pick up a copy at 229 The Venue on October 31st. For more news on The Dustaphonics including upcoming gigs and tour dates then please check out their Facebook page here. With many thanks to Paul Manchester at Dirty Water Records and to Zig Criscuolo from The WitchDoktors for the excellent photographs. Here's the great video for "Big Smoke London Town".