Amy Catches up with Dave Diamond from The Voo-Dooms & The Primitive Club

The Voo-Dooms - Photo by Grant Unstead

Amy caught up with Dave Prince (aka Dave Diamond), drummer with The Voo-Dooms to find out more on the band and the growing success of their Primitive Club nights.

Q: Tell me about The Trash-O-Men and The Primitive Club! How did you get started?

A: Since 2016 I had been discussing with my wife Susie about opening my own 1950's/1960's club night to showcase bands that have either not played London for some time, or for an exclusive show with two DJs playing records to keep everyone dancing to the early hours! We had already been looking at Clapham Junction as a possible location in those early days and around West London too, then the following year we started to consider The Dublin Castle or The Fidler's Elbow in Camden. At the tail end of 2017 I really started looking at putting on a club once again and started to realise that this project was not something that I could do on my own; it was around this time that myself and my best mate Mike were starting to form The Voo-Dooms and after going over the idea with him, we decided to join forces and run a 1960's beat, garage and twist night.

Dave Diamond, Eric Baconstrip & Bruce Brand - Photo by Susie Prince

Dave & Mick, The Trash-0-Men - Photo by Susie Prince

The Primitive Club name is from my style of drumming and the old drums that I collect and Mike came up with the pseudonym The Trash~O~Men to use when we are putting on the event nights. I then decided to bite the bullet and contacted The Fiddlers Elbow in Camden in 2018 and booked three dates for 2019. For our opening night on 17th August 2019 we wanted to go for an explosive headliner; King Salami & The Cumberland Three. Then we chose The Hurricanes, an exclusive band to play London for the first time, and as our band The Voo-Dooms were now up and running, it was a natural choice to have us as openers for our debut night. We used a We-Got-Tickets advanced ticket booking link and sold 80 tickets and then on the day over 70 more which made the night a sell out with some coming as far as Germany and France just for the night! The first 25 through the door got a free limited edition Primitive club badge and the place was buzzing for the whole night. All three bands were amazing and the finale was King Salami & Cumberland Three ending with their version of "Tainted Love" which sent the audience into raptures. It was so fab to see Bruce 'Bash' Brand and Eric Baconstrip DJing together for the first time in over 15 years and CK Smith spinning some fab tunes til 2am! The night was captured by our official photographer Jeff Pitcher and at the end of the night the 100 leaflets we had printed to advertise our next event in November had all gone!

The Masonics - Photo by Sara Louise Bowrey

The King & The Prince - Photo by Susie Prince

For The Primitive Club #2 on November 2nd we booked The Masonics as our headliners with Ludella Black, and for our support we chose Thee Girl Fridays for their debut London Show. I had been speaking to the band at Beatwave in 2018 and said how fabulous they were and that they had to play London soon, so it was ironic when I messaged them the following year to book the band for The Primitive Club! Then we had our resident band The Voo-Dooms to kick off the night and DJs Lee 'Grimmers' Grimshaw from the Spinout Show and CK Smith to end the night playing back to back top tunes. Due to the huge success of the opening night we booked Steven Tagg Randall from The Archivist of London to capture everything on video and Sara Louise Bowrey as our official photographer. It was so amazing to see people coming through the door right when we opened at 7:30pm, and by the time The Voo-Dooms kicked off the night there were already nearly 100 in attendance. Once again all three bands stormed it with Thee Girl Fridays throwing big knickers into the audience and The Masonics with Ludella Black crowning yet another very successful high octane night! The Primitive Club #3 we billed as The Leap Year Twist Night; we had 80's garage legends The X-Men headlining, The Go-Go Cult and The Voo-Dooms and our DJs were Lee Grimshaw and Bruce 'Bash' Brand. There was a real buzz in the audience once again and this time many 80's legends had turned up on the night, including Nick Garrard (The Meteors manager), Mike Spencer (The Cannibals), Bal Croce (The Sting-Rays), and Miles, the original X-Men guitarist. Yet another electrifying night with all the bands receiving an encore and playing their socks off! At the end of the night Bal joined The X-Men on stage for an impromtu version of the Kenny and the Kasuals track "Come On"; the crowd went wild jumping and twisting! It was an amazing experience and such a phenomenal end to yet another fab night at The Primitive Club.

The Primitive Club - Photo by Jeff Pitcher

Q: You've played host to a diverse range of bands and DJ's - what kind of audience are coming to your gigs?

A: So far we've had a very diverse audience, with Beatsters, Twisters, Rock 'n' Rollers, Surf lovers, 60's Groovers, Hipsters, music lovers, Garage, Trash and European music lovers from France, Spain and Germany. Even some original musicians from the 80's have turned up to all three gigs so far which has been amazing to see. Also, it has been great to see all the bands after their show staying and watching the other bands, chatting to everyone who has attended the night and then dancing the night away once the DJs start spinning their tunes! Obviously, current events are making things very tough for promoters.

Q: What do you hope to return with when the lockdown restrictions are lifted? 

A: All being well our future nights will be:

1st August: our debut Primitive Bop #1 with headliners Carlos & The Bandidos, The Danny McVey Trio with Lil Di and Demon Barber DJs.

22nd August Primitive #5 with The No-Things (exclusive London show), Paul Groovy & The Pop Art Experience (Exclusive first London show since 1986!) & The Voo- Dooms.

21st November Primitive #6 with The Wildebeests (exclusive London show) and Kings of Hong Kong (Exclusive London show) and The Voo-Dooms...and then we will be looking at dates for 2021!

Unfortunately, due to the current Corona Virus situation, we have had to CANCEL the 30th May: Primitive #4 with The Courettes.

King Salami & The Cumberland 3 - Photo by Jeff Pitcher

Q: And while we're here, what's the latest from the wonderful world of The Voo- Dooms?

Dan Whaley (Dustaphonics, Charles Napiers, Shockwaves etc.) has joined the band on lead guitar this year and we have just finished recording six original tracks at Jim Riley's Ranscombe Studios that are due for release on Lee Grimshaw's Spinout Nuggets label in June, and then we are really looking forward to our next gig and playing live once again. Stay safe everyone, thank you to all the bands, DJs, Primitive Club team and to everyone for all the support during the past year and remember Trashin' n' Twistin' in London town at The Primitive Club - stay tuned folks! 

- Amy K-B, May 2020

Primitive Club signed poster

Photographers: Grant Unstead, Jeff Pitcher, Sara Louise Bowrey & Susie Prince. For further information on The Voo-Dooms you can check out their official Facebook site here, and to keep up to date on the Primitive Club please check out the site here. Please also do take the time to click on the highlighted links above to support the featured bands, photographers and labels etc.

Retrosonic Podcast Episode 36 "I've Got Some Action To Give For Free"

Retrosonic Podcast Episode 36 is out now - We're not all retro at Retrosonic...in this episode we feature a Brexit-busting selection of brand new releases from our favourite International, multi-cultural and multi-talented bands and artists, including both sides of the great new single from former Missing Souls frontman Ian Kay. There's superb new material from The Sensation Seekers, Refused, The Schizophonics, Las Aspiradoras, Goodbye Victory Road, Gatuplan, The Flaming Sideburns, Pablo Matisse, Råttanson, The Limiñanas & Étienne Daho, John Hoyles, Then there's a spotlight on new releases from Damaged Goods Records including King Salami & The Cumberland 3, Billy Childish & CTMF, Fabienne Delsol, Graham Day & The Gaolers and The Shadracks. Turn it up!

If you enjoy the music featured in this episode then please do click on the highlighted Band/Artist names below for further information, news on upcoming gig and details on how to buy their music. Here's the track-listing, enjoy!

The Sensation Seekers - "Monkey Paws"
Ian Kay - "A Man Like Me"

The Flaming Sideburns - "Trance Noche"

King Salami & The Cumberland 3 - "Bayou Fever"

The Shadracks - "Things I Hear"

Billy Childish & CTMF - "The Used To Be"

Graham Day & The Gaolers - "Just a Little"

Fabienne Delsol - "So Many Could Not" 

The Limiñanas & Étienne Daho - "One Blood Circle"

Nika - "Good Sunday"

Gatuplan - "Millennial Blues" 

Refused - "Damaged III"

Pablo Matisse - "Human Warmth"

John Hoyles - "Leavin' Tonight"

Råttanson - Small Venue Concerts"

Las Aspiradoras - "Vaya Chapa"

The Schizophonics - "Nine Miles"

Goodbye Victory Road - "We Are The New Wave"

Ian Kay - "Ain't Coming Home" 

Retrosonic Podcast has a valid PRS licence. This Episode's cover star Ian Kay. Photo courtesy Ian Kay. Our full archive is available at our Soundcloud site, featuring all regular episodes 1-36 along with our special dedicated interview episodes with Artists such as Billy Childish, TV Smith, Damian O'Neill from The Undertones, The Fallen Leaves, Graham Day & The Forefathers, That Petrol Emotion/The Everlasting Yeah, Chris Wilson from The Flamin' Groovies, Mattias Hellberg, Ian Person, Fredrik Sandsten, Paul Slattery on Joy Division, Ebbot Lundberg from The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Harley Feinstein from Sparks, Buddy Ascott from The Chords and many more.

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.

Retrosonic Podcast Hipsville Weekender Special Edition

In the build-up to this year's Hipsville Weekender, we are pleased to announce this very special Retrosonic Podcast where Steve from Retro Man Blog talks to Mr A, one of the event's main organizers, and the man behind the "You Got Good Taste" Podcast and "Weirdsville" club nights. Generously sound-tracked by many of the bands that will be playing over the weekend such as The Jackets, Giuda, Les Gry-Grys, Oh! Gunquit, Thee Jezebels, The Autoramas and many more, Mr A not only explains about his various ventures but also gives us a fascinating insight into the world of the festival and gig promoter. Taking his inspiration from The Cramps and the early 80's Garage Rock and Psych scene, based around venues such as The Hammersmith Clarendon and Clapham's 101 Club, Mr A tells us about his influences, the current bands that inspire him to put on shows and the other people behind the scenes who help make it all a reality. Never taking the easy option, Mr A offers a stage for many international acts from far and wide such as Brazil's Autoramas and Japan's Kinoco Hotel, who will make their first ever U.K. appearance at this year's Hipsville. We also find out the elusive and mysterious band that is number 1 on his Hipsville wish-list!

This special edition Retrosonic Podcast is available to listen to or download for free below from our Soundcloud site or you can subscribe for free at the iTunes store if you prefer.



Hipsville will be held at Bisley Pavillion in Surrey on May 15th, 16th and 17th and features 14 live acts, international DJ's, Go-Go Dancers, vintage market stalls, record stalls, an auto show and much more. For more information on all the bands and activities please check out their excellent and comprehensive web-site. Here's a great video with a taster of last year's Hipsville fun and games.

You can check out our Retro Man Blog archive for a feature on previous Hipsville's here, and our report on Oh! Gunquit and Les BOF! at Weirdsville here. With thanks to Mr A. Here's the Play-list.

The Cramps "You Got Good Taste

The Cramps "Queen of Pain"

Pussycat & The Dirty Johnsons "Trouble With The Devil"

Becky Lee & Drunk Foot "Lies"

The Felines "Daddy Walk"

The Jackets "Freak Out"

Sick Hyenas "Surf 'n' Blood"
Thee Jezebels "Cried Over You"

Les Grys-Grys "Hot Gully Wind"

Naz Nomad & The Nightmares "I Had Too Much To Dream Tonight"

The Cramps "Under The Wires"

Oh!Gunquit "Cindy's Got a Tiger"

Giuda "Number 10"

King Salami & The Cumberland 3 "Marabunta"

Autoramas "Lugar Errado"

Les Kitschenette's "Eh, Jolie!"

Kinoco Hotel "Peacock Baby"

Speedball Jnr "Beat Girl"

Retro Man Blog Night with The WitchDoktors, King Salami & The Cumberland 3 and The SuperMinx'70

The King WitchDoktor 6 Combo - Photo by Paul Slattery

I'd like to say a very big thank you to all that came along to our Retro Man Blog Night at The Half Moon in Putney despite many obstacles, diversions and other distractions - myself and all the bands really appreciated it! I'd also like to say thanks to the bands too, all three really turned it on with great sets. The SuperMinx'70 kicked off the evening and despite having to play without their regular sax player due to illness, they dug in and delivered a fine set of their raucous sing-along gems. King Salami & The Cumberland 3 raised the temperature even higher and got everyone dancing along to their Punk Rhythm and Blues. Then, headliners The WitchDoktors delivered another faultless set of supercharged down and dirty Rock 'n' Roll. For the encore, the band were joined by Kamikaze and Pepe from King Salami to power through a crazed cover of The Damned's "Neat Neat Neat" which brought proceedings to a suitably chaotic climax. Rock Photographer Paul Slattery was there to capture all the action and has kindly shared some of his great photos of the gig.

 

All Photos copyright Paul Slattery 2014. For more photos of the night head on over to the Retro Man Blog Facebook page and if you are not already connected, hit "Like" to access the exclusive photo album. We have also put together another fine line-up for the next Retro Man Blog night at the Half Moon Putney on Friday September 26th. Headliners, The Len Price 3, will be joined by Les Kitschenette's and The Past Tense, for more information on all the bands and how to order the bargain £8.00 advance tickets please check out the feature at this link here. See you there!

Retrosonic Podcast Episode 15 "You Can Stick Your Frothy Lager" with Graham Day & The Gaolers, Ebbot Lundberg, The Damned, Eight Rounds Rapid, The Fleshtones and more!

Welcome to Episode 15 of Retrosonic Podcast entitled "You Can Stick Your Frothy Lager". Steve from Retro Man Blog and Rock Photographer Paul Slattery chat about a selection of gigs and events including Captain Sensible's Birthday Gig, Paul's time on the road with Oasis and his involvement in the "Chasing The Sun" photo exhibition. There's the latest "best gig ever" from The Fleshtones and a slight moan about The Fuzztones' time keeping, praise for Eight Rounds Rapid, Galileo 7 and a weird coincidence involving Swedish band Stupidity. We report on our visit to The Medway for our interviews with Garage Rock legend Billy Childish and the Pubmonkey movie writer Jamie O'Hara and Glenn Page from The Len Price 3 who provide the film's soundtrack. We also attended the first ever screening of the movie at the BFI and lavish praise on the final cut. There's talk about our Retro Man Blog gigs with The WitchDoktors, King Salami & The Cumberland 3 and The SuperMinx'70 and chat about the two previous sold out shows with The Monochrome Set and Graham Day & The Forefathers. There's an excellent new song from ex-Soundtrack of Our Lives front-man Ebbot Lundberg's new solo E.P. and spins of tracks by The Teamsters, The Damned, The Shall I Say Quois and The Snakeman 3 amongst others. The episode is free to listen to and download below and you can also check out our extensive archive at our Soundcloud page here. Enjoy!

King Salami & The Cumberland 3 new E.P. "Howlin' For My Woman" out now on Chaputa! Records

 

The excellent label Chaputa! have just released a brand new four track E.P. by King Salami & The Cumberland 3 entitled "Howlin' For My Woman". It's limited to 500 copies on 7" vinyl with the first 100 being shipped with two free beer mats featuring the Chaputa! logo and the E.P. cover. You can place your order at the Chaputa! web-site here, or better still, come along to the next Retro Man Blog night at the Half Moon Putney on Friday July 18th and pick up a copy directly from the band where they will be playing on the same bill as The WitchDoktors and The SuperMinx '70. Click the gig poster on the right for more info or get your advance tickets for only £8.00 from the Half Moon.

Retro Man Blog Presents: The WitchDoktors, King Salami & The Cumberland 3 and The Superminx '70 at The Half Moon Putney on Friday July 18th

We've got together another mighty fine line-up for July's edition of the Retro Man Blog Night at The Half Moon in Putney with three great live acts - The WitchDoktors, King Salami & The Cumberland 3 and The SuperMinx'70. This gig takes place on Friday July 18th and advance tickets are available for sale now at the bargain price of £8.00 from the Half Moon Box Office here, tickets on the door are £10.00. The previous two Retro Man Blog Nights featuring bands such as Graham Day & The Forefathers, The Len Price 3, Galileo 7, The Fallen Leaves and The Monochrome Set both sold out so book now, save some money and guarantee your spot at the front of the stage!

The WitchDoktors by Paul Slattery

Deep in the darkest vaults of South London, The WitchDoktors have been honing their SuperPunkRock sound and shows, drawing on their 70s punk upbringing (Ramones, Clash, Pistols, Damned etc) and adding a good ol' full measure of trashy rock'n'roll-a-billy, a dash of 60s Psyche-Out Garage, a bitter twist of country and whizzing it all up with some godamming loud geetars our special brand of thunderous drums! After 4 albums, a fistfull of singles plus hundreds of shows with like minded souls e.g. The Damned, The Revillos, The Fleshtones, Woggles, Phantom Surfers, The Saints, ? and the Mysterions, Man or Astroman?, Dogs D'Amour, Vince Ray and more recently The Polecats, The Germs, Macavity's Cat, they're fired up on high octane again and are out there gigging to promote their latest album "$3 Hooker" (distribution to retail stores by those nice people at www.fortedistribution.co.uk). "$3 Hooker" is also available for download NOW from iTunes, e-music, Napster and Amazon along with their Greatest Hits(!) album "Razor Cuts & Red Hot Needles". Go on, getcha 'pod' Doktored! Wanna feel like The WitchDoktors? Then getchersome comic books, catch some horror flicks, drink a bar dry, sling on some inkwork, fire up the hotrod and thank your lucky stars that you can relax in the safety of your own paranoia.

King Salami & The Cumberland 3 by Zig Criscuolo

In 2006, one Japanese, one French, one Caribbean and one Spanish got together to form a black rhythm & blues party band, King Salami & The Cumberland 3! London's R&B-punk sensation are making fun times where ever they go. With a repertoire encompassing many of the greats of the ’50s and ’60s you won't be able to help but move your feet. The King howls like Screaming Jay Hawkins with Bo Diddley chasing his coat-tail and Andre Williams trying to offer up some of his bacon fat. This man never stops shakin' and twistin' and groovin' while the Cumberland 3 (former members of the Ulcers, Chinese Lungs and Parkinsons) play their own branded mix of vintage rockabilly desperate rock'n'roll and a bit of soul with fire, energy, gusto and fun! They have played all over Europe, sharing the stage with the Pretty Things, the Trashmen, the Standells, the Mummies, the Bellrays etc...and have released a bunch of killer 45's on different European record labels. Last year the band toured France, Japan, China, Australia and New York City and released their 2nd album "Cookin' Up a Party" on Dirty Water records.

The SuperMinx'70 by Richie Kyle

The SuperMinx'70: Paul R Osborn was in The Peppermint Airgun with Carl Eugene Picot (Dave Kusworth/Nikki Sudden) in the early Eighties playing psychedelic pop and gigging with PWEI and The Wonderstuff and after that in The Overself, part of the Rugby Town scene with the Spacemen3 and The Guaranteed Ugly. After giving up music for 15 years Rob Symmons (Subway Sect/Fallen Leaves) advised him to start another band so in 2012 he started The SuperMinx'70...The band have gone through some line-up changes but now Paul has gathered a great band around him, including relative newcomers Barry "Groovyman" Frost ex-Flat 19, Cannibals, and Legendary Groovymen on bass and guitarist Pete Scott who is a young but seasoned solo performer. Completing the line-up are drummer Johnny 'Bam Bam' Birdiani and Joe Squatt on Trumpet and sax. The band have signed to Plastic Pop Records and plan to release a live E.P. later this year and are also involved in a Merc Clothing sponsored residency at The Buzzclub in Wimbledon.

For more info on the gig check out the Event Page here and tickets can be bought direct from here. Thanks to Eric for the great poster design - check out more at www.flying lunchbox.co.uk.

Hipsville 60's Garage Go-Go Party Weekend May 16th-18th

Hipsville 2014! The countdown is on for a 60′s SPACE themed party weekend like no other! International Live bands, Top DJs, Gyrating Go-Go Girls in Cages, Wild Gorillas, Exotic TiKi party, Robots, Aliens and Spaceships. Plus a 3 Day Vintage market, Psychotronic Movie Theatre, Live TiKi Carving, Hot Rods, Custom Cars, Motorbikes and Scooters and more, more, more...It's gonna be the craziest, wildest space age weekend you'll ever experience! Bands appearing include King Salami & The Cumberland 3, MFC Chicken, The Sine Waves and The Stags amongst many other international acts over the three days. Check the official web-site for up-to-date info and announcements

Hipsville takes place on Friday 16th May, Saturday 17th May and Sunday 18th May at The Bisley Pavilion, Queen's Road, Brookwood, Surrey GU24 0NY and you can buy advance tickets here. For our Retro Man Blog feature on one evening at last year's Hipsville please click here.

If you enjoy Hipsville you may want to check out the regular Weirdsville Club nights held at the Fiddler's Elbow in Camden, London on the Saturday of every month. Also, if you're in Brighton, there are the Stay Sick Club nights held every 2nd Saturday of the month at The Blind Tiger.

King Salami & The Cumberland 3, Suzi Chunk & Groovy Uncle and Les BOF! Live at the Hipsville Weekender

Photo by David Williams

It was such a shame that the first ever Hipsville Weekender coincided with a very busy weekend for me, but I was determined to try my best to get along to sample even a small part of it. When I saw that King Salami & The Cumberland 3 were appearing, that was it, I definitely had to go, and I arrived at Bisley Pavillion on the Saturday evening just before Les BOF! took to the stage. The band, comprising Angus from The Thanes on guitar and impressive mutton-chop sideburns, Colin on Bass and Ross on drums, kicked things off with "Rue Marcel Sembat", the instrumental opener to their excellent album "Nous Sommes...Les BOF!" which is released on one of Retro Man Blog's favourite labels CopaseDisques. Suddenly, livewire vocalist Laurent made his entrance from the crowd, jumping over the crash barrier at the front to join his colleagues on stage, dropping to his knees to burst through some exceptional harmonica skills. Laurent's Marseilles background injects a Gallic twist to their brand of Garage Rock and gives them a welcome shot of individuality. The crunching chords to "Ils Vont Tuer Le R'n'R" brings to mind The Sonics and then there's the wicked fuzzed guitar of "P-Club" and "Vivre Avec Toi" which are both superb songs. The band throw in some well received cover versions such as "Hanky Panky", "Jezebel" and "Leaving Here", and Laurent leaps into the crowd to join in the dancing. Les BOF! are a great little outfit, summoning up the spirit of some of the best of Sixties French Ye-Ye such as Jacques Dutronc, Delphine and France Gall. 

Les BOF! - Photo by Steve Worrall

Les BOF! - Photo by Steve Worrall

Next up was the delightful, soulful voice of Suzi Chunk, backed by the Medway based Psych Power Pop band Groovy Uncle, tonight featuring Bruce Brand from The Masonics on guitar. They played a great set, drawing mainly from the must-have album "Girl From The Neck Down" (State Records). Songwriter and guitarist Glenn Pragnell sings lead on the Groovy Uncle tracks such as "Play Something We Know" and "Got Any Mantras?" with Suzi doing backing vocals, they reverse the roles on Suzi's songs and it all works out really well. The upbeat Motown styled Soul of "For The Millionth Time" and romantic smoocher "Got My Eyes On The Prize" are complimented perfectly by the Beatles Hamburg-era rockers such as "Tripwire" and the 60's guitar riffs of "Look Back and Laugh". The highlights for me were "Girl From The Neck Down" and the great Power Pop of "Vanity, Snake Hips and Hair" and I was left hoping that this won't be the last we see of this excellent collaboration.

Suzi Chunk & Groovy Uncle - Photo by Steve Worrall

Glenn Pragnell of Groovy Uncle - Photo by Steve Worrall

And then it's the moment I'd really been waiting for, King Salami & The Cumberland 3, and they were everything I'd been hoping for and more! The multi-cultural line-up of Caribbean, French, English and Japanese cram as many ingredients into their music as their combined backgrounds suggest. Garage Rock, Soul, Ska, Rockabilly...all infused with a manic Punky edge and a dash of Looney Tunes style cartoon humour, it's a dream party concoction that defies anybody to stand still. King Salami himself is like a manga styled cross between James Brown and the Tasmanian Devil and is one of the most charismatic front-men I have seen in many a year. The band don't stand around waiting to be upstaged though, in fact they don't stand around at all, and the combined antics of each are a joy to behold. Drummer Eric Baconstrip seems positively miffed that he has to sit down to play and drums with an energy that makes it seem like he's itching to get up and join in up front. 

King Salami & The Cumberland 3 - Photo by Steve Worrall

"Betti Moretti" is fantastic and "Do The Climb" and "Yosemite Sam", which includes a snippet of The Batman theme, crank up the fun factor notch by notch. "Just My Kind" sees the brilliant guitarist Pepe Ronnie slam out the great Dr. Feelgood Wilko Johnson intro and it's one of my highlighs of the night. "Trubble Trubble" is a delight and then it's the Bo Diddley beat of "Ma Juju Girl". The band then don Red Indian head-dresses and saxophonist and percussionist Chuchi Sobrassada a comedy arrow through the head for "Big Chief". There's a mind blowing bass line from Kamikaze U.T. Vincent who then bravely proceeds to climb a precarious PA speaker stack to finish the rest of the song. The great tracks keep on coming with King Seb Salami rattling his maracas and imploring the audience to join in on "Less Bone More Meat!", "Howlin' For My Woman" and the classic "Do The Wurst". Then there's a brief blast of the "Looney Tunes" theme to end on a suitably manic note and the band exit to rapturous applause. We're treated to a great crazed encore of "Mojo Workout", with the crowd all joining in singing along and then that's it, it's all over! A quite brilliant performance from what must be the hottest band on the block right now.

All King Salami & The Cumberland 3 photos above by Steve Worrall

As well as the live music, there was much more on offer at Hipsville, such as vintage and retro clothes stores, record stalls from Dirty Water Records and Soundflat Records and an impressive selection of cool classic hot-rods, motorbikes and vintage cars parked up outside. Of course there was also the fabulous array of Go-Go dancers, such as the wonderful Linda Go-Go and the The Meyer Dancers, who really added to the party atmosphere and helped get the crowd into the swing of things. I was also really impressed with the DJ set by Farbror Fuzz from Norway, especially as he played one of my all-time favourite Lyres songs, "Help You Ann" from "Lyres On Fyre", and some other great tracks such as The Bluestars "Social End Product" and Shocking Blue's "Send Me a Postcard", his set went down a storm. Here are a few more photos of the evening...

Photo by Steve Worrall

Photo by David Williams

Photo by David Williams

Photo by Steve Worrall

Photo by Steve Worrall

Suzi Chunk and Bruce Brand - Photo by Steve Worrall

King Salami - Photo by Steve Worrall

Although I was only there for the one evening I was really impressed with the organization and smooth running of things, there was a decent sized crowd and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and entered into the spirit of things. It must have been a tough job to keep it all going over the whole weekend, I know I get stressed out enough just doing a one-off gig, so this must have taken it out of the Hipsville organizers and let's hope that they decide to go ahead with a Hipsville next year too - I will make sure I keep the whole weekend free this time!

Photo by David Williams

With many thanks to David Williams for allowing me to publish some of his excellent photographs. For more photos of my visit to Hipsville's Saturday night activities, please "Like" the Retro Man Blog Facebook page for access to the Photo Album.