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The Dirtbombs
06/16/05
De Kreun, Bissegem
What the The Who meant when they were talking about "Maximum Rock 'n' Roll"
It started with drummer Pat Pantano slowly finding a groove
and it ended with second drummer (yep)
Ben Blackwell entirely deconstructing one until he arrived at that final thud,
and what we got in between was an hour of ridiculously energetic rock 'n'
roll, delivered at a truly scorching pace. It was the first time I saw the
band since their 2002 European tour, and in the meantime also the 16th line-up
of the band (no shit - this
Dutch garage maniac is keeping track of all of it), consisting of Pantano,
Blackwell, chief Mick Collins, Troy Gregory (who replaced producer Jim Diamond
on bass) and miniature vixen Ko on fuzz bass (replacing Tom Potter). The busy
schedule of 14 gigs in 14 days was noticeable by Collins' occasionally weary
vocals, but apart from that, it's was high-energy nuggets galore, as the band
churned out its unholy mix of 4 decades of rock history. "Kung Fu" may have
been quite laidback for an opening song, but by the time they got to the hushed
turbo-pop of "Get It While You Can," they place was already on fire. The sound
was excellent and they played loud (and I mean LOUD), the drummers were swingin'
hard, Ko frantically plucked her strings, Gregory laid down heavy grooves,
and on top of that, Collins' soulful vocals and alternately funky and punk-styled
guitar playing kept things one big blast. While they're usually lumped in
with the billions of other garage bands out there (for understandable reasons),
it's obvious this is not just your average band, but a bunch of dedicated
music freaks creating an entirely original style that refers to multiple decades
and genres at once. From their covers album Ultraglide in Black, the
band picked Sly Stone's "Underdog" and Phil Lynott's "Ode to a Black Man"
and made 'em even crazier, faster and wilder than the studio versions. From
their latest regular studio album Dangerous Magical Noise (2003), the
stomping "Motor City Baby," the ladies-song "Stop" and the playful
retro-gem "Earthquake Heart," managed to get the crowd pretty crazy. With
the newly released 2-CD anthology If You Don't Already Have Look, which
gathers all of their non-album tracks for your convenience, The 'Bombs also
played some less familiar tracks that nevertheless succeeded in keeping up
the high quality of the set: "Here Comes That Sound Again" manages to reconcile
punk, new wave and glam-rock like only they can, "By My Side" by obscure Australian
band The Elois sounded like a forgotten classic and "My Love for You (Is Like
a Rollercoaster)" was the perfect bridge to the irresistible soul of "Chains
of Love." In less than an hour, the entire place was dripping with sweat and
the band looked like they'd been rocking out for three hours. A magnificent
encore came in the guise of a hilarious climax that coupled the intro to Black
Sabbath's "War Pigs" to the band's own "Granny's Little Chicken" from Horndog
Fest, a track that successfully combines hip-hop, soul-punk and KC and
the Sunshine Band. If your definition of soul mainly refers to the likes of
ZZ Hill and Al Green, The Dirtbombs may not become your favorite band, but
as far as pure excitement goes, there aren't many bands that can keep up with
'em, as they proved to be among the very cream of the crop of garageland.
And Collins still looks like the coolest brother of the hood since
Shaft wiped it clean. Ace!
Read album reviews of similar or related artists: The Dirtbombs Album Reviews