Showing posts with label Cramps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cramps. Show all posts

Thursday, 10 March 2016

Punkest of The Punk?


A good friend of mine, Bethany, pointed me to an article about a Cramps concert in 1978 where they played Napa State Mental Hospital . The article is here . While I laud the band for doing that , and many have done similar things before and since . Take Johnny Cash at San Quentin for instance , bands playing for people who normally would not be treated to live music . One of the best examples of that I have seen was at The Chase Park Festival at Whickham where the whole set up was geared towards total social integration (see review here)

Punky Reggae
My issue with the "I'm Punkier Than You" thing is that as soon as you adjectivise the word it becomes it's own establishment , and Punk is meant to be anti establishment. I remember hearing that Bob Marley had a song called Punky Reggae Party ... just the title made me cringe , as though Bob was trying to jump on a bandwagon . If a band described themselves as punky I would expect something like The Knack singing My Sharona.







A punk is an undesirable , a delinquent , something that doesn't care so for a real punk gig or record , it should challenge , it should be unexpected , and really The Cramps gig was something you would expect The Cramps to do. It wasn't what Fleetwood Mac would do , but then again , when they followed up Rumours with Tusk wasn't that a total punk thing to do , they risked destroying everything with Tusk , although it's probably my favourite album of theirs.

And what about The KLF / Extreme Noise Terror at The Brits , that was a shock to the mainstream, showing punk attitude 15 years after the British Explosion.

Then you had teh Sex Pistols a manufactured bad boy band who's album was heavy metal with a sneer. I bought "New Rose" by The Damned when it came out , "I'm Stranded" by The Saints and then when I heard Anarchy In The UK I was really disappointed because it was metal not punk.

So really if you want the most in your face example of punk attitude it has to be The KLF at the Brits , because the Cramps were just doing what The Cramps did, The KLF actually shocked.

Friday, 5 February 2016

Can Your Pussy Do The Dog ...... Again?



Roller Derby Kerry
Kerry From The Back
Seven years ago at The Cluny Dave Campbell curated and starred one of the most impressive nights I have experienced anywhere. My thoughts on the event are here . Tonight in the guise of The Gramps fronted by Lux Inferior we were treated to amazing set tributing one of the best rock and roll bands ever.

On the stairs I met Kerry who was wearing her dad's original Cramps "Can Your Pussy Do The Dog"   T-Shirt and she definitely wore it well , as well as showing excellent taste in music.


Ravaged

 First up were The Ravaged , a four piece real garage band hitting the crowd with originals and covers, the drummer also sang which is no mean feat and I was told he drums for the mighty Slack Babbath Ididnt get any video and I believe this was their first gig , but I will go and see them next time they are playing.

Great sixties style garage band reminiscent of The Sonics and ? and The Mysterions


The Ravaged were a great appetizer for the main course , the be-suited Gramps fronted by a beturbanned Lux Inferior launching straight into "Can Your Pussy Do The Dog" before following with "Some New Kind Of Kick". The sound was excellent and showmanship second to none and another memorable night was had as the band hit us with "Human Fly" , "Bikini Girls With Machine Guns" , "Surfin' Bird" and "Teenage Werewolf"


You can watch the first two songs on here and see what you missed.

Can your Pussy Still Do the Dog?

It Certainly can