Heavy, Loud, Gothic and Looking Great

I noticed Bad Pollyanna were playing Newcastle's Think Tank? again so was determined not to miss them again, and £11 to see a band you want to see is not too expensive except ......

This gig was being promoted in conjunction with Novacrow and Sick'n'Beautiful (details here) which I didn't realise were other bands on the bill, I though they may have just been promoters, but it turned out instead of one band worth seeing I saw three amazing bands.

Novacrow were first up and though the bowler hatted lead guitarist cum judderman (Jonyx) was an amazing visual sight, and Kitty the singer had an excellent voice as well astoting an excellent guitar and suitable gothic front lady attire, very black and white.

The rhythm section of Federico and Torben kept it tight and heavy. I did video on song "Mantra" but  the sheer heaviness and small venue plus my camera knowledge resulted in unlistenable footage, but luckily I bought their "Black Syrup" EP from Kitty which means I ca list their names and listen to them properly. Another band on the "see again list".

I managed to find a promo video for "Fight The  Horde" so turn it up and you have some idea of what to expect.

Bad Pollyanna were next up and this is the third time I have seen them, you can check out their youtube channel here, again steeped in Goth and Horror and similar to Novacrow, so that is two bands to satisfy dark musical tastes, although they are both great fun and very approachable. Aad again I was not disappointed but Bad Pollyanna were even louder and heavier than Novacrow.



They are great supporters of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, which is another reason to support them.Please visit the site to find out more.

I could have left after either of these bands and not felt short changed.

Finally we got Sick'n'Beatiful. The price of the ticket included a download of their latest album so I knew what to expect, but as well as their music you get a visual feast as well, with incredible costumes and back drops . Probably one on the most impressive bands I've seen at the venue and the experience reminds me a little of GOAT with their impressive visual display.

Every band was worth the admission fee alone, so check all of these out at  your earliest convenience.

How Much Pop Can You Have?

It's Iggy Pop's 71st birthday and my friend Brian along with three other people hosted an "Iggy and the Stooges, Shambolic KO Tribute Afternoon"and truly wonderful it was. The revers running order for the afternoon was:

16.25 IGGY AND THE RAW POWERS
16.00 IZZY POPPED'S FUN HOUSE
15.30 RUBY AND THE SHAKIN' STOOGES
15.10 THE IGGYOTS
14.30 FIVE FOOT JUAN AND HIS GO GO MIDGETS
13.45 MOTOR CITY MYSTERYS
13.10 THEE RAVAGED IGUANAS
12.45 ZIGGY AND THE GERMANS

..and every band was absolutely brilliant. I managed to have quick chats and hugs with Lynn and Dave, Sheila , Barbara, Jonathan, Sarah, and met a wonderful singer called Stephanie and though we have been Facebook friends for yeans for the very first time spoke to Caroline.

So this was a great afternoon for catching up with friends, although when I got there the door was locked, though that was soon rectified.

I was surprised to see quite a few family groups there and the kids loved the bands and were active in the mosh pit.

Each band played three songs and was surprised to see Ziggy and The Germans using pedal steel as the guitar part of the band.

Although everything was excellent I loved Ruby and The Shakin' Stooges take on "No Fun" and Ziggy and The Germans take on "Funtime" so they are the ones I'll include here but you can see all my Youtube posts from today here and my Instagram posts here. I must apologise for the sound quality, I think it was a bit loud for my my Wilefox phone to deal with but you get  the idea.

Looking forward to the next afternoon gig, it was awesome. 

Divinely Trashed Summer Salsa Style

Art the moment the Vamos festival on in full swing on Tyneside with lots of events covering all areas, including food , film , dance and music , with a hot saucy Mexican/ South American / Iberian flavour.

Upcoming with have chocolate , Kid Creole ,  print , a film history of Mexploitation at the Tyneside Cinema curated by my good friend Craig , who this week I found was behind a book about the films of Elvis Presley. Check the link for a full list of events at the festival , lots of then free and all of them worth your time.

Divinely Trashy

This post is a short one about a showing of an Isabel Sarli mexploitation vehicle, The Female, with an excellent introduction by Craig , who pointed it out that it was a true "B" movie , meant to be in Mexico but shot in Argentina ,and dubbed not subtitled , as well as being in black and white . Craig told us that Isabel's make up and hair was always the same whether she was in bed , in the kitchen , or digging a ditch , and was  the inspiration for Divine's look in the numerous John Waters films that he appeared. That fact alone was worth the price of admission and needless to say the film is what you would expect , but great fun to watch. It is available on Amazon here and lots of here films are on Youtube as long as you confirm you age. Every afternoon in the Tyneside Cinema Cafe there are related film clips and music from the genre for you to enjoy.

This was a great start to the week , but the Divine Trash presentations are always worth going along to as you always discover something that you never imagines could be true.

Looking forward to the next one