By DJ Monk
This aptly, and cleverly titled third album from Italian garage dwellers The Gentlemens – released through one of ÜR’s favourite labels – is proof positive that the underground rock ‘n’ roll scene is not even suffering breathing difficulties never mind approaching condition critical, but is, in fact, very much alive and kicking, and looking like remaining so for some considerable time to come…
Swaggering effortlessly between blues punk, rockabilly, dark country and ‘60s-nodding garage grunge, ‘Triage’ thumps and grooves with both intensity and delight, shaking and snaking its way out of the speakers with a cheeky shimmer and a lascivious shimmy there, defying you not to shake your aging hips, not your head and sing along to the infectious choruses before grabbing your favourite air guitar and bumping along to the dense riffs and sheer raw power of this slab of primetime drivetime rock ‘n’ rollercoaster.
Kicking things off with intent, ‘Still I Am’ sparks and stutters like Eddie Cochrane on meth, while ‘Sheltered’ struts with the bravado of da Ramone bruvas having invaded a Stones session. ‘Shame-Love’ sees the trio – that’s Paolo Fioretti on that there geetar and vox, Giordano Baldoni on t’other geeter and Daniele Fioretti pounding the living daylights outta the skins – move into surfari territory, complete with plenty of madcap shredding and side swipes before ‘I Let You Die’ displays more of that raw power, with its angry vocal and stabbing riff, underpinned by a pummelling beat that just draws on those muscles that make your feet tap along in time.
The highlight track undoubtedly is the stunning, Doors-esque ‘John Q Public Blues’, which does just what it says in the title and is the sort of slab of dissonant (and dissenting) heaven that, had it been first laid down 50 years or so ago it would have been covered by every man and his cat ever since. Before that, there is more bloozed-up punked-out ferocity in ‘Out Of Here’, which comes across like Jack White on steroids, and the grin-inducing ‘A Second Coming’: yes, this is one of those albums that makes you smile as much as it does make you want to dance like a loon.
Maintaining the live feel which emanates from every groove of the disc, the last third of the album takes us to the ‘Lower Ground Floor’ – but fuck the sausage rolls and patatas bravas (obscure Marks and Spencer reference), let’s just trash the aisles with this as the soundtrack. The only weak link, at least lyrically, is ‘She Made Me Hard’, which may be intended to be tongue-in-cheek but comes across as needlessly misogynistic in this day and age (seriously, does anyone other than Steel Panther need to suggest “why don’t you suck me off”?), which in turn is a pity as musically it’s a ruff and tuff slice of slide-led blooziness. ‘Dlana’s Flavour’ restores the balance in true barroom boogie brawl style, presenting a raucous racket that would make the likes of Jon Spencer seriously consider his career decisions, before ‘Sin Love Pray’ turns the dial right back to the Sixties with its Stones-meets-Iggy sensibility – and the Hammond, coming in right at the end of the album, is a sublime touch.
So, call off the paramedics and send the nurse back to rehab, ‘cos Dr Rock’s diagnosis is loud ‘n’ clear: rock ‘n’ roll is alive and well and in extremely good hands while bands like these Gentlemens from Ancona (sic) are laying it down.
- ‘Triage’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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