By DJ Astrocreep
A scorching and humid day with another big gig clash sees me miss out on the likes of Snot and Atomic Bitchwax, but does see me take in the aural delights of the Melvins alongside Redd Kross, who I actually caught in my home city with Melvins stickman Dale Crover in support a few months earlier. A trip over to Manchester and I get into the venue for a quick chat with Buzz – during which I managed to wangle not one but two exclusive pieces of news – before the gig kicks in properly.
Redd Kross are just as I remember them from my previous encounter: semi melodic surf punk rock ‘n’ roll, they have a very busy room by the end of the set. While they may not be an immediate crossover in terms of sound, they do a great job of getting heads nodding and the crowd enjoying it all.
The sound is well worked alongside the lights and even people that were maybe not aware of Redd Kross prior to this show seem to be getting into it and enjoying themselves – the sign of a well played set. Jeff McDonald on bass nods at what’s to come on the mic with talk of a heavier finish, given both himself and Dale Crover are on double duties, and we get a final song before they head off stage, job well done.
Melvins time and holy fuck, it’s an hour of relentless riffs, pummelling drumbeats and bass down our earlobes and through our bodies. A non stop wall of noise, encouraging continuous whiplash from the whole crowd as they smash their way through the set. The music is everything, with full concentration from the band on the performance as the duelling drums lead the beat, with sticks master Crover ever the one everyone else looks to.
There’s barely any time for anything to be said on the mic, they are so intent on cramming in as much as possible, with the exception of Crover saying bye when introducing the last song. The sound is phenomenal with the lights used to good effect for creating an ambience – well, as much as it can amongst the pulsating music and gyrating crowd.
Neither Crover nor McDonald look any the worse for wear for having dual duties with our support for the evening, though McDonald has a running joke throughout the evening whilst retuning about asking the crowd if they want a rock ‘n’ roll party, which Crover adds to late in the set, to shouts back from the crowd.
We get fan favourites ‘Honey Bucket’, ‘A History of Bad Men’ and ‘Revolve’ among many others in the set, comprising around 14 in total. While the bedlam never stops, it’s a testament to the true talent that is King Buzzo and company, that even as they edge into their 60s they still produce performances as vibrant, professional and engaging as they continually do.
A phenomenal act still to this day.
- The tour continues in Birmingham tonight (Friday 15 August), Sheffield tomorrow (Saturday 16) and Dublin on Monday (18 August), before hitting the United States for a two month run from 9 September through 21 October.
As mentioned at the top of this review, before the show I had a sit down with King Buzzo himself. During our chat he revealed not one but two exclusive pieces of news, including an update on what the band are up to on the recording front…