Live Music Review: Fuzzbox at the Angel Microbrewery

First up are two-piece band The Gorgons from Chatham in Kent. It's always very easy to compare a band with guitar and drums to The White Stripes but in this case, it's true - they have a similar garage band vibe and there are some of Jack's vocal mannerisms and a couple of drum fills lifted straight from Meg. While Detroit's finest wrote a song for a Coca-Cola commercial, The Gorgons have a son about lemonade instead. Then about a third of the way through the gig, Chris and Ben swap instruments. From then on, there are definitely elements of The Cramps in their sound and, oddly, I could also hear a little bit of Jilted John. There's even a cover of Pictures Of Matchstick Men, which replaces the swirling psychedelic guitars from the Status Quo original with something darker, born in the garage.

Then it's Howlin' Bones, a three-piece and the first band that I've ever seen perform without a bass drum rounded out with a double bassist and a frontman playing an acoustic guitar as if it's an electric. They play rockabilly with a dirty, scuzzy edge to it and played at a frantic pace. There's a mix of original material, including a sing-a-long Free The Cat, and really obscure covers such as Hot Lips Baby by Herbie Duncan. Howlin' Bones have one of the chattiest front-men that I've ever seen and while he talks a lot without saying anything, it makes a nice change from so many other bands that barely even mumble a "thanks" between songs.

So, that was another great Fuzzbox night featuring two fantastic bands - a great mix of garage rock and high octane rockabilly.

Fuzzbox took place at The Angel Microbrewery on the 17 August 2017.

I'm Not From London website