The new documentary about The Sonics, Boom, was just released and the band have been touring in support. We popped along to MFN to see Tacoma’s finest
Wow, MFN isn’t just a clever name, it really is in the middle of frigging nowhere! Fortunately, The Sonics managed to find it. While they might not be the most well-known band from the greater Seattle area, their garage rock has been an influence on bands as diverse as The Fall, Nirvana and The White Stripes. These days saxophonist Rob Lind is the only original member of the band still touring but The Sonics are still a big draw for fans of their old school sound, especially as this one of only two UK shows on the tour.
They kick off with a cover of Eddie Cochran’s C’mon Everybody before launching into Shot Down, from their second album Boom. I don’t think I’ve heard anyone hit the drums as hard as during the drum fill in that song. Surprisingly, Have Love Will Travel, probably The Sonics’ best known song after featuring in a TV advert for car insurance, is played really early in the set. It’s a genuine highlight and the crowd go wild for it.
In the band’s early days, they attached their amplifiers with ice picks to get an overdriven sound on their guitars. With modern effects pedals, there’s no need for them to do that anymore, although that’s also indicative of the loss of that early raw sound - the band are much more polished these days. Original member Rob is having the time of his life, to the point where he’s so busy grinning and dancing around that he misses a couple of cues.
There’s a brand new song, Please Get Back In The Car, which is due to appear on the band’s next album. People are here to hear the oldies though and there’s a run of classic songs beloved by those ‘60s garage rock bands that includes Money (That’s What I Want) and Louie Louie. They close with Psycho, which sounds just as menacing today as it ever did.
Of course that’s not it, as the band return for an encore that includes a ridiculously exciting Strychnine before closing the show with their debut single The Witch. While it's not the excitingly ramshackle Sonics of their early years, it still feels like an incredible privilege just to see them perform and they have put on a really good show.
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