I'm Not From London presented three bands playing garage rock, psychobilly and surf...
First up is Blackmail Box, a four piece from Nottingham. Opening track Down The Line sounds a bit like The Clash backing Nick Cave crooning on the verses and Vic Reeves' club singer on the chorus. On the second song, singer Henry-James Farrell sounds more like Mark Mothersbaugh from Devo, enunciating every word and on the third, he sounds like a hoedown caller.
The band sound best when he tones down his vocal affectations such as on new single Come Down, which features a great bass riff and some surf guitar, and on their best track Alibi. While the band profess their love for The Cramps, I could also hear traces of The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster in there as well.
Second band Jitterz are a two-piece from Leicester. They with a cover of Hit The Road Jack, which also features elements of Seven Nation Army. It's easy to draw comparisons with the Michigan husband/wife/brother/sister duo as they have a bluesy, garage sound. Another Day is a great mix of the that recent seventies US rock revival headed by Lemon Twigs but still with garage rock undertones, while recent single One Good Song is an amazing song of escapism. Their lack of original material is highlighted by a cover medley that includes The Beatles' I Saw Her Standing There and Carl Perkins / Elvis Presley's Blue Suede Shoes amongst others. I really enjoyed Jitterz, they have an endearing sloppiness and enthusiasm about them.
Finally, we're onto the headliners X-ray Cat Trio, from Leeds (the drummer wears a Hooters t-shirt to try and appease the local crowd), and you're always sure of what you're going to get when there's a band with a bassist that plays a double bass. Unfortunately for them they go on stage just after the darts has finished at the arena and so they play to a pub full of drunk, disinterested Where's Wallys. If they'd played the risible Yaya/Kolo Toure chant then they could have brought the house down.
They've got a rockabilly sound but with the energy of a punk band and definite elements of Dr Feelgood. Lonely Night could easily have been played in a slower "proper" 50s style but sounds better as it isn't. They also play a number of instrumentals, which shows some supreme confidence and they also demonstrate that more instrumentals should feature howling.
The only song that threatens to slip into that awful eighties ted revival beloved of Showaddwaddy is Lonely On A Saturday Night but the rest of the set steers clear of that awful time in musical history. With the Where's Wallys and Avengers having left the pub, the X-ray Cat Trio close with a cover of Misirlou by Dick Dale & His Del-Tones. The song, best known from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, gets all of the garage rock fans that have been in the pub all night up and dancing and it a great way to close the evening.
Fuzzbox took place at The Angel Microbrewery on Thursday 9 February 2017.
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