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| The Bellrays + 80’s Matchbox B-line disaster Camden Dingwalls Tuesday May 7th 2002 Due to other commitments (never work in a shop that doesn’t close till 8:30 pm kids!), I missed the brilliantly named ‘Drive Like You Stole It’. By the end of the night, the list to sign up to their mailing list was still empty so perhaps I didn’t miss a great deal. I did however catch Brighton’s EIGHTIES MATCHBOX B-LINE DISASTER. Second time round I’ve witnessed this five piece live and once again, it’s the lead singer (and frighteningly genuine Richard Ashcroft look-alike) that makes this band watch able. Snarling at his audience, stopping the show at the second song purely to demand to "turn the fucking music up" & singing a verse whilst sitting on a barrier half way down the venue, it’s enough to put you off the fact that every song sounds the same. The fact that they play their best song (debut single "Morning has broken") first, doesn’t help either. They trudge off after six songs, just at the right time and having impressed the people who bothered to turn up early, you cant ask much more from a support band. Shortly after, Los Angeles THE BELLRAYS grace us with their presence. I was not entirely familiar with their material, but frankly anyone who calls Green Day "soulless crap" are stars in my book & I was surprised at how impressive they were. Like the band before them, it’s the lead singer, Lisa Kekaula, that takes centre stage. They’ve been called MC5 fronted by Tina Turner, a statement that even Kekaula recently admitted to detesting, but it’s as close as you’ll get if attempting to describing the band’s sound. Kekaula also makes her feelings known about the UK press’s current obsession with everything New York & Detroit bound, stating that the UK is home to the real geniuses, which would have been given a god-like response if it wasn’t for the fact that half the audience were American anyway. None the less, tonight The Bellrays are amazing. As we here Lisa sing "Stupid fucking people want to get in my way", you have to think who could possibly get in their way after a performance like the one I saw tonight. Jonathan Carey |