Fangbase - Reviews

Bash On Ash, Tempe, Arizona

Monday 28th October 2002

Throwrag is not a bad band, they just weren't quite my thing. They were sort of rockabilly with a sort of "sailor" shtick. They had a t-shirt that was a parody of the "Misfits Fiend Club" design, but it had the Crimson Ghost with a little sailor hat and it said "Throwrag Yacht Club." Very clownish and rowdy, but just a little bit too mid-tempo for me. I think if they had played the same material a bit faster it would've been more entertaining. For me, anyway...

Manic Hispanic was more my cup of drugs; their set of Mexicanized punk standards (Don't Wanna Drown in Mexican Society, Mommy's Little Cholo, If the Vatos are United, etc) was not ony rocking but very nostalgic, regardless of which coast or side of the pond you're from.

The Damned came out looking fantastic and did their thing in style as usual. I'm too much of a drunk/stoner to remember the whole list but they did do Under The Floor Again and one of the most rocking versions of Eloise I've seen them do. Song.com, Amen, Democracy, She, Absinth, New Rose, Neat Neat Neat, Would You Be So Hot, Disco Man and several others... Anyone else?

At one point Pinch offered his kit to "anyone who can play drums" and I can't believe there was no one in the house that could play better than the fellow who made it up there. It was worth it to see Patricia's face as they tried to play Ignite with the guy. Ever diplomatic, she only let it show for a split second, but she made eye contact with The Captain and flashed a half pleading, half "well this certainly sucks" look that was priceless. Later in the set they played Ignite properly. Lacking from the set was Nasty and Love Song, which are favorites of mine but they weren't missed much.

This was definitely a good show, and I think it's easy to tell if they're having fun or not, and they certainly were. The crowd was invited on stage for the end of Smash it Up, and this reporter was mock-sodomized by a strange man in a red beret. I'm still trying to adjust. Ahem.

Jed also has a lot of incredibly cool new stuff that deserves a mention. Three or four new shirts in different styles, patches, stickers, and a peculiar set of new badges.

All five of them came out to talk to the people outside afterward, and stood out there just rapping with us for over an hour. Certain members (guess which ones) participated in a bizzare lettuce-burning ritual with a few of the shadier characters that were out there. The Captain gave our friend Paula a banana...

See you in SF!!!

Handsome Dick Teratoma