WITCHDOKTORS + SKINNY MILK + THEE SHERBERT PEARDROP EXPLOSION – PRINCE ALBERT 28.11.21
London four-piece WitchDoktors (with a K!) administer a potent blend of garage psych mixed with punk rock’n’roll. Powerful enough to clear most minor ailments and magic away negative vibes, the side-effects include frenzied dancing. On the scene since 1993, the band are skilled and experienced practitioners of their voodoo art, which conjures a comic book fantasy world of sci-fi and swamp, fast cars and movie stars. With retro style exuding timeless cool, they possess a huge stash of panache. I must declare an interest in that they are my absolute favourite live band (and I’ve seen quite a few), so I’m super stoked to find them playing in Brighton on a Sunday afternoon.
The event is the second ‘Punk Sunday Lunch’, hosted by An Alternative Gathering. We reported on the first one, which was a roaring success, back in September. The lunch part is purely metaphorical, confirmed by a sign outside warning that the venue does not serve: “…sh*t lager, tea and coffee, food, or dickheads”.
We begin with a sorbet course, namely Thee Sherbert Peardrop Explosion. Formed in 2010, they are regulars on the Brighton gig circuit, although apparently this is their first show for 22 months. They play covers, but the coolest 1960s garage and surf covers you could imagine. If you’ve a copy of the ‘Nuggets’ compilation in your record collection, you’ll get where they’re coming from. The band are a four-piece, with two guitars, bass and drums. Unsurprisingly, they have a retro look. With the exception of the bass player, who has broken ranks with a plain blue jacket, everyone wears a paisley shirt. Clive, house left, sports Roger McGuinn sunglasses and plays a paisley Telecaster. House right, fellow guitarist John favours a Gretsch semi-acoustic. After kicking off with an instrumental, lead vocal duties are shared around the different players.
They turn in an absolutely blistering version of ‘Psycho’ by The Sonics, a band whom they have previously supported. On that occasion, The Sonics’ drummer joined them for this number, although behind the kit today, Will is powering through the signature fills with gusto. There’s an excellent rendition of The Box Tops’ classic ‘The Letter’, and Stephen is high up the neck of his Fender Mustang for an impressive bass break in ‘Quick Joey Small’, introduced to my generation by Slaughter And The Dogs. The marathon snare rolls of Love’s iconic ‘7 & 7 Is’ are a particularly demanding drumming challenge, but are powerfully executed with aplomb. It is a superb performance all round, and the band breaks for a well-earned round of tequila shots.
I’ve caught them enough times to know that there’s a running joke regarding the dubious provenance of Clive’s tambourine. The one he shakes today for ‘Little Bit O’ Soul’ was allegedly owned by Liam Gallagher and purchased on eBay for £3,500. Yeah, right. ‘You’re Gonna Miss Me’ is introduced as “the greatest song ever written”, and John does a fine job mimicking the electric jug of the original with some vigorous mouth music. There’s a lively finish with a romp through ‘Ramblin’ Rose’, famously covered by the MC5. I’m enjoying a dance, though my moves are a long way short of Wayne Kramer’s moonwalk at the legendary Tartar Field show.
I get the impression that a lot of people are here to see Thee Sherbert Peardrop Explosion, and there’s warm applause and much raucous cheering at the conclusion of their set. It has been a mouth-watering start to proceedings.
Thee Sherbert Peardrop Explosion are:
‘Sir’ Clive Sherbert Fontana – guitar/vocals
John ‘Django’ Sherbert Dib Dab – guitar/vocals
Stephen ‘Psycho’ Sherbert – bass/vocals
Will ‘Bongo’ Sherbert – drums
Thee Sherbert Peardrop Explosion setlist (all covers):
‘Thunderin’ Guitars’ (Jeujene And The Jaybops/The Bambi Molesters), ‘Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White’ (The Standells), ‘Psycho’ (The Sonics), ‘The Letter’ (The Box Tops), ‘Quick Joey Small’ (Kasenatz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus/Slaughter And The Dogs), ‘Little Bit O’ Soul’ (The Little Darlings/The Music Explosion/The Ramones), ‘Primitive’ (The Groupies), ‘7 & 7 Is’ (Love), ‘There’s A Storm Comin’ (The Standells), ‘California Sun’ (The Rivieras), ‘You’re Gonna Miss Me’ (13th Floor Elevators), ‘Rumble’ (Link Wray & His Ray Men), ‘Ramblin’ Rose’ (Jerry Lee Lewis/MC5)
www.facebook.com/TheeSherbertPeardropExplosion
Next on the menu we have SKiNNY MiLK, a “psychedelic garage fuzz punk duo”, also from Brighton. Both players strip down to their shorts before starting the set, and it becomes immediately apparent that the bulk of the production budget has been spent on tattoos. Vocalist Johnny flails a long shock of crinkly hair, and grinds furiously at an upside down Musicmaster bass, reverse strung to be played left-handed. The sound it makes is absolutely enormous, the signal wending its way through a vast array of effects pedals before being split between guitar and bass amps. The end result gives the impression of lead and bass riffing together, and is stunningly effective. Behind the kit, Tim has shorter hair and a trimmed beard, and is doing his best to batter the kit through to the downstairs bar. His fills are ferociously powerful and dizzyingly fast, and the legs of the floor tom yield to the onslaught within the first number.
For all the punk energy, there’s a distinct garage psych vibe to the song-writing, enhanced by the delay-drenched vocal. The overall effect is very satisfying indeed. ‘Take It All’ moves along briskly, and ‘C’mon’ stands out for me, driven along by an insistent groove and high-velocity triplet rolls. ‘What Will Be’ features some unfeasibly busy kick drum, and single ‘Blood’ is dedicated to the other bands on the bill.
Johnny announces that they have some new songs to play that will feature on a forthcoming album. The first, ‘Shadowplay’, bounces along on a busy snare and kick rhythm, with a lovely descending riff in the chorus. ‘Rat King’ features manic rattling drums, whilst ‘Under Your Skin’ has more of a psych feel. On the basis of this preview, I’d be very interested to hear the album when it’s ready. They wrap up their set with the former single ‘Creature’, which is a frankly magnificent combination of punk and psychedelia, a dreamy vocal floating over a mesmerically urgent riff. There’s enthusiastic applause, and I’m making a mental note to look out for this duo in the future.
SKiNNY MiLK are:
Johnny Hart – bass and vocals
Tim Cox – drums
SKiNNY MiLK setlist:
‘Alright’, ‘Take It All’, ‘C’mon’, ‘What Will Be’, ‘Blood’, ‘Here It Comes’, ‘Shadowplay’, Rat King’, ‘Under Your Skin’, ‘Creature’
www.facebook.com/skinnymilkband
It’s time for the main course, and it’s pretty substantial musical fare. WitchDoktors have earned a reputation for blazing live shows, so we’re in for a treat. The band are regulars at Undercover Festival, and I can see plenty of familiar faces in the audience, many down from London for the occasion. A twin-guitar four-piece, their look is mostly supplied by Rockabilly Bowling Shirts. Lead vocalist Andy sings into a retro-styled mic and wields a silver Gretsch with a sparkly finish. He is flanked by Tony, house left, wrangling squeals of lead guitar from a suitably road-worn Les Paul Junior, and Lee, in pork pie hat and shades, prowling the stage with a white Jazz bass. Behind the kit is Joe Colfar, nothing less than a force of nature. He is a phenomenally accomplished sticksman, dispatching breathtakingly fast and complex fills with languid ease. The many stops in the music are embellished with a stick thrust into the air, or by bounding out of his seat like a jack-in-the-box.
The set opens with the manically urgent knees-up of ‘Movie Star’, and I’m far too busy dancing to take any notes. Andy pauses over the swirl of a power-walking bass line to introduce us to “the rock’n’roll chord of E”, before returning to the call-and-response hook. There’s no let up, as we’re straight in with the thundering floor tom intro of ‘Tie Me Up’, an awesome slab of punky rock’n’roll punctuated with plenty of stops and tumbling drum breaks. ’No Pain No Gain’ is a chant along, bounce along, punch-the-air classic, and ‘Jackhammer’ pounds as relentlessly as its title suggests.
They have some new numbers to share with us. ‘Candystar’ has a pop punk feel with a gorgeous riff and a poignant vocal line that reminds me of the Buzzcocks. It sounds like it’s been in the set forever. We’re back in the fast lane for the familiar ‘New Set Of Wheels’, which gives the impression it’ll be attending a speed awareness course before too long. ‘Spanner In The Works’ is another new number, with a lilting punky reggae feel overlaid with twanging lead. Reggae drumming is Joe’s speciality, and the rhythm provides a mighty foundation to the rabble-rousing vocal of “Push together! Take control!” There’s even a chanted “Whoah” section to get the crowd involved. An instant classic.
‘Voodoo Eye’ is the title track of a truly excellent album, whereas ‘Brothers’ is a much older number, revisited on the recent ‘Timeless And Dimeless’ compilation. Both records are available to buy or stream, and are well worth investigating if you’re not already familiar. ‘Neck Tattoo’ boasts a soaringly magnificent “Because I love you…” hook, and they conclude this excellent set with a third new number, ‘Before The War’. It’s another slice of bouncy pop punk with a ludicrously catchy vocal line and lead guitar that puts me in mind of the Skids or The Only Ones.
“Have a lovely evening, and I hope you see a really good band tonight,” quips Andy, as they exit the stage to rapturous applause. An encore is demanded, and they oblige with a high-speed romp through punk classic ‘Neat Neat Neat.’ It’s a magnificent conclusion to a splendid afternoon’s entertainment.
WitchDoktors are:
‘Planet’ Andy Last – vocals/guitar
Tony Major – guitar/vocals
Lee Page – bass/vocals
Joe Colfar – drums/vocals
WitchDoktors setlist:
‘Movie Star’, ‘Tie Me Up’, ‘No Pain No Gain’, ‘Jackhammer’, ‘Candystar’, ‘New Set Of Wheels’, ‘Spanner In The Works’, ‘Voodoo Eye’, ‘Brothers’, ‘Neck Tattoo’, ‘Before The War’, (encore) ‘Neat Neat Neat’ (The Damned cover)
I haven’t had anything to eat, but I feel replete and very satisfied with the fine bill of fare at another successful Punk Sunday Lunch. Thank you to An Alternative Gathering for cooking it up. I’m tired, drunk and deliriously happy, and it’s only five o’clock. For once, I should be home in time for tea.
