The Gaye Bykers On Acid last played The Hope & Ruin in Queens Road, Brighton on 20th November 2021. The Brighton & Hove News Music Team were in attendance and reviewed proceedings! The outfit are now getting ready for their return which will be on Saturday 2nd September 2023. Tickets are available HERE and HERE.
So what can you expect this time around? Only time will tell, but last time around this is what happened………..
GAYE BYKERS ON ACID + THE CHARLEMAGNES – THE HOPE & RUIN, BRIGHTON 20.11.21
Saturday night in Brighton town and we are spoilt for choice as to which gigs to attend. My girlfriend desperately wanted us to head off to The Hope & Ruin and take in some shenanigans from Gaye Bykers On Acid and that’s exactly what we did.
The Gaye Bykers On Acid name was originally inspired by a Ray Lowry cartoon when the band was formed in late 1984 by bass guitarist Ian Reynolds (Robber Byker) and vocalist Ian Hoxley (Mary Byker). They were later joined by guitarist and art student Tony Horsfall (Tony Byker) and drummer Kevin Hyde (Kev Byker). Their first gig was at the Princess Charlotte in Leicester in mid-1985.
Their first releases – the single ‘Everything’s Groovy’ and the ‘Nosedive Karma’ EP – were both recorded in Leeds with Jon Langford of The Mekons, and released on the InTape label, both reached the indie charts with ‘Nosedive Karma’ staying at No.1 for two weeks.
Despite what you think, GBOA are not either a death metal band or a hardcore dance act – They are uniquely just GBOA operating in their own little world, with their amazingly loyal entourage of fans who have sold out this evening’s concert and we are all squished into the venue in order to lap up some entertaining sounds. .
They originally operated out of Leicester, then London and now have seen the error of their ways and they have all now moved south to live in Brighton.
After a filmic ‘A Clockwork Orange’ meets Sigue Sigue Sputnik intro tape, the guys take to the stage at 9:29pm and begin their 82 minute set comprising 17 numbers. Their instrumentation of choice are two sets of keys and a Sandberg bass on our right (stage left), Korg keys with a laptop at the centre of the stage, behind which is the set of drums, and on the left of us (stage right) there is a guitar.
This was the last night of their tour and they were obviously glad to return back to base. Vocalist Mary Byker aka Ian Garfield Hoxley bore witness to having toured as he was still wearing five concert wristbands from previous nights. No doubt he went home after the gig and cut them off and headed to the bath.
As you would expect from a room full of GBOA fans, their opening number ‘T.V. Cabbage’ was very well received. This was hotly followed by ‘Delerium’ which had the music from the late 1950’s ‘The Twilight Zone’ TV series as an intro and outro. ‘Harmonious Murder’ was up next and is about how to kill our planet. This has a fab bass riff and drums in the style of the Dead Kennedys ‘California Über Alles’.
After ‘Git Down (Shake Your Thang)’ and ‘Hair Of Dog’, the performance was halted in order for Mary Byker (who is also in Pop Will Eat Itself) to present superfan Andy with a recently found half inch tape, which contained ‘All Hung Up’, which they performed next. Andy received his award as this was his 200th GBOA concert.
‘It Is Are You?’ came next and was followed by “acid boy acid girl” ‘Shoulders’ which was a great punk corker and one of their very best tunes of the night.
‘Better Off Dedd’ was next and I noted that many of the tunes often began and ended with film samples in a Sigue Sigue Sputnik kinda way. I like these and certainly could do with more of them, as well as excessive usage of the keyboards. ‘Don’t Be Human Eric – Let’s Be Frank’ came and went as was followed by ‘Hot Thing’ which was a jolly decent track.
‘Rad Dude’ was more Sham 69 style punk with twangy bass and guitar and screeching, whereas new track ‘Sodium Sun’ was notable for its deep twangy bass work. Sandwiched in between these two songs was ‘Face At The Window’.
‘Zen Express’ has a catchy shuffling beat like a dirty 60s Beatles or Stones tune (especially ‘I Feel Fine’ by The Beatles) and was one of their set highlights. The penultimate number ‘Everythang’s Groovy’ was met with a big cheer and they finished with ‘Nosedive Karma’ which eclipsed it. They left the stage at 10:51pm.
Gaye Bykers On Acid are:
Mary Byker (Ian Garfield Hoxley) – vocals
Tony Byker (Tony Horsfall) – guitar
Robber Byker (Ian Reynolds) – bass guitar
Kev Byker (Kevin Hyde) – drums
Gay Bykers On Acid setlist:
‘T.V. Cabbage’
‘Delerium’
‘Harmonious Murder’
‘Git Down (Shake Your Thang)’
‘Hair Of Dog’
‘All Hung Up’
‘It Is Are You?’
‘Shoulders’
‘Better Off Dedd’
‘Don’t Be Human Eric – Let’s Be Frank’
‘Hot Thing’
‘Rad Dude’
‘Face At The Window’
‘Sodium Sun’
‘Zen Express’
‘Everythang’s Groovy’
‘Nosedive Karma’
Visit their official website HERE.
