THE REZILLOS + EDDIE & THE HOT RODS – ROPETACKLE ARTS CENTRE, SHOREHAM-BY-SEA 21.3.25
Tonight The Rezillos beam down from their spaceship (well, there’s no sign of any tourbus outside…) to Shoreham’s Ropetackle Arts Centre. In support they bring with them Eddie & The Hot Rods. I’d previously seen Eddie & The Hot Rods supporting Dr Feelgood in London early last year, and to be honest, didn’t expect a great deal from them as they had no original members. To be fair, neither do Dr Feelgood. As it happened, I was absolutely blown away by just how bloody good they were!!! I’m hoping that they will repeat the trick tonight, and that it wasn’t just a flash in the pan.
As it happens, they absolutely do not disappoint. They don’t start off with ‘Gloria’, which is listed at the top of the setlist on the stage in front of me, but charge straight into ‘Quit This Town’, from their second album ‘Life On The Line’, released in 1977. This is followed in very short order by ‘Telephone Girl’, from the same album. After ‘I Might Be Lying’, vocalist Ian ‘Dipster’ Dean apologises for swearing – as if he means it!!! To clarify what I said about the band having no original members, I should point out that ‘Dipster’ has been in the Hot Rods for around 25 years. Initially he was on bass but switched to lead vocals after the tragic passing of original bassist Barrie Masters in 2019.
‘Paradise’ from 2022’s ‘Guardians Of The Legacy’ album is something of a tour de force, featuring a harmonica solo from Dipster, and a bass solo from Mic Stoner (formerly of Chords UK). The title of that particular album is certainly apt, as this line-up are indeed the guardians of the legacy of the original band. I can tell you right now without an inch of hesitancy that these guys are doing a superb job. Barrie Masters would be proud. They are an exceptionally good live band. Drummer Simon Bowley could almost be a very powerful metronome. Not that he’s small or anything…. Richard Holgarth’s playing throughout is utterly sublime. More than anything they remind me of the original line-up of Dr Feelgood. They have a similar understated aggression.
The appearance of ‘Teenage Depression’ signifies that we are getting towards the end of the set. At least drawing near to the close is signalled by a stone cold classic. Meanwhile, ‘Ignore Them (Always Crashing In The Same Bar)’ is dedicated to all of the band’s friends in Belgium. This elicits absolutely zero response from the crowd. Maybe there were some people in from Belgium? Who knows! Never let it be said that Eddie & The Hot Rods never surprise you: late in the set they throw in ‘Hard Drivin’ Man’, a J Geils Band cover. I certainly wasn’t expecting that! Unsurprisingly however, the set concludes with the undeniably awesome ‘Do Anything You Wanna Do’. So ends another triumphant support slot. However, it would be nice to see a headline tour. Come on lads – you know you want to!!!
Eddie & The Hot Rods:
Ian “Dipster” Dean – vocals and harmonica
Simon Bowley – drums & backing vocals
Richard Holgarth – guitar & backing vocals
Mic Stoner – bass & backing vocals
Eddie & The Hot Rods setlist:
‘Quit This Town’ (from 1977 ‘Life On The Line’ album)
‘Telephone Girl’ (from 1977 ‘Life On The Line’ album)
‘I Might Be Lying’ (from 1977 ‘Life On The Line’ album)
‘Paradise’ (from 2022 ‘Guardians Of The Legacy’ album)
‘Life On The Line’ (from 1977 ‘Life On The Line’ album)
‘Why Should I Care Anymore’ (from 2009 ‘New York: Live’ album)
‘Teenage Depression’ (from 1976 ‘Teenage Depression’ album)
‘Ignore Them (Always Crashing In The same Bar)’ (from 1977 ‘Life On The Line’ album)
‘Hard Drivin’ Man’ (J Geils Band cover)
‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’ (from 2006 ‘Been There, Done That…’ album)
‘Do Anything You Wanna Do’ (a 1977 single)
To the sound of the ‘Thunderbirds’ theme, and spacecraft noises (see – I told you they came on a spaceship!!!) The Rezillos appear onstage, with the seemingly ageless Fay Fife and Eugene Reynolds arriving last. Now, we all know that those aren’t the names that appear on their birth certificates and passports. I could tell you what their real names are, but that would spoil the illusion. They have chosen their stage names for a reason (and it’s not because they’re wanted in many countries). If you really have to know their real names, that information is readily available on Google. Otherwise, let’s keep with the fantasy!
Surprisingly they start the set with their one and only really big hit, ‘Top Of The Pops’. Now whether they’ve done this to start the set with a bang, or get it out of the way I’m not sure. Let’s face it, any Rezillos song is going to start their set with a bang! I’ve seen this line-up of The Rezillos quite a few times, and I can vouch for their live brilliance! They have never disappointed me so far, and it’s immediately clear that they’re not going to tonight. Sci-fi influenced punk rock with goofy dancing? What’s not to like?!!!
As well as the music a Rezillos gig is also a visual treat. There’s always something going on. It usually happens quite quickly, and to be honest I don’t honestly know how they keep up the pace. Quite frankly it’s difficult enough for me in the audience! At the beginning of ‘Somebody’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight’ (unbelievably a Fleetwood Mac cover! I kid you not) guitarist Phil Thompson nuts his guitar, Fay Fife play-fights with him, and he ends the song with a Pete Townshend leap. Will he be so energetic by the end of the set? We shall see. Apparently ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’ hasn’t been played since 1978 because “it brings back bad memories”. I could have sworn that I’d heard them play it before, but that could be my addled brain. The memories can’t be that bad – there are no noticeable tears onstage!
‘Cold Wars’ is a brilliant song, but these days it seems sadly relevant, as indeed it was back in 1978. Before ‘Teenbeat’ Eugene asks if there are any teenagers in the audience. No-one says anything, but I think I spotted one. Somebody who looked way younger than most of the rest of the crowd anyway. In general, people under fifty seem to be fairly thin on the ground tonight. Which is rather a shame as the music hasn’t unduly changed in the last 45 years or so. I guess that youthful tastes have though.
According to Eugene, ‘No’ has the world’s shortest chorus. Fay takes a break while Eugene sings lead on this one. She returns for ‘Where’s The Boy For Me?’, which was the first Revillos single. Fay plays keyboards on this. The Revillos were Fay and Eugene’s band after The Rezillos split up in 1979. Proving that there is more to The Rezillos than their late 1970s output is ‘Zero’, the title song of their 2015 album. It’s every bit as tuneful and punchy as their earlier work and features Phil Thompson playing keyboards with his head, which is fairly inventive. However, as well as this ten year old song, there are new songs to enjoy! First up is ‘Do Or Die’. I would say that this follows The Rezillos’ template, but only in the same way that ‘Zero’ does, in that it remains true to the band’s modus operandi. It is good enough to have been included on ‘Can’t Stand The Rezillos’ had it been written at the time. Newie ‘Edge Of Delight’ features Eugene on lead vocals. A third newbie, ‘Curse Of The Pretty Man’, follows. Fay tells us that these are intended for a new album. If these are indicative of the quality of the rest of the material it’s going to be a cracker!!!
The Kinks cover ‘I Need You’ and ‘Getting Me Down’ change places in the setlist because Eugene doesn’t have his glasses on and can’t see the list! I feel his pain. Age is a terrible thing. However things are back on track with their famed cover of The Sweet’s ‘Ballroom Blitz’. It’s a ripping version. The Rezillos tear it apart. It’s clear that we’re heading towards the end with ‘Good Sculptures’ and ‘Destination Venus’. There’s still time for a Revillos song though with ‘Motorbike Beat’ being quickly dispatched. ‘Can’t Stand My Baby’ causes a mini middle-aged mosh pit to erupt, which continues through an adrenalised cover of ‘River Deep, Mountain High’. With that they leave the stage. There are no further songs on the setlist, but there must be more. Mustn’t there?
Thankfully the band do return with a new song called ‘Cranium’. It’s a slow ballad. Ha! Only joking! It’s a rip-roaring rocker which is probably sufficient to invoke heart attacks amongst some of the audience members. It’s another positive pointer towards the next album. Before the band came back on I was trying to think what they hadn’t played. They put me out of my misery by playing ‘Flying Saucer Attack’. How could I have forgotten that?!! It’s a storming finale to an absolutely electric gig!!! And they have to do it all over again in London tomorrow! And yes, Phil Thompson was every bit as energetic at the end of the show as he had been earlier on. Tonight has been a classic gig. I didn’t expect it to be anything else. After all, this is what The Rezillos do.
The Rezillos:
Fay Fife – vocals and keyboards
Eugene Reynolds – vocals and guitar
Phil Thompson – guitar and backing vocals
Chris Agnew – bass
Angel Paterson – drums
The Rezillos setlist:
‘Top Of The Pops’ (from 1978 ‘Can’t Stand The Rezillos’ album)
‘Mystery Action’ (b-side of 1978 ‘Destination Venus’ single)
‘Somebody’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight’ (Fleetwood Mac cover – from 1978 ‘Can’t Stand The Rezillos’ album)
‘Thunderbirds Are Go’ (from 1979 ‘Mission Accomplished….But The Beat Goes On’ album)
‘Cold Wars’ (from 1978 ‘Can’t Stand The Rezillos’ album)
‘Teenbeat’ (from 1979 ‘Mission Accomplished….But The Beat Goes On’ album)
‘No’ (from 1978 ‘Can’t Stand The Rezillos’ album)
‘Where’s The Boy For Me?’ (a 1979 Revillos single)
‘Zero’ (from 2015 ‘Zero’ album)
‘Do Or Die’ (unreleased)
‘Edge Of Delight’ (unreleased)
‘The Curse Of The Pretty Man’ (unreleased)
‘Land Of 1,000 Dances’ (Chris Kenner & Fats Domino cover – from 1979 ‘Mission Accomplished….But The Beat Goes On’ album)
‘Getting Me Down’ (from 1978 ‘Can’t Stand The Rezillos’ album)
‘I Need You’ (Kinks cover – from 1979 ‘Mission Accomplished….But The Beat Goes On’ album)
‘Culture Shock’ (from 1979 ‘Mission Accomplished….But The Beat Goes On’ album)
‘Ballroom Blitz’ (The Sweet cover – from 1979 ‘Mission Accomplished….But The Beat Goes On’ album)
‘(My Baby Does) Good Sculptures’ (from 1979 ‘Mission Accomplished….But The Beat Goes On’ album)
‘Destination Venus’ (1 1978 single)
‘Motorbike Beat’ (a 1980 Revillos single)
‘Can’t Stand My Baby’ (from 1978 ‘Can’t Stand The Rezillos’ album)
‘River Deep, Mountain High’ (Ike & Tina Turner cover)
(encore)
‘Cranium’ (unreleased)
‘Flying Saucer Attack’ (from 1978 ‘Can’t Stand The Rezillos’ album)
