Tag: live-music

Stompin' Riff Raffs 2026

Review: Stompin’ Riff Raffs – 100 Club, London [28 Feb 2026]

On By markosgigarchiveIn gig reviewLeave a comment

Yet another gig ticket bought on the strength of the promo poster as opposed to me having heard any of their musical output.  And as with previous inclinations this instinct has served me well as it was one hell of a gig.  So I had to dig a little deeper and check them out prior to the gig – not that easy as there really isn’t that much available, but here goes.

They are a garage rock band from Tokyo and Fussa.  Started by siblings Nao (vocals, guitar) and Miku (keyboards, theremin) and Saori (drums) in 2006, later joined by Rie (bass). Their name came from the American title of a French new wave movie ‘The Riff Raff Girls’. They first started appearing at local shows in Tokyo, in particular the Back From The Grave garage rock events, and soon started playing all over Japan. Their first official album ‘Horror Show’ was released in 2011, followed by a bunch of single releases on various labels prior to signing to LA’s Wild Records in 2014 and releasing ‘A Man and Three Chicks’ a year later. Not sure what they did in the intervening period prior to their next release ‘Burning in 2021’.  So not a prolific output as such. Japan has always been great at copying the best from the west but the Riff Raffs have adapted the music and made it their own style.

The Stompin’ Riff Raffs mix it up with 1950s style rock ‘n’ roll/Rockabilly with 1960s garage punk in an high energy Ramones type assault on the audience.  There is no chatting between songs, just one psychobilly riff after another in their 34 song repertoire. The songs are all pretty short, sub 2 or 3 mins, they make Ramones songs feel like Yes epics 😊.   The song titles (ghost train, burning, surfing, witches, vampires, screaming, horror show, phantom, heavy sick) suggest they have been inspired by watching way too many B-movies.

Style wise all the girls are wearing fishnets, 30’s style flapper dresses and masquerade style eye masks, whilst Nao is tuxedo-clad white shirt with a bolo tie. Basically they look just like they do on their LP covers and promo material.  It’s a late start 10:30 and approx. a 75 min set that’s fast, frenetic, wild and totally bonkers. The girls go through the entire set smiling with infectious enthusiasm as if their lives depended on it – they were clearly having a bloody good time.  The beat is roughly the same throughout and a sold out 100 club audience – many dressed in 50s psychobilly gear and tattoos loved it.  Keyboardist Miku often used her feet, arms and hands to play the keyboard and the Theremin (that’s now the third band I know that use one after John Otway and The Tiger Lillies) creating ufo style ‘outer-space sounds’. I think I just witnessed magic happening. Saori grinning ear to ear beats the crap out of the drums and bassist Rie (looking well cool) is solid on bass and harmonies. They are not the best musicians in the world but that misses the point – together they make a glorious sound and look ace!  Nao is a decent enough front man, got the looks and the moves and plays some slick licks and solos on the guitar.

Set list (click on links to view YouTube videos)

  1. WILD
  2. She Bites – (Burning, 2021)
  3. Rock and Roll Guitar – (Horror Show, 2011)
  4. Girl Can’t Dance – (Burning, 2021)
  5. Phantom Rock – (Burning, 2021)
  6. Parabellum – (Horror Show, 2011)
  7. Linda – (Horror Show, 2011)
  8. You Shake Me – (A Man And Three Chicks, 2015)
  9. 99 Chicks – (Horror Show, 2011)
  10. I Hate
  11. Surf Side Date – (A Man And Three Chicks, 2015)
  12. Cosmic Wave – (Burning, 2021)
  13. Scream – (Burning, 2021)
  14. What A Shame – (A Man And Three Chicks, 2015)
  15. Tizzy Tizzy
  16. The Vampire – (Burning, 2021)
  17. Whatever – (Burning, 2021)
  18. Heavy Sick – (Burning, 2021)
  19. Village of Love
  20. Buxotic – (A Man And Three Chicks, 2015)
  21. Casbah
  22. Dance Flanny Dance – (A Man And Three Chicks, 2015)
  23. Stupidity
  24. Slay So Hard
  25. Screamin’ On Wheels – (A Man And Three Chicks, 2015)
  26. The Witch – (Burning, 2021)
  27. Burning – (Burning, 2021)
  28. Horror Show – (Horror Show, 2011)
  29. Ghost Train – (A Man And Three Chicks, 2015)

Encore

  • Justine
  • Heavy Sick Boogie Version – (B’side of She Bites 7” Single, 2025)
  • I Wanna Be Your Dog
  • Motor Cycle
  • Bizarre – (A Man And Three Chicks, 2015)

The Riff Raffs certainly have the RnR dial locked on 11, playing their own compositions and classic covers enthused with punk energy and attitude. It’s a might fine thing to behold and so much fun.

It’s a high-voltage, explosive live show combing retro and future sounds in quick-fire succession with no pauses – a truly energetic performance. Top show, top band, top night out! Go see them if you can.

An absolute steal for £24, don’t know how they make a profit.. 

Marko [4 March 2026]

Spear of Destiny - Janus live review Club 85 Hitchin

Review: Spear of Destiny – Club 85 Hitchin [28 May 2025]

On By markosgigarchiveIn gig review1 Comment

The ‘Janus’ tour is in support of the re-worked recordings from the 1987 & 1988 album’s ‘Outland’ & ‘The Price You Pay’ and 12” B-sides from the time.  Kirk says they didn’t sound anything like he actually wanted them to sound like.  So now he has righted a wrong and on second hearing he was correct in his original conviction.

SOD are, and have been for a while:- Kirk Brandon – Voice/Guitar; Stan Stammers – Bass; Steve Allan Jones – Keyboards; Clive Osbourne – Sax; Phil Martini – Drums; Adrian Portas – Guitars

So another new venue for me – Club 85 in Hitchin above a dodgy boozer.  Don’t let that fool you this 300 capacity venue, which is worryingly fighting closure, is actually pretty neat.  Lighting and acoustics are fine and plenty of good viewing points.  The audience tonight are quite restrained (apart from me when I found out Chelsea equalised and then went on to win the EUFA Conference League final (get back to the music review – Ed)).  I guess the audience were mainly 50+ with a few scattered youngsters around. Each song was greeted with much applause and hollering but no signs of any mini mosh pits as with previous gigs and it didn’t look like a sell out which is criminal for such a legendary band! 

The support was a bloke under the moniker of Scant Regard.  Just him, his guitar, and a wonderful back screen showing clips from old westerns, sci-fi, cartoons etc. all perfectly put together.  Most of the songs were purely music, and some reworkings of classics like Kraftwerk’s ‘The Model’ and Donna Summer’s ‘I feel Love’ done absolutely like no one else would do them – bloody great stuff.  It’s amazing what you can do with a guitar and laptop these days!  He’s defo worth a punt if you ever get the chance to see him, a bit psychedelic 60’s surf sounds crossed with spaghetti westerns and electro.  What’s not to like?

Spear of Destiny
Now Kirk certainly has distinctive vocals and the same haircut since 1982 😊, and his band are tight as you like – powerful chords, throbbing bass, and haunting sax fill the room.   I preferred the more lively tracks e.g. ‘Spirits’, ‘Land of Shame’, ‘Radio Radio’ but slow ones like ‘I’m So in Love with You’ and ‘Never Take Me Alive’ are pretty raw and emotional.

Adrian did his usual best Johnny Ramone low slung guitar act, Stan and Phil held done the rhythm section impeccably whilst Clive (in a great Captain Scarlet t-shirt) performed faultlessly when required intermittently on sax and Steve quietly just got on with the synth almost unnoticed.

Set list (click on links to view the videos)

  1. The Jungle – (Janus, 2025)
  2. Land of Shame – (Outland, 1987)
  3. Radio Radio – (The Price You Pay, 1988)
  4. Strangers in Our Town – (Outland, 1987)
  5. Embassy Song – (Janus, 2025)
  6. Outland – (Outland, 1987)
  7. March Or Die – (Janus, 2025)
  8. Spirits – (Janus, 2025)
  9. So in Love With You – (The Price You Pay, 1988)
  10. Tinseltown – (The Price You Pay, 1988)
  11. Jack Straw – (Outland, 1987)
  12. The Price – (The Price You Pay, 1988)
  13. Never Take Me Alive – (Outland, 1987)
  14. Junkman – (The Price You Pay, 1988)
  15. Pumpkin Man – (Outland, 1987)

Encore:

  1. Warleigh Road – (Morning Star, 2003)
  2. Soldier Soldier – (The Price You Pay, 1988)
  3. Liberator – (One Eyed Jacks, 1984)

The opening encore Kirk dedicates to his late band member: Warren “Woz” Wilson. It’s the soulful ballad ‘Warleigh Road’ which builds slowly and has Adrian doing an excellent extended guitar solo. Top tune!

They finish with probably their best known track ‘Liberator’, hands in the air and singalong time.  The most animated the crowd got all night.  Kirk finishes with a few words and then off backstage to recover.

A great night of music from class musicians and Chelsea win the cup – so Kirk would have been well happy!!

Marko [29 May 2025]

Review: Body Count live at the O2 Forum Kentish Town – 30 June 2024 (Merciless Tour)

On By markosgigarchiveIn gig reviewLeave a comment

Amidst the sirens and flashing blue and red lights the Gangsta rap metal boys from south central LA launch tonight’s sonic onslaught with “Body Count’s in the House” or their eponymous 1st LP and for the next 90 minutes the noise never lets up.  It’s no frills, Rock N Roll! 

The tone for the night was set as they launched into Slayer’s ‘Raining Blood/Postmortem’, then ripping into ‘Bowels of the Devil’, and ‘There Goes the Neighborhood’ before introducing us to a new song ‘The Purge’.   Ice-T told the crowd that he judges how good Body Count concerts are by how brutal the mosh pits are. Que circle in the pit ready for the mayhem about to begin for a new song written especially for a good old mosh ‘The Purge’.  To be fair the pit started on the very first song and continues throughout the night – high-energy moshing, circle pits, crowd surfers and beer flying everywhere.  Fun to watch.

Ice dedicated “Manslaughter” to the death of real men “ladies have you noticed your man has a vagina” and “they have more products on the cosmetics shelf than you” 😊..   ‘Necessary Evil’ and ‘Psychopath’ were ace, for the latter Ice took off his cap and put tights over his face – very bank robber!  “Talk Shit, Get Shot” and “No Lives Matter” are great singalongs before the last song ‘Cop Killer’ brought mayhem and middle fingers in the air along with an impressively loud ‘F**K the police’ chorus.

Body Count Set list (click on links to see YouTube videos)

  1. Body Count’s in the House – (Body Count, 1992)
  2. Raining Blood / Postmortem – (Slayer cover)
  3. Bowels of the Devil – (Body Count, 1992)
  4. There Goes the Neighborhood – (Body Count, 1992)
  5. The Purge – (Merciless, 2024)
  6. Point the Finger – (Carnivore, 2020)
  7. Manslaughter – (Manslaughter, 2014)
  8. Necessary Evil – (Born Dead, 1994)
  9. Psychopath – (Merciless, 2024)
  10. No Lives Matter – (Bloodlust, 2017)
  11. War / UK 82 / Disorder – (Exploited Cover)
  12. Drive By – (Born Dead, 1994)
  13. Voodoo – (Body Count, 1992)
  14. Talk Shit, Get Shot – (Manslaughter, 2014)
  15. Cop Killer – (Body Count, 1992)

Encore

  1. Born Dead – (Born Dead, 1994)
  2. This is Why We Ride – (Bloodlust, 2017)
  3. Comfortably Numb ‘rap’ – (Merciless, 2024)

Ice then introduced us to what he said he invented i.e. a virtual encore.  Basically at 66 he’s too old to piss off backstage only to come back on so the lights are dimmed for 15 seconds, the band pretended to leave the stage before turning around and playing ‘Born Dead’.  He then explained revenge is the answer to killings and not reporting them to the police and engaged us to listen to the lyrics of ‘This is Why We Ride’.  They were about to call it quits but as the crowd was so good they agreed to play one last new song.  He teased us about what band they would cover this time and to everyone’s surprise it was Pink Floyd.  A wonderful rap full of emotive lyrics that make your hair stand on end all to the sounds of ‘Comfortably Numb’ – what a fucking way to go out, seismic – check out the video link.  This will be a staple set finisher for years to come a total classic on first hearing.  “Can you mother fuckers hear me?”.

Review Body Count playing "Cop Killer" live at the O2 Forum Kentish Town 30 June 2024

Body Count are:

  • Ice-T – Lead vocal
  • Ernie C – Lead guitar
  • Vincent Price – Bass
  • Juan Garcia – Rhythm guitar
  • Will “Ill Will” Dorsey Jnr – Drums
  • Sean E. Sean – Vocals
  • Little Ice – Vocals

Awesome riffs and blisteringly fast solos from Ernie C (looking like a deranged Donald King), ably supported by Juan on rhythm flying V.  The back beat was delivered lightning quick from Ill Will attacking the drums and in your face bass lines from Vincent Price.  Ice-T was a magnificent sweary beast of a man all night full of passion and humility.  Plenty of social commentary “shut the fuck up bitch” to a lady annoying him at the front; racial equality has been his main aim since he started; the hopelessness of war and why can’t we all live together?  Oh and the odd gun reference 😊…

The ‘skull n gun hoody’ black stage set back drops pretty much explain all you need to know about Body Count and rap superstar Ice-T – thank fuck he went metal!!  Body Count still matters!

Marko [1 July 2024]

Ps – I’ve decided to have a new feature to my blogs called ‘Nick’s view from the bar’ – which involves my mate Nick’s take on the gig stood propping up the bar and drinking way too much 😊.  More to follow..