Recorded at New York City's legendary
punk
watering hole,
CBGB
, this single-minded live snapshot of
Australian garage
-crunge comes as close as any '80s-era
indie
album to explaining why the country produces
MC5
- and
Stooges
-fixated bands by the truckload. From the opening blitz of
"Back in the Red,"
the emphasis is on velocity, velocity, velocity, but delivered with style and conviction. Guitarists
Dave Morris
and
Kent Steedman
are the engines that drive the band, making sure that the proceedings don't pause too long.
Damien Lovelock
is an equally self-assured frontman in the
Iggy Pop-esque
mode: he can't get the words out fast enough. Strategically placed diversions help leaven the band's breathless rampage; standouts include the
neo-psychedelic pop
of
"Pretty Colors"
and the mid-tempo anthem
"New Mistakes."
The band even acknowledges the local color with their goofy
hardcore
-by-numbers rave-up of
"Carmen Vattelly"
-- a well-known character of the time -- before heading back to full-throttle dive-bombing mode with covers of
the Only Ones
(
"City of Fun"
) and
Radio Birdman
"Burn My Eye"
). Given the stylistic narrowness, lack of variety will prove to be an obvious stumbling block for new listeners, but aficionados of this genre won't give two hoots. Like the saying goes: You pay your money and take your choice. ~ Ralph Heibutzki