Melvins / Big Business / Porn (Men OF) / Monster Killed By Laser

You can see the buzz on the faces of the guys from Monster Killed By Laser as they get to support some of their heroes. Their avant guard noises and wacky sound breaks go well with the guitarists pelvic thrusts which accompany his chord playing. Add to that some grand bass sounds, hectic drumming, other worldly sampling and the odd hoot on the clarinet and you have an absorbing band that would easily consume the crowd had they a longer set.



In fact they must be a band highly regarded by the Melvins, as the other times I have seen the big haired Buzz and co they play alone or with acts like grunge lords Flipper. The three other bands on the bill are in fact a mash up of Melvins and Big Business, and these guys always play together, so to muscle in on the line up they’ve gotta dig your sound.

Porn (Men Of); an unsuitable name if you want to search for the band on the internet; carry on the sampled section of the night with heavy use of samplers and two drumkits. One is Coady Willis, who also drums for Big Business and the Melvins, and the other some of you may know as one of the early drummers of a little band called Nirvana.



The synchronised and mirror-image drumming (though a little obscured by the sheer size of the drum kits) sounds awesome (not a word I like to use but the only one I think fits). David Scott Stone (looking like a missing member of ZZ Top) is twiddling the buttons of a Minimoog Voyager synthesizer, a machine that sounds as crazy as it's name in the right hands. Not as visual as MKBL but the double drumming makes up for it.



Willis returns to the drums yet again to play in Big Business, and is joined by the one and only Jared Warren, minus his huge hair. Warren's distinctive voice and occasional arm thrusts make these guys unique, and the heavy distorted sound that comes from Warren's bass added to the pounding of Willis' drums gives the sound of a full band. They are joined partway through by Crover on guitar and backing vocals, and the sound nearly lifts the ceiling.

And then it's time for the Melvins. The night has been running a little late since before Porn, so we are all excited by the time they reach the stage. Some more than others; a couple of punks are moshing so much down front that they are pushing people too far, and a few fights break out. This causes the normally non-speaking Buzz Osborne to tell them to leave or they will not carry on the show. They leave when they realise no one likes them, and Buzz has a right old rant about them and how they must have been dragged up.



What would Buzz be without that hair? He has to keep cooling down by a fan between songs; I don't blame Warren for removing his do. We are back with two drummers, Willis and Crover, giving a great tribal sound when they play as a duo, but not overpowering the sound when playing with the band. The deep throated swoon of Warren and his mega-sounding bass backing the legend of Buzz can not be beaten. Add that to their mixture of many genres (mainly metal and grunge with some experimentation) and the crowd love it (especially now the dicks have left).

This is the last show of a very long tour, and we are promised nothing short of sixteen percent effort by the band. The gig runs over a bit, as it's filled with everything from bits of new album 'Nude With Boots' to songs way back from their huge catalogue. Memorable bits include Willis singing a sleazy grunge version of The Who's 'My Generation', the whole band singing the American National anthem, and Buzz left solo right at the end to sing country twinged 'Okie From Muskogee' along to a few drunken hecklers. A fine end to a grand tour.

FUTURE GIGS

sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.