Glam slammin’ this Monday morning. slap on a scarf for the trip into work or put some glitter in your pocket. Here are a few tunes to help the day go quicker and put a smile on your face and make your heart beat faster. Even Shit Island is wearing sun cream today so why not put some sunshine music on as you skive off and sit in the garden.
finally Giuda rock up with their Space Walk to celebrate their review going up this past week from Martin who witnessed their performance at the 100 Club.
In support of their fourth album, Giuda returned to rock London. Having seen them twice before, I knew that this was going to be an unmissable gig. Last time around, they had White Trash and Cyanide Pills on the bill; one of the best line ups I’ve ever seen. Tonight, it’s the turn of Suicide Generation to open proceedings. You can’t fault their energy, though their set seems blighted by guitar/amp issues, and they are a little light on tunes, but they reminded me of the great Ray Zell’s Marionette, so I warmed to them.
Thee Dagger Debs were more to my tastes. Indeed, so fine was their performance that I bought their vinyl album at the end of the night, and risked it on a packed tube train. To some, ‘pub rock’ may be faint praise, but they recognise its value; there’s a whiff of good, old Canvey about them. More rhythm than solos, punchy bass lines, and tunes to get the feet moving, I hope to see them again soon.
So, what can be said about Giuda that hasn’t been said before? After tonight’s show, I’m running out of superlatives. You are guaranteed a great night out at a Giuda gig. While their records are fabulous, they are even better live. From the first chord, they are in control. Tenderer embodies the joy of their music, a frontman immersed in every song, urging the crowd on. And the choruses keep on coming, new songs like ‘Space Walk’ and ‘Overdrive’ fitting seamlessly into older classics.
As ever, they keep the gaps between songs to a minimum. If like me, you’re singing along, you barely have time to catch your breath before the next chorus hits. And, most of us were singing; it’s a celebratory atmosphere. We’re all here to forget the world and have a good time, and Giuda are built to deliver. I can’t give you a set list, as my feet were moving all night. This is music to lose yourself in. We danced, we sang, we smiled. Some of the most important things in life. What more do you want? Tonight belongs to Giuda. They were glorious. Thank you.
Four years on from the band’s amazing ‘Speaks Evil’ album and Italian glam punks Giuda have produced perhaps one of their most surprising career moves to date, by signing with the UK doom metal label, Rise Above Records for the release of their fourth album ‘E.V.A’.
I’m certainly not knocking it, as I have a lot of time and respect for Lee Dorrian and his label having produced some superb doom releases over their 30 years in the business. It’s just Giuda…alongside the likes of Church Of Misery, Uncle Acid and Witchsorrow, I mean c’mon c’mon, do they really don’t wanna be in this gang?
In saying this though I do get that Rival Sons, Blackberry Smoke and The Temperance Movement signing for Earache didn’t exactly do them any harm career-wise, and seeing that Giuda will also have the recently signed Danko Jones alongside as label mates it does all kind of stack up, and as long as they continue to pen the feel-good anthems we have all goto love them for then…who cares?
‘E.V.A’ then picks up exactly where ‘Speaks Evil’ left off with ‘Overdrive’ the band’s first single from the album, cruising along on a throbbing ‘70s AC/DC rhythm complete with a glam rock hook that should have all the young Droogs screaming along at the tops of their voices when the band take the album on the road. This really is the sound of Giuda at the very top of their game.
‘Space Walk’ is the first of three glam slammers (the others ‘Space Go’ and ‘Ravers Rock’) on ‘E.V.A’ that harks back to the semi-instrumental highlights of ‘Racey Roller’ albeit here they have a touch of Space Ace sci-fi flair (rather than turned up denim flares) just to be added to the cool factor.
Elsewhere ‘Interplanetary Craft’ has more than a hint of late ’70s Who about it, resonating on an almost New Romantic melody line that sees Ntenda and the boys adding yet another new influence to their musical melting pot sound. This influence doesn’t end here either as my favourite track on the album ‘Cosmic Love’ could very well have been an outtake from the first Duran Duran album, yes it really is that good.
I’m sure the band’s fan base will be open-minded enough to accept the band moving to a more ‘80s influence sound as the New Romantic scene wasn’t really such a seismic leap away from ‘70s glam was it?
Of course there are still plenty of the band’s trademark glamthems on ‘E.V.A’ and the pretty vacant ‘I’ve Had Enough’, ‘No Place To Hide’, ‘You’ve Got The Power’ and ‘Junk’ are all going to get you tucking your thumbs in your belt loopholes pretty damn sharpish, trust me.
With their trademark ten songs and thirty three minutes of music designed to confuse and enthuse in equal amounts, ‘E.V.A’ – just like with ‘Speaks Evil’ – demands repeat plays to fully get the tunes embedded in your cranium, but once they are in there really is no escaping them.
Oh, and before I forget one of the real bonuses of the band signing for Rise Above Records is that Giuda vinyl collecting nerds everywhere should be in seventh heaven (or should that be hell) with all the different pressings released on April 5th.
Recent Comments