Monkey Boy + Monkey Island + Harsh - The King Alfred, Southampton. 14/10/05

My first visit to The King Alfred in Southampton, home of many a DIY punk gig and down the road from the more famous Joiners Arms; it's an evening out for half of Portsmouth Turbojugend but our beloved denim jackets with PORTSMOUTH on the back remain at home because let's face it, we don't want our heads kicked in before we start which was a wise move because when we locate said pub it looks like no gig is on until we see a hairy sort climbing the stairs from the toilets in the basement and he tells us we have to go through the pub, up the stairs at the end of the bar and there we shall find good music. Downstairs is full of tough looking local types gearing up for a spot of karaoke and had we worn our TJ jackets I doubt we would have made the stairs in the first place! But anyway, up some narrow stairs and we enter a tiny room that's about the same size as my living and dining room combined, with twenty people in it's crammed and you have a nice feeling that you are at an event, a real gig being done for love and not money.

Harsh are the first band up and include the couple of chaps who were on the door, they play stripped down honest foot to the floor rock n roll punk. It's basic, it's good fun and they sound like a million other rock n roll bands who are out there playing tiny venues but it's from the heart and you know they are playing it because they need to, because rock n roll is in their blood and they don't care if they play to 5 people or 50 as long as they can strap on that guitar and let rip.

The smartly dressed Monkey Island look fine and dandy and I'm wondering just what this trio will sound like and I like what I hear a lot. It's bastard rock, they are putting the prog into punk by way of The Cardiacs and the blues; you don't know who is going to sing or just talk over the clattering beats or what times changes may occur or even what style of music will come out. It's quite fantastic and warped in the best possible way, a melting pot of dripping guitar and big bendy bass fueled by bottled rocket juice. As is always the case with these fantastic bands they deserve to be playing to bigger audiences but I expect they are not straight or bland enough to be appreciated by the masses and so us lucky few get to be up close and personal with this fine band.

Monkey Boy seem to have been travelling around this country for ever with their two bass and drum set up and tonight they sound as fresh and exciting as if it was their first tour. They long ago ditched the need for a guitarist as they make a fine racket with just the two basses and the cracking drums, playing bastardized blues punk rock they recount strange tales for our pleasure, a glimpse into their surreal landscapes. It's powerful stuff, the drum cracks like a punch to the head as the two bass players pound your body like a couple of epileptic nutters and although it seems wild and free they have their art perfected as the stop/start interludes are spot on without a note out of place. MB are a band who like a bit of banter with the crowd and they come across as down to earth types who really do appreciate the effort people make to go and see them; once again a band who deserve to play to bigger crowds as I'm sure many would absolutely love them but as we know the music world is not straight forward and politics are everywhere but go give them a chance, you'll not see a better live band anywhere in the UK, no lights, no gimmicks just pure rock n roll energy and some cracking songs and what better way to end than on the classic Fish For A Quid, a true masterpiece and guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.