Messer Chups

Our first gig in Belgium, and an opportunity to see the band in Europe as they've never made it to the UK. Magasin 4 is an absolutely no frills venue, a converted warehouse I guess but with real class. Friendly and welcoming promoters at the door and great staff. The first band Pirato Ketchup were a great warm up with a heavy rock n' roll attitude, very fun. Having heard only Crazy Price which is littered with samples and theramin spookines and a handful of other bits and pieces. It was difficult to imagine what Messer Chups were going to sound like live. They performed with a projector screen with classic horror and cheeky nakedness aplenty, and with core drums, guitar and bass. But the performance was far more than the simplicity of the setup. The guitar performance in all its basic rock and roll roots was all over that fretboard like a bad rash and actually put many of his peers to shame. Drums casually laying waste to each song and the cool bass doing precisely what was needed to hold the sound together. An absolutely solid performance and I'd say a nearly packed venue of smiling faces.

I was unfamiliar with The Greasy Gills, "green at the gills," if you will, and was thoroughly impressed with their performance. Clearly, the standout musician is the guitarist, who sounds and looks like a serious student of surf guitar. Both in technique and surfy verby musical expression, I found the guitar playing mesmerizing. I definitely plan to get greasy with the gills again. They're a fun and captivating group, and in spirit they reek of the ocean waves.