There are some artists who become the personification of their genre. They represent everything good about that type of music to such an extent that most other acts simply sound derivative. When it comes to rockabilly, it's undoubtedly Stray Cats who define the sound.
Formed in 1979 while the rest of the world was lost in an ocean of synthesisers, Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom perfected the rockabilly formula. Over the years they recorded countless classics but, quite simply, if you haven't seen them live you'll never know what truly gifted musicians they are. In a sold out Brixton Academy, the Stray Cats sound as fresh now as they ever did. Setzer's guitar sizzles as he picks out flawless licks and howls to the roof with a passion and rawness that belies his age. The rhythm sections seamlessly slips between the effortless cool 'Stray Cat Strut' and the psychobilly aggression of 'Rumble in Brighton'. (With an obligatory lyric change to 'Rumble in Brixton' on the last chorus) The band blast through old classics like 'Gene & Eddy' and 'Ubangi Stomp' with a swagger and energy reminiscent of glory days of rock n' roll. The slower numbers such as 'Summer Nights' give a chance for Setzer to show off how rich his voice has become with age as 4000 leather jacketed fans sway along.
All this comes before an encore including covers of 'Twenty Flight Rock' and 'That's Alright Mama'. The final number is a wild version of 'Please Don't Touch' where Lee Rocker mounts his double bass like a possessed rock n' roll gargoyle as Setzer leaps across the stage monitors with an enormous grin on his face.
Of Virtue
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