#jksw

With such praise lauded upon this group in many publications,with the shear audacity to now describe themselves as; “Reacting like magnesium to water delivering incendiary performances”, you would (reasonably!) expect that the final word on The Weirdos had been penned already. So what can be added? Plenty is the short answer!

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Tonight Johnny Kowalski & co deliver dual sets with as much attention to dynamics,energy & musical detail as there usually is to the punters. If that wasn't enough,this evening showcases new material heightened in both maturity and growth. Two new members have also joined: Trombonist Ellie Chambers (of Brum folkies The Mistakings - see Slap last October,) and Chris Yates on five string bass with a gurnin' face!

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Down to business as usual then,with twin clarion calls to arms,'Something Wonderful' & 'Night Before'. These tunes are transformed from the drunken tipsy topsy circus jive to full on synaptic struts, each with formidable fanfares provided by paired brass of Simon Noon's trumpet & Chambers' trombone. Chambers takes a first solo on the later showing to be a natural addition to the band,fiddler JJ Murray holds back considerably punctuating with complementary chords and in turn the pair form motifs that unfurl into elegant instrumental counterpoint swiftly joined by Noons.

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There's a consistent variation in rhythms tonight with the combination of founding tub thumper,Ozzy twined with damn right insistent drive of Yates. The early skank of 'Tequila Song',Rhumba is represented in “Same Mistakes”,reggae in 'Talking About Me' plus set one closes with two traditional folk piece,“Raggle Tangle Gypsy” and the firey interpretation of Jig,“What shall We Do With The Blonde?”. Before they always flirted with genres,tonight there is a respect and integrity to the source material at hand.

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Second set features a few Worrisome Ankle Trout standards (a Murray loop project pseudonym). 'Nail-biter' induces the sense of foreboding tension found in battle scenes in a Polanaksi movie. 'Park Lane Strut' was penned whilst JJ was partaking in light monopoly board squatting back in the day! Both instrumentals showcase a new restrained dynamic edge to Sexy Weirdos,one where every member has a chance to shine in a brilliance of melody.

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More Kowalski librettos in 'Imagine The Impossible'(?) which has the bite of Joe Jackson who proceeded him. Johnny presents a fair argument as to why we should check our sources and think for ourselves: “If it's good advice / you should read it twice” & “What they do/what they say/ it doesn't make sense anyway/ You must question the answers”

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One last mention then to new song 'The Good Shark' about 'walking home late and night and been fine with it', there's not enough space to describe how impeccably constructed this song is.

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What this band have created is an inclusive scene unto itself,much in the spirit of Sublime,Cardiacs & The Mothers before them. The number one priority is ensuring everybody involved reaches undiluted,euphoric bliss regardless of class,race,or sexual/musical preference! The unifying force of music if you will. “We've really worked at pushing it,it's slicker, and you can really see the polish”,remarks Simon Noons post gig,well you know what? Perhaps that should be the final word!