Crackout - London Madame Jo Jo's - 24/7/00
3/5
By: Toby L
It's time for a change in this country. We need more rock music. The Americans have been creaming it for too long in the UK, which is fine, but it would be so... incredible if the UK itself could latch on to an act from our side of the Atlantic that would inspire the teenage-angst that Nirvana and Pearl Jam once brought on years ago in their own realm. God knows there's enough repressed, young souls nowadays.
However, the ball finally seems to be rolling and bands are realising that what so many people simply want at the end of the day is to have four or five lads up there on the stage creating just a bloody noise that we can mosh to. That's all we require, honest. Lads that may be inspiring a change in routine include distortion punks My Vitriol or the ever-rising Idlewild. But, please, certainly after seeing them tonight, add Crackout to that list. They shake up the rock rulebook by having just three members. They're like Ash, before they got a fanciable girl to join them to further enhance their already mastered sound.
Obviously, rock is a US export and, ultimately, it's hard to imagine that this band have got anything other than such records in their collection. Offering fancy hooks, plenty of barre chords, a drummer with a suit (well, they have just toured with the polyester-loving Bluetones, famous for their love of formal, cloth-garments), a bassist with hair like Blur's Alex James, circa 'Leisure' period, and songs that growl and grind their way into your skull. But don't underestimate their tightness, oh no. Where other punk-pop bands play in masses of distortion and feedback to overshadow the fact that they can only play three guitar-chords and one really quick drumbeat, Crackout emphasise how close-knit their playing is by stop-starting basslines and guitar strikes only to begin again in perfect unison.
Set-highlights? Well, it's pretty obvious, but the aforementioned fancy band-work is best illustrated in songs such as the gyrating 'Guillotine', though set-closer 'Last in Line', inclusive of cheeky Elastica and Wire hooks and rumbling bass, still leaves the ears buzzing even after they've departed the oddly-shaped stage. It's invigorating to think that rock is still alive and that the UK is doing its bit for it. Like, how bodacious is that, dudes? Quite.
Artists in this article: Crackout
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