This is the first time that the Butthole Surfers have played in Glasgow in a very long time. I started listening to them in first year at secondary school (around 1989) when I was given a mix tape by an older kid. The tape started with Jimi and it scared the shit out of me. I was actually afraid of the song. I thought it was bad.
Within a year or two I bought every Butthole Surfers record that I could lay my hands on. Glasgow had lots of good second hand record shops and I was able to pick up most of their LPs in missing records for 3 quid a pop. I loved them.
Somehow I never thought I was doing to see them live. They sold out with Independent Worm Saloon and Electriclarryland so I wasn't too bothered about it. Thye true spirit of the Butthole Surfers was gone.
Recent years have been great for indie rock fans in Glasgow. Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth, Slint, My Bloody Valentine and now the Butthole Surfers in their classic '80s line-up.
The ABC is a great venue. I had seen Desalvo, a local noise rock band who sound like the Jesus Lizard play here before. Their set was ok but nothing special.
Things started to get fucked up with the second support band, Paul Green School of Rock. This band is basically a bunch of musically gifted adolescents playing rock classics like Whole Lotta Rosie and Immigrant Song. It was very much like a talent show. They were good but it just seemed really inappropriate for a Butthole Surfers show. Things got worse.
I didn't know what to expect from the crowd. I've not met many other Butthole Surfers fans in the past and after the gig I don't think I have much in common with them. Most of them were greebos for want of a better word. The average age was about 35 to 40. It could have been a Levellers gig.
The Buttholes opened with 22 going on 23 from Locust Abortion Technician. It's a disturbing song but it sounded great. Most of the set was from their earlier albums. We got stuff like I saw an x-ray of a girl passing gas, moving to florida, John E Smoke and human cannonball. They didn't play any of the later, more commercial stuff. My personal favouite bit was a version of Sweat Loaf with extra guitarists from the school of rock high kicking as they played the grinding Sabbath riff. (Sweat Loaf is very similar to Sweet Leaf by Black Sabbath and was sampled by Orbital for their Satan single). They played a version of Jimi and closed with The Shah Sleeps in Lee Harvey's Grave. The set ended with feedback and destruction as the kids from the school of rock trashed the stage and fought with each other. It was anarchic but fun.
The whole night was surreal. My mates had never really listened to the Buttholes but they enjoyed themselves. The visuals for the gig were great with back projected random disturbing video footage (porn, '60s Batman, horror films, buildings collapsing, explosions, Snoopy cartoons) and lots of strobe lighting. The School of Rock just made things even more weird.
See the Butthole Surfers if you like unusual stuff.
Check out
www.schoolofrock.com
http://www.buttholesurfers.com/
http://www.myspace.com/losbuttholesurfers
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3 comments:
Greebos haha, not heard that for a while, since the Gaye Byker/PWEI days. I think most of the crowd were older as the Surfers have been off the radar really for over a decade.
Guitar Hero II being the exception.
I didn;t even really notice the rest of the crowd once the show started as they had me hooked with every note, first gig in a long long time that i've not checked the time.
The School of Rock kids were pretty outstanding and only added to it all, Pinkus, Koffey and Teresa were replaced on a few tracks and if it wasn;t for the fact you could see it wasn't them, it was done pretty seamlessly.
The backing screams during Cowboy Bob were fantastic too.
Thanks for posting
It was one of the best gigs I've been to and I've been to a lot of good gigs.
Early press had said that paul leary wouldn't be there so I was well impressed when he was there.
Hope they do some more stuff soon. I've got the last gibby solo cd which was ok but I've never heard weird revolution'
phunky
Leary is my favourite guitarist really, so I could talk about the surfers until the end of time.
Btw, here is the set list from the other night, No John E. smoke or Human Cannonball. So much they could of played really, still without playing anything form Electric Larryland onward.
Although I am half convinced I did hear John E Smoke, I think I was just imagining it.
22 Going on 23
Fast
Suicide
100 Million
Some dispute over T Shirt sales
Goofy's Concern
To Parter
Tornadoes
1401
Graveyard
Dust Devil
Ulcer Breakout
Roky
Cowboy Bob
Cherub
Sweat Loaf
Jimi
(??) can't remember the name
X-Ray
The Shah Sleeps in Lee Harvey's Grave
The Gibby Haynes and his Problem album is generally ok but I think out of all their solo work, Paul's a History of Dogs is pretty unbeatable, if for the most part, unlistenable.
Already rumours of new material! and possible future tours without the School of Rock.
Anyway nice reading your blog it's made me realise how many good gigs i've missed.
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