Japanese Voyeurs, Sharks, Wounds - Barfly 02 February 2010

Japanese Voyeurs pic by FreeFrenchPunk

Dark and noisy. Doorway blocked. Push past huddled throng. Large empty space inside.

Guitarist and singer spinning, screaming smashing and squalling in spit and beer soaked frenzy. This is Wounds.

Audience scared but in a good way. Band sham dangerous, mock mayhem and assault. Pussycat friendly behind the snarls. All band take turns to scream, eyes shut, neck veins throb. More beer sprayed than drunk.

Epic thrash through Stooges’ ‘Search and Destroy’. Band say they now happy. Happy means leaping from stage on top of friends in crowd. Hardcore Heaven.

Wounds show why kids want to be in rock bands. This is excitement. This is fury. This is fun. New single ‘Dead Dead Fucking Dead’. Coming soon. Get it.

Sharks follow. Kiddy Clash / pre-school punkers. Mirror-practiced guitarist/singer with Idol sneer and legs akimbo. It’s 1978 as performed by those unborn until the 1990’s.

Fresh faced guitarist in Prisoner blazer in eyes-closed solo reverie. Flailing arm is less Pete Townshend windmill, more strange class-room “Sir, can I be excused?” gesture.

This band is cool. This band is tight. This band is alright.

Japanese Voyeurs are misnamed. They are not Japanese. And we are looking at them. And loving it.

Singer Romily clutches mike to her pink-hair obscured face. Voice is high and strangled. Think kitty cat. Think Katie-Jane Garside. Think Julie Christmas. Think four kinds of fabulous.

Seattle sturm und drang. Grunged to the max. Heads nodding, hair flying. This is not new, but it is well done. Keyboards wash against three guitar thrash. Songs not quite there yet, but attitude and sound spot on.

Dust off my Camden lurch. Stop and holler. Buy record. It 'Sicking And Creaming'. Thumbs up from this judge.

Wounds and Japanese Voyeurs for the WIN!