Concert Review: February 1995

The never-ending series of Jon Shuman reunion gigs continued with an appearance of the Dollymops opening for Sinister Dane. If the reunion concerts continue expect to see the Massacre Guys

getting back together for one night only sometime in the future. The Dollymops knocked out an impressive set of noise and sarcastic commentary on their music that was a pleasure. Providing cheap entertainment and warming up the crowd is what it’s all about. The Dollymops did their job. 

I heard that Sinister Dane wasn’t all that great. Apparently the major label hype machine biased the person reporting to me against the band. I met the guys before they started playing and they were pretty decent—friendly, down-to-earth and all that. When they took the stage, I was impressed before the music began by the bass carried by Duck. It was white and built by a small indie company, whose name escapes me since I lost my notes on the show. Duck told me that he’d met with the owner of the company and personally picked out the instrument. Whatever the make and model, the sound of it was impressive. I’m a bass freak with stacks of bass recordings in my low-riding Nissan. I cruise State blasting them every Friday and Saturday night.

The press kit says these guys were pleased with their first record- ing and that it captures their live sound. The CD doesn’t touch them live. Funk. punk, metal, ska and whatever else are all mixed up in their minds. They fly about the stage, sending out as much energy from the view as their music damages the eardrums. They wear earplugs to protect their own hearing. Matt Martin (drums) doesn’t face the audience. His kit is set-up sideways, in a similar fashion to (as he told me) Rage Against The Machine and Fishbone.

The references are Living Color, who invited Sinister Dane to tour with them. and the aforementioned Fishbone. References are only references. Sinister Dane live is entirely original. A major label executive twisted my arm behind my back and held it there until I promised to attend the gig. Glasses vibrated off of tables, record store clerks were driven to dance and everyone in attendance enjoyed themselves as much as the band enjoyed playing—and I’m thankful for the arm twisting. At most, 100 people saw the show. If you weren’t one of them, too bad.

Read more from the SLUG Archives:
Concert Reviews: Hi Fi and The Frontrunners
Shadowplay: January 1995