Zombina And The Skeletones is just the sort of band name to conjure up a cheesy faux-fifties horror movie psychobilly gig and the last time I saw them play at the Glasgow Barfly they shared the stage with the fake blood & gut’s of Karloff and the aptly named Groovie Ghoulies. Could Zombina hold their own as headliners on a non-themed bill?
Openers for the night, Crossfire sounded good right up until they started shouting. Punk vocals have never had a reputation for subtle beauty but some semblance of singing is still required rather than getting the words out as loud as you can. It’s a pretty tight performance though but I’m left a little disappointed, it’s what I would hope from my punk bands when they’re in the studio, on stage I want more attitude, more fuck you, more drunken inability to play instruments and to feel that the bassist is gonna kick my head in if I write a bad review or at least spit on me if I look at him funny. It’s punk, in fact it’s good punk – with a skinhead ska tune thrown in for good measure – but it feels very safe.
The Retrofrets do their best to dodge my genre pigeon-holes, the male vocalist has some nice high-heeled boots and the female lead guitar wears a boys shirt & tie but this playing with gender fashion stereotypes has nothing to do with their music so lets not mention it at all. They’re good, playing a blues song, a jazz tinged number, an indie ballad number and some rock, and some more rock. One set doesn’t feel like enough to get to know them though and it’s noted to look out for their next local gig. However they lose a few cool points by committing the incredible faux-pas of sideswiping their headliners by encouraging their audience to head upstairs to hear the Bitchfits, luckily through chance or sensible planning Zombina hold back their stage time until folk filter back downstairs.
And Zombina are well, they’re Zombina and the Skeletones. Describing Zombina as psychobilly is a misnomer, more bubblegum-punk than psycho and much more doo-wop than rockabilly or any other -billy in fact. Neither are the band horror-punk, they’re far too cute and playfully tongue-in-cheek. Singing rock n roll love songs about teenagers who, purely incidentally, may yearn longingly after evil scientists, have psychopathic killing tendencies or who may indeed be dead (or undead, obviously). The set is pure rock n roll fun, full of favourites, full of songs catchy enough to pick up by the second chorus even if you’ve never heard them before. All that undead zombie blood & make-up and cross-boned skull on the bass drum can be ignored and there’s still a good time party band that would entertain anyone, Yes, they’d even make even the dead get up and dance.
There I said it, I like the sixties sci-fi and b-movie horror theme, I like that Zombina gigs are an excuse for dressing up in antique top hats and skeleton tights. But what I like most is that there is no need, the band are good, the tunes are excellent, their gigs are never a disappointment.
[flickr tag=zombina]
