The morlocks (US)

Los Angeles garage-punk monsters who evolved out of the equally monstrous Gravedigger V return. The Morlocks had one of the best and most dangerous sounding discs you could get your teeth into back in the mid-80s with ‘The Morlocks Emerge’ that had listeners under a wicked spell. Fixated on the 60s teen trash ethic found on Pebbles, BFTG, etc enabled them to pull off dirty, lowdown ‘n mean versions of ‘Project Blue’, ‘By My Side’ and such killer Texas punkers as ‘Born Loser’ and ’24 Hours Every Day’. This stance and attitude gave the group a truly hardcore following across the world.
Lead screamer Leighton Koizumi and his underground acolytes, including original Morlock guitarist Tommy Clark, then flirted with a heavier group sound, embracing such songs as Pink Floyd’s ‘The Nile Song’ and Alice Cooper’s ‘Under My Wheels’, while still cranking out bone-rattling renditions of early Dutch beaters from Q65 and Outsiders.
A posthumous live LP release, ‘Submerged Alive’, appeared on Epitaph and contained dark and demented ode’s to love and perception, as their ‘She’s My Fix’ and ‘You Must Not Be Seen As I Am’ attest to; both executed with deadly abandon, something seldom heard in the modern garage rock pantheon. The Morlocks never did get the break they justly deserved back in the mists of time, so now the time is right to check out the “risen from the dead” version of this wild group, still playing songs from their Gravedigger V repertoire, as they prepare to tear it up for the first time on a European stage.

The thanes (UK)

2006 marks the 20th anniversary of The Thanes, Scotland’s 60s beat & folk-punk iconoclasts. Along the way the group has shared gigs with such vintage groups as ? & the Mysterians, The Remains, The Seeds and The Beatstalkers. It is no secret in the world of modern 60s garage rock circles that the group’s mainstay and vocal/guitarist Lenny Helsing has an unhealthy passion for 60s Dutch and Belgian beat-punk that borders on obsession. But this is what fuels his original creations such as ‘That’s The Story Of Your Life’, ‘Lazy Bones’, 'Lost And Found' and ‘None Of This’ ... to say nothing of the group’s heartfelt covers of such legendary songs as The Zipps’ ‘Kicks And Chicks’, Outsiders ‘Touch’, Q65’s ‘I Got Nightmares’ and Sandy Coast’s ‘I’m A Fool’ and others. The Thanes have received rave notices for their last record - the second of their Liam Watson/Toe Rag productions - "Downbeat and Folked Up", which appeared on Germany’s Screaming Apple label in 2003. Critics followed suit upon release of "Evolver" another Thanes retrospective, issued on UK’s Rev-Ola label. The Thanes already have a 2 LP vinyl retrospective set 'One Night As I Wandered On The Moors' issued by Australian label, Corduroy at the beginning of the new millennium. ‘Undignified Noblemen – The Complete Studio Sessions’ CD including extra single sides as a bonus was issued recently in Italy on Misty Lane. A spot at the Primitive Garage Festival in Rotterdam, Holland, 2005 and a prestigious return to Italy’s Festival Beat event this summer in Piacenza proved a big wow with the crowd: The Thanes had been one of the highlights on the festival’s 2nd year back in 1994, captured on film blasting their way through the likes of ‘Gone Away Girl’, ‘I’ve Seen Darker Nights’, 'Now It's Your Turn To Cry' and ‘Antenna Surprise’. Expect a new live 10” LP from The Thanes to be unleashed around September on France’s Larsen label.

The hormonas (IT)

These guys and gal are, it must be said, pretty damn dangerous sounding, connecting up a mass of influences between country-blues, garage punk, and all manner of nefarious rock’n’roll stylings that the world has thrown at us over the last 50 years or so. They have left fans spellbound by their shows, and will have no trouble acquiring new converts to the cause with their ‘take no prisoners’ approach. Founding member Massi is the bass player; yes it’s a stand-up style, double bass, but that don’t mean they play any kind of ‘stupid-a-billy’ OK bub! The group’s vocalist / frontman is known as Reverend Sam, and he would like it known that they are not some kind of clichéd revival circus either.

Let it be known then that The Hormonas take some basic elements of what is known as garage, punk rock and psycho trash-a-billy, and mercilessly whip it up into their own sonic blastings which send them spinning into a maelstrom of tension and barely controlled menace. With hoodoo-voodoo vibes a-plenty, real cool time primitive drumming, played by Michela, and some full-on spidery / echo guitar scratchin’ n slashin’ going on, the band are to be found somewhere on the brink of – dare I mention it – Crampsian mayhem and rockin’ debauchery. This can be heard to full effect in ‘Asshole In Town’, and the mighty ‘Sexy Monster’.

Arriving on the scene in Venice, Italy just over six years ago, The Hormonas have now taken their twisted rock’n’roll show on the road all over Italy, and over to London too, sharing bills along the way with everyone from Tav Falco’s Panther Burns, fellow Italians The Rippers, and US musician / producer Tim Kerr. The Hormonas play the kind of stylised dirty and raw, sometimes furious garage punk-blues that certain acts, some currently enjoying global fame status, could only hope to dream about. With The Hormonas, it’s like they’ve got the sound of the suburban teen garage hang-outs, and the ‘gator-infested swamps in their alcohol-soaked veins and play like their very lives depend on it.

curlee wurlee! (DE)

Curlee Wurlee are a rare breed, part German, part French, playing garage-punk / superpop themes fronted by girl organist / vocalist Cecile Musy. Their particular strand of the genre is an ultra-sticky bea confection that manages to not only get in your ears and eyes, but lodges itself firmly in the cavities of your brain too. On the scene for some time now the group have released a number of records through the years, so you can bug your local record emporium for their earlier ‘She’s A Pest’ LP - named after one of the great volumes in Tim Warren’s ‘Teenage Shutdown’ series; an EP on Larsen called ‘For All The Monkeys Who Dare’ and their single version of Ronnie Bird’s freak-dancing gem, ‘SOS Mesdemoiselles’.

An excitable and characteristic fruit-beat machine, Curlee Wurlee have already starred at the coolest 60s party events all over Europe, and have appeared on television and radio sessions. Over the years the various band members have changed, but organist / vocalist Cecile and her trusty guitarist Michael Rodeo remain the constants. The new line-up makes its present keenly felt on numbers such as ‘L’essence des Sens’, a guaranteed dancefloor winner with its fruggy, freakbeat mod mood and swinging organ break. Curlee Wurlee channel a scintillating pop mixture taking cues from the best in garage punk, surf and beat, filtering it all through their own fizzingly exuberant blender resulting in tastebud-enhancing CW flavours. This group has enough bubbling personality shining through in their songs to make them serious contenders in the hip-shakin’ euro-beat stakes. One minute they can lull you into a false sense of security with their seemingly fluffy, organically-minded riffs and (sometimes) sweet-as-candy vocal melodies; then just as easily they can turn it right around and deliver a nasty surprise, be it a fierce snarl of hypnotic organ blast or an ultra-chunky fuzz-bite warning.

So if you dig the idea of stomping uptempo garage rhythms, with fuzzy-bunny guitar twang, deliciously covered with Vox-dripping organic cream-cheese pop squeal, and just a little surf on the side sometimes, then look no further. The frenetic combo playing and wicked punk/pop gal vox intonations of Curlee Wurlee are sure to be another highlight of the Beat Expo 2006 event, and with a new LP ready to fly real soon on Soundflat, this show should see them at the peak of their powers.

preston pfanz & the seaton sands (UK)

New on the international beat scene these instrumental purveyors of ultra-cool are poised to set the musical world on fire. Judging from the reaction to recent gigs they’ve been playing at their ‘Beatsville’ slots on their home turf in Edinburgh, and down in London in the company of The Masonics, this could be imminent. Led by the lead guitar talents of Mr P. Pfanz, his group, almost always suited & booted, effortlessly twang, rumble and crash their way through vintage standards such as ‘Diamonds’ and ‘Besame Mucho’, while offering up perfectly glimpsed new vistas to the pre-Beatle rock revolution with their own compositions like their excellent debut single ‘Knockhill Chicane’, and ‘Forth Dimension’; influenced by the likes of their beloved Ted Taylor Four, and The Shadows their sound is highly engaging and taut. Preston Pfanz and the Seaton Sands also has a penchant for humorous titles inspired by modern-day living in and around Edinburgh and its east coast environs. Be warned, your taste in musical groups may be about to change once you have witnessed Preston Pfanz and the Seaton Sands in action.

the ambassadors (BE)

The Ambassadors is the new name of locally well-known 'Catacombo' from Antwerp, Belgium, chosen from a great Milkshakes tune, 'Ambassador of Love'. They stopped playing a few years ago but decided to reunite the band under a new name. Probably after some years of cold turkey. You will notice that their own songs have a strong Medway touch from bands like The Milkshakes, Thee Mighty Caesars and Thee Headcoats, but they'll bring you primitive garage punk versions from eras spanning from the '50s until NOW. Their singer, Laurent, goes through life as the Belgian Billy Childish and their Bass player, Dirk Ungawa, should not be introduced at all, since he's a much
wanted garage'n'beat DJ all over Europe, and so he's also on Beat Expo. If you could lay your hands on their hard to find records then you know: these guys know their shit and they open the second day so you have a good reason to come in early! With the Ambassadors, we decided to party right from the start.