Tiger Army, All Bets Off & Roustabouts

My hangover had just kicked in as I was walking up the office stairs. That's the thing about drinking past last call, no matter how much water you drink at night or how much sleep you get, you still feel like shit the next day. So if this review seems a little haggard…
Roustabouts were up first. I really liked this five piece, it's been awhile since an oi' band caught my attention. I usually get turned off by the politics well before I get a good chance to listen to the music. Roustabouts had great flow through all of their songs, which just kept moving along and kept you tapping your foot. I heard quite a bit of Stiff Little Fingers guitar work in the Roustabouts; real loud and scrappy. This band has a very full and catchy sound, so go see 'em if they come back to our town.
The second band, All Bets Off sounded like they wanted to be The Hoods but didn't have the balls to be that pissed off. I don't know what else to say other than I didn't like them at all. They were your typical metal flavored hardcore band - nothing new or special. They might sound better if they added a second guitar and cut out the psuedo-rap metal singing, but that's only my opinion.
What can I say about Tiger Army? They sounded better than I had ever heard them before. I don't know if they got new equipment or that I could finally tell the difference between most of the songs, but they played a hell of a set - short, sweet and to the fucking point. The beauty of psychobilly is that you need style to play it well, and Tiger Army has a style that distinguishes them from the rest of the pack. The bass work was on point, the guitar licks kept pouring it on and the drums kept everything in order. Constantly touring has kept the music tight as fuck but I would like to see some less-rehearsed posturing while playing. I got the feeling that someone may have been practicing their poses at home too much before they hit the road.
All in all, however, it was a great night to see some friends, a couple of really good bands and to work on a hangover.
- Marcus Dorin
- Photos by Alyssa Starkey

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