dimanche 3 août 2008

SEX PISTOLS + NEW YORK DOLLS & BUZZCOCKS Belgium 2008

SEX PISTOLS + NEW YORK DOLLS & BUZZCOCKS
Live at the Lokerse Festival in Belgium.
Festival site is in the town center's main square which is unusual for a rock fest next to a funfair and a second stage with local bands. Price admission for the main stage is only 30 euros which is very cheap to see 4 bands.
First to play ( around 8 PM ) are local punk band THE KIDS we don't really see them as we are hanging around in the streets but they finish their set with Sham 69s " If the kids are united".
Next to play are THE BUZZCOCKS, Steve Giggle is in good spirit ( he was drinking a lot before the gig backstage ) They're rocking fast and the audience is really enjoying the songs ( "boredom", "fast cars", "autonomy", "breakdown", "what do i get","promises", "harmony in my head" , "orgasm addict", and " ever fallen in love" ). Good 45 min of pure rock ' n roll. At the end of the show Steve wrecked the drum kit à la WHO .
Backstage we had a chat with Glen Matlock ( Sex Pistol ) who invited us to the show courtesy of our english mate Ray Morrissey. He was the only one to come backstage the others prefer to stay in the dressing rooms.
Then we have The NEW YORK DOLLS, i really love them, their last record " one day it will please us to remember even this " released two years ago when they reformed is probably one of the best rock record done these last few years by any rock band. Live they're very enjoyable.
Lots of great tunes (" Rainbow store", "dance like a monkey", "private world", " dance on a lip of a volcano" and " we're all in love " from their last cd ) + some classics ( "Pills" , "looking for a kiss" , " babylon" ) some covers ( Janis Joplin's " piece of my heart" and Johnny thunder's " you can't put your arm around a memory " sing by Sylvain Sylvain ) .
They finish their 60 min show with "Trash" and "Jetboy" . they were brilliant and David Johansen is still funny to watch in his skinny baby t-shirt.
They were supposed to play an encore but the organisers almost kicked them out of the stage as they were afraid to run late. There was a funny thing when Sylvain Sylvain spoke french , the thing he doesn't know is that Lokeren is in Flemish country and they really HATE French speaking people.Ah Ah Ah !!! "Flemish Bastards" ( dixit our photographer Patrice Guino ) You could really feel their hate as we were in Ghent sightseeing in the afternoon.
Anyway, We are here for the SEX PISTOLS so let's forget about those suckers.
They come on at midnight , as we are the Sex Pistols' guests we stay in the photographers pit for the first 3 songs and than down the front pogoing with the audience for the rest of the gig.
Johnny is dressed with a very strange outfit ( see pictures ) Glen is sun tan and has a fresh "new romantic" haircut. Steve is steve ( fat) and Cookie is hidden behind is drum kit , the stage is so high that we can't see him at all.
Of course they play the same set over and over again for the last twelve years ( since they reformed in 1996 ) , remember they only have only ONE record .
The main square is full ( 15000 people ) and it's chaos in the first rows.
They open with " pretty vacant" and play all their classics ( " holidays in the sun", " no fun", " stepping stone", "seventeen" , " problems", "god save the queen" ) Last song is " EMI" before the encores " bodies" and "anarchy in the UK" .
As usual Johnny sometimes cannot remember the lyrics and as to rely on his lyrics book or the band is stretching a song when Johnny doesn't sing at the right moment. But that's part of the trip with them. Second encore is Hawkwind 's " silver machine " and " roadrunner".
Great gig !!!
After the show we hang around backstage and have a chat with Glen and Cookie just before they leave the venue back to Bruxelles. They have an early flight in the morning to Glasgow, where they're playing the day after.


The Buzzcocks

The NEW YORK DOLLS

The Sex Pistols

Not my best videos as i am down the front with the audience:
More here:
http://fr.youtube.com/user/rockingparis
"God save the Queen " :