Fonda 500
Live at Royal Park Cellars on Friday, 7th February 2003
If there's one thing I love its a bit of swagger in the face of adversity. A nice big "Fuck You" when things aren't going quite right. A nice bit of "You can say what you like but i'm better than you" aimed in the general direction of crap hecklers at gigs. That sort of thing. Fonda 500's big fat stupid hat wearing bontempi playing frontman assumes this trait beautifully. The sound isn't quite right so he stops songs time and time again to have a moan about vocal monitors. Amid shouts of "Prima Dona" and "Get on with it", he nonchalantly turns to the jokers in the crowd and announces that "you get what you get with Fonda 500 and thats why we're number one". And there was me thinking it was a couple of cheeky russian lesbians dominating our pop charts. You live and learn. After this arrogant self-centred aren't-i-fuckin-great outburst its back to business as he leads his band through some of the greatest, quirkiest, down right stupidest pop gems heard at the Royally in ages. And thats pretty much the story of Fonda 500 tonight. A cocky fuck of a frontman who gets away with it due to the brilliance of his band.
Cayto are a more crowd friendly version of Fonda 500, not that anyone can understand a word they say between songs. These boys are professionally scottish, even to the point of drinking Irn Bru onstage. They play a hard rockin set of chemikal underground sounding arty, atonal riff laden lofi post rock. I think. But I could be very wrong. All i can be sure of is that the singer/guitarist is brilliant at flying off the stage and landing on his knees, and he plays some amazing stuff on the organ thats reminds me in various parts of les dawsons supposed comedy piano playing and a cat accidentally being dropped on to the keyboard whilst someone really good is playing a realy good piece of classical music . You got it yet? No of course you haven't, cos Cayto are too good for you. Too clever for you. But a joy to behold, whatever they are.