Don't you just love it when the support band turns out to be better than the headliners? Of course you don't know that when you're watching them, but they turn out to be the unexpected surprise of your evening. Full of presence, the Detonators were in your face, pierce your own nose, crazy punkers. Arriving on stage incognito as I don't know what, faces covered and stencilled attire, the Detonators (obviously not literally) lived up to their name. With songs like "I fell in love with a suicide bomber", you wouldn't want to take these guys too seriously. Select the more skilful moments from the Sex Pistols, a little Ramones here and there plus some Clashish vocals and you have the Detonators. When a disguise fell to reveal the face of one guitarist (there's no bass player) he was shockingly unpunk looking, hence the camouflage perhaps.
Appropriate film quote for the Detonators: for some reason "Greased Lightning" comes to mind, nothing John Travolta about them but it sounds right to me.
One of Jack White's signings, Whirlwind Heat make no sense to me. Maybe it's the "no one's heard of them so it's cool to like them" vibe, I don't get it whatever the appeal is. Disconnected and experimental punk noises coming from these three with their drums, bass and a synth, Whirlwind Heat could be a slutty White Stripes without the happy Meg and Jackness of it all. Then they throw a mouth organ in for good luck. After scrawling all kinds of offensive notes about the band, I start to aim my anger at the singer, who must be on something to generate his dance moves; the sucking fingers whilst wiggling your legs doesn't really work for me, then you get the fans trying to emulate the moves. Possibly if you listened to this band's CD before seeing them live you would appreciate them more but I doubt it.
Appropriate film quote for Whirlwind Heat: "I dig music... I'm on drugs" (from Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous").
Gig Date: Sunday, 25th January 2004 | 462 page views.
