Jackie O

Jackie O have been around for ages. And yet even though they seem to play all the time they always kick ass live. Recently they have been ‘discovered’ by London media types and finally got a spot of deserved attention.

First time I saw them I was walking down Oldham Street a few years ago and heard an awesome racket coming out of Night And Day. I wandered in and there was this incredible band on stage. Sorta like John Spencer all fuzzed up and ready to go. A motley crew of mates acted out the mosh pit routine. It was a nice surprise another band to add to the Manchester punk rock underground that has been in existence since the late seventies. A shadowy scene of occasionally fantastic bands or dumb chancers who disapear instantly.

Tonight Jackie O seem to be playing to the same handfull of mates with a few local bands in support. It a shame that bands as cool as this can never get the punters into their shows in Manchester. Even with a recent spate of music press attention and some hip association with the faddish ‘new rock revolution’ (the scene that doesn't exist) doesn't seem to have helped them. But if they keep playing as brilliantly as this- with as much conviction and sweatshod raw power they may even make enough racket to get their deserved attention from the sort of people who were into The Hives last year for a couple of months.

Jackie O are awesome.

Support is from The Strap Ons a band who play like they think that they have invented punk rock all by themselves. They make a great Ramonesesque racket short sharp hock songs that their small crew of friends is digging. Their brutal rushes are a fierce take on the souped up speeded up indie/Britpop (some of these bands are so damn close to Menswear its scary) that passes for punk rock in the trendy circles. They are playing the shoot your mouth off game, they are fast and they are tight a product of the return to guitar music fashion in 2002. Hopefully they will have the guts to keep going when the whole scene implodes in the spring and carve out some punk rock action of their own when all the trendys have switched to the next music scene.

It would be a shame if The Strap Ons exciting energy was burned out by the fickle collapse of fashion before they really got going.