SHOW
REVIEWS
Tura
Satana / Bullyrag / Human Waste Project.
In: Rio's Bradford
Date: November 3, 1997
By: James Sherry
Rating: 5/5
"Wait, let me ask you one thing", grins Tarrie B, as she removes
the mash of sweat and cosmetics from her farce, "Are you going to rip
our show apart like everyone else? All I read in Kerrang! these days is 'she's
a fat-ass, ugly bitch'".
Tarrie B is feeling a little abused right now. On the graffiti covered wall
of Tura Satana's dressing room, someone has scrawled 'Tarrie B can suck my
dick, you arrogant cunt' in marker pen. "I think oneof the SPice Girls
wrote that about me", she laughs.
This is Tura Satanas firt British date in almost a year, and their debut under
the new monicker. The TS camp has seen more turbulence than it needed recently,
with the departure of long standing guitarist Scott Ueda after one too many
rucks with the opinionated Ms B. His replacement, Brian Harrah, has had barely
a week to learn 13 songs. Understandbly, this is a nerve wracking experience
for the amiable six string ("He thought I was gonna kill him if he fucked
up!" smailes Tarrie later).
But Harrah will have to wait for his baptism of fire. Sometime around eight
o'clock, Human Waste Project hit the stage running. As singer Aimee Echo rocks
back and forth on her heels, nervously twisting her blonde dreadlocks between
her fingers, she leans forward and whispers, "Come closer, don't be scared".
Like a hardcore Jane's Addiction with a less sickly Gwen Stefani ion vocals,
they manage to be psychedlic and psychotic at the same time. Human Waste Project
are the hottest band in LA at the moment. It won't be long before the buzz
reaches these shores.
If Human Waste Project warm up the crowd, then Bullyrag cook it. Five wild
Liverpudlians armed with samples and loudhailers, they throw everything from
jungle to hardcore into the stew, then sit back and watch it all bubble over.
Bradford loves Bullyrag's manic noise. From bouncing opener 'Wishing' tot
he unbridled ragga-metal of debut single 'Frantic', the Scousers have the
audience eating out of their hands. By the time their set crashes to a close,
the only people not drenched in sweat are the suckers who ducked out early.
"I wonder who'll be brave enough to stage-dive?" asks one fan in
the queue for the toilets before the headliners come on. He's not wrong to
be afraid: the sdtage is Tarrie's space; invade it and your fucked. Tonight,
Tarrie B looks like a star. Wrapped in a full length fur coat, she, Harrah,
bassist Rico Villasenor and drummer Marcello Palomino ooze confidence. Letting
rip with a yell that would grind most male singers into the ground Tarrie
pounds into Dry and the crowd is washed away on a wave of aggressive euphoria.
Bolstered by the martial rhythms of Palomino and Villasenor, they slam into
the headcase rant of 'Down@ and the whirlpool that has formed in the middle
of the crowd spins like a catherine wheel. "Stop being the fucking girlfriend"
the singer snarls at the mass of young girls grouped at the front. "It's
time we make our mark on rock'n'roll".
The quartet blast through 'Relapse' and 'Scavenger Hunt', and it sounds like
nothing short of brutal, Tarrie falling to her knees and emptying her lungs
into the microphone. They finish with their awesome cover of Nirvana's 'Negative
Creep', ripping the heart out of the song and making it their own, then beat
a hasty retreat from the stifling sweaty atmosphere, to collapse into a heap
backstage.
"That was amazing", grins an exhausted Tarrie B when she catches
her breath. "Ya know, I think I could get used to this ..."
Most Rocking Moment: Tura Satan's show-stopping cover of 'Negative
Creep'.
Least Rocking Moment: Not one.
Best onstage quote: "Do you reckon you can get onstage withou
making a mess of the gear? - Bullyrags Robbie Awork encourages some audience
participation.
Verdict: A new generation of bands ready to take rock into the new
millenium.