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Gonzo Dog-Do Bar Band
Verdict: Manic fun, English battiness
A cellar heaving with sweaty, puffing people of all ages seems a natural place for a band to perform in London – the Gonzo Dog-Do Bar Band are no exception. And the Gonzo menagerie makes it like a psychiatric hospital having a late Christmas party.
The Gonzos attract a cult-following of boffin-types, comics, hippies of the original kind and age - late 60s - and young thin things, possibly dancers. The crowd is very much out there and supportive of the band. The band are well- rehearsed musicians who can hold together an unearthly set of lyrics and music that simultaneously affront and soothe the ear. Newcomers into Gonzo adoration beware - the audience is word-perfect.
Gonzo Dog-Do Bar Band perform sporadically during the year, but star well at the Edinburgh Fringe every August. They’re a comedy band who entertain musically and vocally with batty lyrics about bicycle-clips and lawnmowers. They evoke a feeling of the 1960s, and the Beatles’s wacky Yellow Submarine repartee. Their style is boys-being-silly-in-the-bedroom. Anything can be said, any rude noise can be made for almost no reason at all – perhaps why the Beatles picked the original Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band for Magical Mystery Tour. The songs have a common thread of lateral thinking, storytelling and playfulness.
The Gonzos are modelled closely on the original Bonzo members’ sound and looks. Tonight’s lead singer looks like a German count, with eyes narrow as slits – he keeps up an eccentric performance throughout. It takes a while to acclimatize to the distraction of having more than one singer fronting the band. The other singer does the silly sounds - improvising with burping, snorting, noises like rushing wind, or just plain tomfoolery. He’s a dead ringer for Austin Powers, and keeps up comic mime and schoolboy naughtiness.
The keyboard player wears oversized grey silk suit. He’s an impressive musician, and intersperses songs with a mock Northern voice and little comic asides. The drummer has the look of a long-distance lorry-driver and tells the odd knock-knock gag - the audience gets the chance to add a joke too. The accordionist is the straight guy, a bit like a funeral-director. The bassist is a hefty, shy-looking bloke with red silk Las Vegas shirt. The lead guitarist is the spitting image of Liam Gallagher, but with a very crumpled kilt and long-faced cheeky grin. He grins all the way through and belts out the addictive lyrics. The sax-player is Mr Cool Mediterranean Man – and really blasts out the sound.
The Gonzos’ cheerleader works well visually at the side-stage, jumping up and down through the songs. Focusing too long on the band makes the eyes cross, and having a dancer gets people moving.
The Gonzos are a manic mix of fun and English battiness. They’re a natural bunch of show-offs in a basement full of fans. The party doesn’t end at the final song. Instead, it kicks off. The dancers get more crazed and let fly.
The Gonzos carry on in character post-gig, when many Sunday-night lightweights have gone home. The ra-ra girl and cheerleader is still twizelling her pom-poms well after lights out. It’s the spirit of a time when people really knew how to party.
Cast Credits: (alpha order): Isabel Fay (cheerleader). Chris Limb (bass). Jeremy Limb (keyboard). Paul Litchfield (backing vocals and tamborine). Dan Mersh (lead guitar). Ali Murray (drums and jokes). Matthew Perret (lead vocals). Martin White (accordion). Peter Buckley Hill walked like an Egyptian.
Company Credits: DJ - Paul Putner. Technician - Ben Walker. Company - It’s Alright For Some (alpha order): Zena Barrie, Michelle Flower. Venue Credits: Venue Managers (alpha order): Louie Bayliss, Felicity Wren, James Wren.
END
(c) Cecilia Holmes 2005
reviewed Sunday 24 April 05 / Lowdown At The Albany
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2009
