THE QUEENS HEAD, ST.AUSTELL (16TH JUNE)

THE SEX BRISTOLS

Another punk covers band playing in another Cornish pub. Nothing to see here, ladies and gentleman, move along now please...

Well yes and no really.


This band of middle aged punk rockers, (all old enough to know better), are actually quite entertaining and true to the genre. Led by the beret wearing Mike Riot, the band hammer through some Sex Pistols covers and then start to show their form by branching out on other classic punk tracks. All the versions that they played were musically true to the originals, the singing less so, but when you are covering so many varying vocal styles its probably wiser to just stick to your own, (which is what Mike did).


The guitar of Dicky Strings was spot on to the records, as was the bass and drums of Gary Nasty and Anarchy Chaff, (ooo, comedy names ahoy!). Visually they were nothing like The Pistols, but the did sound very similar and did a sterling job of playing the other collection of tracks that included nods to the catalogues of The Buzzcocks, The Ramones and The Clash amongst others.


So yes they`re from Bristol, yes they are banned from a couple of other local pubs for rowdy behaviour (well I never!), and yes they`re not very original. But they do a damn fine job when it comes to punk covers and sticking to the performance.


The only problem I have with covers bands is that they are all clearly good musicians, so why don`t they write something new and take the styles of music forward? Its like a formula one racing driver who refuses to drive anywhere off the track - what a waste of talent.


The Sex Bristols - good but predictable.

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With trepidation we wandered to the pub

To see a covers band, ah yeah, there`s the rub

A punk band called The Sex Bristols were down

Old men stuck in 78 were sitting all around.

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The Bristols started up with vim and vigour

The pub soon got full - it needed to be bigger

So we sat in a corner with our beer and tried to listen

The music was so loud, but something was missing.

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The original artists, thats what was absent

Then I needed some air so to the bogs I went

It was there that I finally came to a conclusion

This band and audience are living an illusion.

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I prefer reality when I hear a song

Pretension and pretending can only be wrong

So if I want covers I`ll look to my bed

And to all these bands - I wish you dead.

http://www.sexbristols.co.uk/