Z-FEST 2001
Feat. Too Much Ruth, Afterglow, Obsidian Machina, Gerbil Bob
The Dickens Inn - 05/04/01

After three months of waiting, the Z-Fest finally arrived in Middlesbrough. The Dickens Inn played host to the first night of wild action, and Gerbil Bob (9) had the unenviable task of kicking things off. Well, they couldnt have done it any better than this. As soon as the 'Casual Attitude' opener hits, you find yourself hooked by the memerable and insanely catchy punk rehashes of old favourites. Pop crap like 'My Heart Will Go On' (Celine Dion) and 'Genie In A Bottle' (Christina Aguilera) is actually highly listenable, and dare we say it...enjoyable. In fact, Gerbil Bob do such an awesome job with these, that yuo are tempted to go home and slap them in your CD player, just to compare them. Gerbil Bobs own track -the bizzarely named- 'BumBumWillyWillyPooPoo' was requested by the crowd, and is met with a dancefloor full of skankers, and a rousing standing ovation at the end. Henry Carden, the bands drummer, said the songs was "Gerbil Bobs own 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'" and we have to agree with him. Teen spirit itself gets a little spin, as part of a three track medly, which like everything else, is nicely rounded and bouncy. The band certainly look the part with their suits, and bassist Stinky Ste especially, with his dapper bowler hat. Overall, it was a fantastic start to the night, and the band were truely delighted with their own performance. (for a full set list, visit www.gerbil-bob.s5.com).
Next up were Obsidian Machina (6) who started off well with the Ramstein cover 'Du Hast', which in turn got a decent response. However, the band are certainly not for everyone, and that was shown in the response the crowd gave. About half way through the set, OM played their trump cards 'God Is Dead' and 'Coma England', which finally got a few people off their seats. But it was the closing track 'Sugar' (by System Of A Down) that really shook the place, with Dani demanding that people get up. Surprisingly, they complied, and over 20 people got up and headbanged for the song. In the second chorus, Dani jumped into the crowd and continued proceedings from there. Jaq soon joined him, and a crazy climax ensured that OM made some new friends, and gained the respect of others who werent so keen. Gerbil Bob guitarist Lee, later said that Dani and Jaq had an "aura" surounding them onstage, high praise indeed. A good start from the Machina then, but not as instantly likeable as Gerbil Bob.
Afterglow (6) bring something totally different to the mix, and are a pleasant break for some, after the raw agression and insanely heavy guitar thrashing of OM. But tonight wasnt their best night of the festival, in fact, it was their worst. Theyw ere still entertaining and enjoyable, but after a while the songs all became samey and rolled into one. But many did enjoy them, and they recieved a good reaction from the crowd. On stage quips of being Gerbil Bobs parents and having songs about Eastenders Phil Mitchell, certainly did Afterglow no harm at all. For their first gig, they sounded very together and established, and also very professional.
And so it was over to Too Much Ruth (7.5) to clean up, and end the first, highly successful night. They opened strong and continued that way, peppering their set with just enough covers to keep those who arent familiar with their set interested. 'Mollys Lips' was dedicated to Kurt Cobain (as it was the 7 year anniversary of his death). 'Sweet Dreams' was great musically, but the vocals were a little dissapointing in places, this wasnt a problem any other night though. Hard hitting metal songs 'Blockade' and 'Guidance Councilor' were very Metallica, and were very good. The softer and more melodic 'Ballad Of John Player' was nice and parady song 'Sleep Now In The Flower' was well recieved and well performed. 'Slippery Floor' wasnt at its best tonight, but Jaqs kazoo solo more than made up for it. 'If Fruitcake Could Speak' isnt one of 2MR's best songs, but thats probably because your attention is taken by Jaq and his frankly loopy beer can solo. In fact, Jaq is rarely on the stage, as he has a magic and performance enhancing infra red connection between his guitar and amp. This enabled him to be spun on his back by OM frontman Dani during 'Molly's Lips'. So a great show from 2MR, and indeed all concerned.
 

It was going to be fairly tough to make the night as enjoyable as The Dickens Inn, especially in the cramped little House venue, but somehow they managed it. Too Much Ruth (7) were good, but the crowd wasnt. They did get the odd mosher for some songs, but most people were still in a sober and reserved state. The system used wasnt as good as the Dickens Inn, which is why they didnt sound as pounding, but it was still an impressive showing. The usual songs hit the usual spots, with 'Curse Me Worsely' being especially good tonight, and the storming 'Guidance Councilor' hitting home nicely. Not a bad night for 2MR, but they could have done with being on a better spot on the bill. Gerbil Bob (7) were always going to have a really tough time tonight, after their outstanding showing on Thursday night. But they did a damn fine job of it, and played well. The anticipation level was high for the group, and they didnt fail to please. They made a right mess of the unrehearsed 'Teenage Dirtbag', but to be honest, no one really noticed the blunder until they stopped and pointed it out. It wasnt to dampen the performance though, and they still managed to get people off their seats. The heavily requested 'BumBumWillyWillyPooPoo' once again recieved a huge reception and a full floor of people. A good showing from the group then, and I suspect, more new fans won.
A lot of people got up and came to the front when Obsidian Machina (9) hit the stage with a thunderous rendition of 'Du Hast'. The floor was occupied for pretty much all of the OM set, and the group gave a fabulous performance. 'Angel (Selling Life And Murder)' sounded better than it ever has done before, with Dani joining in for nearly all of the thrashing at the front. The track sounded huge and thumping, and was one of their best of the night. The whole set was blistering and flew past violently. Guest vocalist Ian Lipthorpe of Beneath Utopia was excellent in 'Kill Your Own Kind (With Random Acts Of Violence)' and he later stated that he couldnt wait to step into the guitarist role. So a great night for OM then, and now it was over to Afterglow (9) to round off the night. Tonight they were stunning. All of their songs were memerable and highly entertaining, and had you singing along even if you didnt know the words. 'Her Powder Voice' was utterly breath taking. With lines like "Someone told me I had a bad memory, but I cant remember who it was" how can you fail to love them. Full of onstage quips and fantastic songs, Afterglow were mind blowing. An absolutely stunning second night for the Z-Fest.
 
Feat. Afterglow, Obsidian Machina, Gerbil Bob, Too Much Ruth
Doc Browns - 08/04/01