Words by Ed King / Pic & artwork by Mackie Osborne
On Weds 22nd June, the Melvins come to The Rainbow – as presented by Surprise You’re Dead Music. Doors open at 7pm with tickets priced at £22 + booking fee. For direct event info & online tickets sales, click here.
On the road ‘to promote their new record, but mostly because touring is a way of life for them’, the Melvins stop off in Birmingham as part of a 17 date European zig zag across June. And with two studio albums to shout about – Three Men and a Baby (No23, released on 1st April) and Basses Loaded (No24, released on 6th June) you could argue their press release was being… modest, about the band’s touring agenda. Although 100 dates from March to October is pretty ‘way of life’ as you’re going to get.
Formed in 1983 in Montesana, Washington – ‘a small town, much smaller than anyone could imagine’, Melvins grew up, in and around the North West grunge scene that still leaves its imprint today. Although with a style sliding from post punk frenzy through to a black metal molasses (often compared to Black Sabbath), the Melvins weren’t a direct composite of the shifting Sup Pop landscape that surrounded them. Three Men and a Baby, which was initially started in 1993 with Mike Kunka from godheadSilo, is the Melvins’ only release on the black & white branded Washington based label.
Basses Loaded, released on the Melvins’ relatively longstanding label – the Mike Patton & Greg Werckman owned Ipecac Recordings, is a riff munching march through the murky mires of ROCK. ‘Beer Hippie’ Is an Iron Man lament behind a voice decoder, ‘Hideous Woman’ is a punchy West Coast foot stamp, with ‘War Pussy’ heralding all the Donnington mosh pit madness you’ve come to grow, love and fear over the decades. There’s even an accordion in there.
And with a Spinal Tap-esque approach to bass players, with six notable guests featuring across the LP, Basses Loaded holds a bevy of sounds and influences to music porn yourself stupid over. Plus it’s a lot, A LOT, of fun. Garage bands of Birmingham take note.
‘Hideous Woman’ by Melvins – from Basses Loaded
Melvins play at The Rainbow on Weds 22nd June. For direct gig info & online ticket sales, visit www.therainbowvenues.co.uk/events/the-melvins
For more on the Melvins, visit www.themelvins.net
For more from The Rainbow, visit www.therainbowvenues.co.uk
