The Maggots, The Dirty Water Club, London (20th June) - You can invariably tell a great band by the onstage preparations they make. Excitement builds while cables are checked, guitars tuned, and kick-drum peddles adjusted as their eagerness to play spreads around venue like a contagion. Such was the appearance by the Maggots at The Dirty Water Club last Friday night. The Swedish power trio proceeded to deliver a set full of all-killer-no-filler originals such as “Cannibal Woman” and “Do The Maggot!” while dipping into their record collection for “Let’s Go ‘69” (Pebbles #?) and “Circle Sky” (the Monkees). A forty-five minute blasterama where the drums pounded and the guitar screamed as the bass nailed the songs to a suffering PA system. Wail baby, wail! So many back-to-basics bands are currently grabbing the “Kick out the jams, motherfuckers!” pseudo-gospel shtick without the suss or nerve to deliver that all important ingredient: Showmanship. The MC5 were not ashamed to put on a show while delivering their almighty racket and nor are the Maggots. The end result, the kind of rockin’ perfection of which Rob Tyner, bless his maraca shaking soul, would be proud.
