In the ’60s The Beatles, Rolling Stones and The Kinks led the British invasion into The States. Fast forward a few years and it seems as though it’s the turn of Sweden to invade these shores with Europe, Royal Republic and now the Electric Boys all gracing the stages of Newcastle this month.
The Electric Boys reformed a couple of years ago after an absence of almost two decades, which saw front man Conny Bloom and bassist Andy Christell decamp to Hanoi Rocks. After Hanoi Rocks called it a day, the time was right for the Electric Boys to reunite and with original drummer Niclas Siegevall and guitarist Franco Santunione back on board, it was all systems go. Their latest album And Them Boys Done Swang, harks back to their glorious debut, Funk-O-Metal Carpet Ride and set the scene for a lively show.
The small stage at Trillians, if anything, added to the atmosphere with the crowd and band up-close and personal. It didn’t take long for the venue to turn into a heaving sweatbox of energy. What a change this was to the impersonal stadium shows that seem so popular these days.
Musically melding a heavy Funk groove with the sleazy Rock’n’Roll of the prime time ’70s era Aerosmith, with a liberal sprinkling of psychedelia, the Electric Boys eclectic mix of styles was an intoxicating cocktail. This was loud, proud and very, very Funky with “Rags To Riches”, “Electrified” and “Bad Mother Funker” laying down titanic grooves, while MTV smash, “All Lips And Hips” saw Conny Bloom hip swinging into the crowd.
How the Electric Boys were not household names the first time around is a complete mystery. They had the style, look, swagger and more importantly great songs to go all the way. They are now back older and wiser, but with the same attitude and a collection of songs that Rock harder and Funk deeper than ever before, and maybe this time with the right break, the Electric Boys might well be back playing the bigger venues like a band of their class deserves.
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