Whoever decided on this pairing deserves a medal. The Los Coyote Men were absolutely the perfect band to open up for The Dictators NYC. With their faces hidden by Mexican wrestling masks the madcap Pscho-Rockabilly Punks strutted through the middle of the crowd and up onto the stage as if prize fighters before regaling the ever growing crowd with such wonderful ditties as “Monkey Gland” complete with the most gonzoid backing vocals ever laid down on tape. With pumped up energetic rabble rousing anthems with tongue planted firmly in cheek, they were exactly the band you need to get the crowd warmed up for the main event.
It may have taken New York Punk legends, The Dictators, 37 years to return to the UK when they made a fleeting appearance last summer but the buzz created by those shows encouraged a swift return. With their first ever show in Newcastle along with Ross The Boss returning to the very city where the seeds of Manowar were sown back stage at the City Hall in 1980, the sense of anticipation before the show tangible.
Representing the link between the Garage Punk of The Stooges and MC5 and the UK Punk explosion of the mid ’70s spearheaded by the Sex Pistols and The Damned, The Dictators place in the Parthenon of Rock history is assured. Like many innovators however, commercial success was elusive yet their influence is far reaching and their esoteric blend of street Punk Rock’n’Roll with a liberal sprinkling of Pop and Surf was and still remains an enthralling, unique mix. Their classic debut album, Go Girl Crazy, recently voted by Uncut magazine as the Number 1 American Punk album of all time pre-dated the Ramones debut by a year proving that The Dictators were the originators and are now rightfully reaping the praise that their innovation and inspiration richly deserves.
A great band needs a big opening call to arms and in The “Party Starts Now”, The Dictators have just that. It’s a bold, brash statement for the night ahead. Handsome Dick Manitoba was the consummate showman of the old school, the ringmaster of Rock ‘n’ Roll, larger than life with the charisma to match with a supreme line in banter and witty one liners. They just don’t make them like this anymore. Guitarist Ross The Boss, meanwhile delivered the dirty, pumped up Punk riffs and explosive solos with a permanent smile. Here was a band that clearly love every single minute that they spend on stage and that enthusiasm rubbed off on a vibrant, eager crowd.
The set was short and to the point, no flab or endless solos, just an energetic romp through some of the best Punk you could ever want to hear as “The Next Big Thing”, “Avenue A” and “Two Tub Man” all hit the mark, while “Faster and Louder” prompted a spontaneous outburst of apocalyptic pogoing. Manitoba invited all in the club to dance before jumping into the crowd for “Baby Let’s Twist” giving those nearby ample chance to add their own backing vocals.
Ending with the breezy Surf Pop of “California Sun” and a particularly fierce roof raising cover of MC5’s classic “Kick Out The Jams”, The Dictators unequivocally answered their own question, Who Will Save Rock and Roll? Let’s hope we don’t have to wait quite as long for them to save it again next time.
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