KENTUCKY AFC, LONESOME BOYS @ Bar Blu, Rhyl

(review n pic neil crud)

When Steve Rastin called me to say the Lonesome Boys were looking for a punk band to support them I decided to be totally selfish & suggested he put Kentucky AFC on the bill.
Could Wednesday be the new Friday? It has a long way to go at Bar Blu (or Bar Bleargh, as Adam Walton so eloquently puts it) before a mid-week venture becomes the norm for the kids, but it was encouraging to see ‘music’ people out tonight. Spotted in the crowd were members of Black Swans, The Cox, Junebug, Alien Matter & Pocket Venus’ roadie so the trip from the depths of Felinheli where chicken shagging is the norm (its finger lickin good), wasn’t completely futile.

Kentucky AFC moved up to Felinheli from Pwllheli to be 23 miles closer to a cash machine, but being full time musicians one reckons the cash flow isn’t too abundant (yet). I knew they wouldn’t disappoint & they didn’t let me down, and as they thrashed out their opening song I grunted into Andy Fatman’s ear; ’Power-pop punk.’
He replied; ’It’s spikey, I fucking love it.’

And you knew KAFC were onto a winner when Steve Sync quips that they’re ‘fucking good.’ For Steve to suggest anything is good outside the 80s walled domain of Nitzer Ebb & Zig Zag Quad has definitely got something going for it.

Endaf (gtr) & Huw (bass) are the band, & without balaclavas as was their recent TV appearance, backed by a various drummer – ‘we rotate the drummers’ (they must get dizzy) & they deliver Left To Die, Pills etc with zip, zest, vigour & style; – sounds like a shower gel advert; but then perhaps Kentucky AFC are the shower gel of pop-punk-spikey-rock. I suggest you give them a squeeze & massage them into your skulls.

The Lonesome Boys were frighteningly drunk, to the extent that the guitarist couldn’t even plug his instrument in. It was quite the comedy moment watching him & the very drunk drummer trying to discover the source of the problem. Unfortunately a heavy schedule meant the Crudcrew had to make an early exit & we missed all the fun. The Lonesome Boys tried to play a song, but the guitarist was rolling on the floor with his instrument behind his head, then he invited a member of the audience up to play with him, then Carl Gunther put his double bass down to announce he’s quitting the band, then the drummer butted the guitarist, splitting his head open!
Dave Cox was witness to the spectacle, ‘That was a proper cringe worthy moment although a load of people there were laughing and taking the piss, and someone got up to show the guitarist how to play his guitar too cos he was too drunk to play it himself.’
Steve Rastin adds, ‘Yeah, it was Lewis Collinson from Ethergy, though I think it was mainly because Lewis wanted to get a chance to play the guitar which was a 1950s vintage Gretsch. The sight of the Lonesome Boys guitarist rolling around on the wooden floor at Blu covered in beer and cigarette ash with several thousand quid-worth of guitar around his neck was quite funny as well. Quote of the night came from Endaf of Kentucky AFC who said to me “The guy was going around in soundcheck threatening to nut someone so I spent the whole gig walking round on tiptoe”. As Endaf is about 6’6″, it was probably the wisest thing to do!’