A
WHOLE SUMMER OF PUSSY – Roll Cage (Head
Miles Records)
Sydney-based quartet Roll Cage, led by Ashley Thomson can't help but stand
out in their own unique way, from the rest of the pack, with their debut LP
"A Whole Summer of Pussy". With 'rock' being 'back' 
with
the likes of The Vines, Jet, The Casanovas, The Datsuns, The Strokes, The
Hives, The White Stripes, etc., those seeking bands playing songs with lyrical
content with slightly more purpose and meaning that just going to the next
party and having a good time, can have a tough time. But Roll Cage seem to
bring the balance back.
"BrisVegass" opens the LP and is a catchy tune, with tongue-in-cheek
lyrics about the city of Brisbane and its supposed similarities to Las Vegas,
which The Vines have not been known to care enough to write about. This is
quickly followed by "Summer of Pussy" from which the LP derives
part of its title and is yet another catchy garage rock-pop tune with possibly
a dash of Van Halen inspired 80s blues rock-metal sleaze. From there the album
has songs which are consistently sharp, catchy and tongue-in-cheek and gives
rise to notice the considerable influence exerted upon Singer / Guitarist
/ Songwriter Ashley Thomson by contemporary Scandinavian rock gods Turbonegro.
"Beats Going Out" is a marked departure with the use of acoustic guitar, harmonica
and judicious use of keys from Ned Alphabet which may draw certain comparisons
to (now departed Sydney legends) Died Pretty. Throughout the LP, the rhythm
section of Carl Ekman and Scott Armstrong are rock solid and hardly miss a
beat. When it comes to closing an LP, its hard to beat the closing triumvirate
of "Wolfenstein" (with Ashley Thomson's use of a faux Germanic accent),"Rock
n' Roll Heart" (with a subtle lyrical nod to Johnny Thunders and Lou
Reed) and "Blowjob Queen" (a clever story about - not surprisingly
-another prostitute).
Roll Cage's "A Whole Summer of Pussy" is an incredibly impressive
debut LP from this Sydney-based quartet that almost never was. -
Simon Li
Roll Cage is
the principal musical vehicle for Sydney’s self-described lo-fi punk
nosebleed Ashley Thomson (ex-Panadolls, Brother Brick, Kelpies) and this is
their debut release (not counting a series of downloadable free MP3 demos
that were hanging around the Web in 2000.) This is a limited run of 500 copies
on vinyl only, so once they’re gone that’s it. If you’re offended
by gratuitous mentions of the words "pussy" and "fuck",
stop reading now. You probably don’t have a sense of humour anyway.
If there is a current wave of "garage rock" then Roll Cage deserve
to ride it, but I’ll be fucked if the likes of Triple Jay are going to
touch this (which is probably a good thing, anyway.) Roll Cage is the sound
of a bunch of guys going into a Sydney studio for a day and banging out 11
songs – a fact which, on its own, is enough to scare away even a programmer
from a so-called "yoof "network. It’s rough and rockin’
– which is exactly why you need it - but never off-handed. This is the
sound of a noisy, sweaty Friday night with schooners being spilt on the sticky
carpet, drugs being dealt on the pool table and someone throwing up in the
gutter outside. A bit like the Thomson household, I'm tempted to say, but
I know better so I'll move on.
Roll Cage are your basic four-piece (guitar-bass-drums-keyboards) and the
songs are simple. Minimal backing vocals, a smidgin of harmonica, a few open
chords and Bob’s your uncle (or auntie, if "Best Looking Girls"
is to be believed.) Live, the line-up now includes Stewart Cunningham (ex-Asteroid
B612, Brother Brick, Challenger 7) on lead guitar which bolsters the sonic
capabilities by a quantum factor, but Ashley’s own playing holds up pretty
well here. Ned Alphabet’s keyboards are a definite plus, although not
overplayed. The nice, loud pressing also lifts the bottom end, no end (and
you can always burn the vinyl to disc if you’re THAT much of a digital
slave.)
Pinning down who Roll Cage sound like most is a toughie, but there's a relaxed
"Kill City" feel to a few of the tracks ("Best Looking Women",
"When You're Drunk You Think About Me") and a touch of the Stones
to others ("The Pusher" - the Steppenwolf song - and "Blow
Job Queen"). Then again, what band worth its salt doesn’t have a
touch of the Stones about them?
This was almost the album that was never made, with Ash deciding to have a
heart attack and multiple bypasses just to complicate the issue. No wonder
his wife Carol, their kids and St Vincents Cardiac Ward all cop a credit in
the album notes. Just don’t let them play it as in-house piped music...
These are songs about blow jobs, getting out of jail, drugs, blow jobs, stolen
cars, transvestites and, um, blow jobs. But I wouldn’t want to leave
you with the impression that "A Whole Summer…" is played strictly
for laughs. Idiosyncratic as some of its lyrical nature might be, more than
half the songs therein are serious.
Immature in places?
Hell yes! That’s why the band called it "A Whole Summer of Pussy"!
Make it the soundtrack of yours and than your lucky stars it came out those
Australian music industry bans on adult content albums being sold to minors.
- The Barman
