All the Bands

This all-female quartet from Copenhagen describe themselves as "one insane and three sane bitches who are about to rrrock your world". With a bunch of releases out on Heptown Records they've been making a mark on the Danish music scene, with their last four singles getting played on national radio. Their popularity has spread through Scaninavia and further around Europe. So it's now about time they showed London what they can do! Mixing straight up sixties garage with a touch of psyched out stoner rock, some tango beats, spaghetti western surf and wah wah wailing these ladies are also one of the loudest bands around.

Out of Madrid, Spain, this is a six-man rock’n’roll machine constructed from the best parts of real R&B, garage rock, pub’n’punk rock...and gospel - 'n' kick the livin' shite out of it. Featuring a line up that makes the Cramps’audience at Napa State look normal - a fast-talkin' high-climbin' frontman, ahalf nekkid sax blower, a shaven headed evil Dr.Pineapple, a bubble-permed bassist, 'n' last but not least the only real twin guitar team treadin' the boards today, Spain’s best kept secret are set to bust out all over the shop this year!

Originally formed during those heady days of the punk rock era, they made their debut in Guildford in 1976, and soon found themselves being written about by the likes of NME - in which they were held up alongside the likes of Wreckless Eric, John Otway, Tom Robinson and Elvis Costello. Delivering "more than a performance, an experience" (Sounds), Clayson and the Argonauts were a very "happening" group, "in a premier position on rock's lunatic fringe" (Melody Maker).

Clockwork Boy comes juddering along like some kind of chromatic anachronism from a time gone by. Drawing his influence from Greg Cartwright, Billy Childish, Mick Collins, the American pop charts from 1959–1967 and the British pop charts from 1981–1991. And with him come the Ticks, a metronomic, immaculately turned out rhythm section featuring ex-members of The Bridge Gang, Joseph & the Witch, No Cars and Olympians. With debut single, "Crush On A Girl" coming out soon on 7" vinyl with artwork by Faris Rotter, Clockwork Boy seems to be ticking along nicely.

This Atlanta band blast off like a time-warped transistor radio, offering a static-free and endlessly energetic hybrid of real rock'n'roll, storming blues, and raging punk.

Catchy punk rock'n'roll in the spirit of '77 featuring former members of Spain's La Broma de Ssatan and The Pleasure Fuckers, their lyrics are sour and twisted but with a sense of humour.

Looking like a couple of gangsters from the depression era, this duo has lately been injecting the blues with a heavy dose of class and soul. Benjamin Prosser (slide guitar and bass drum) and Victoria Yeulet (vocals, leg bells) play the kind of raw, slinky and seductive blues that have the power to restore one's faith in the genre.

Five men and one robot needle-down rock and soul from outer space to your inner ear. Artrocker magazine’s word said: “Copter are great...doing that kind of rock’n’roll funked up stuff that ties up James Brown soulful strutting with grimey rock. Class.”

This Malaysian group has been described as overflowing "with a punky exuberance that recalls the mighty Buzzcocks at the height of their powers, with the melodic flair of Cheap Trick and The Raspberries”. The Star of Malaysian newspaper says: “A sexy monster... bound to spark a dancefloor riot!” The band themselves say: "Relying solely, and foolishly, on the dodgy songcraft of our lame frontman, Aidil, we continue to defy the odds as none of us can play our instruments competently to save our lives, hoping to inspire similarly incompetent kids to just form their own bands and stick it to the Man!"

Cowbell play simple but effortlessly catchy songs, performed with understated ease and charm; this is a band that all can enjoy. Really. Go and see them play. It is guaranteed you will enjoy the experience. Cowbell are Jack on guitar and vox, and Wednesday on drums. Although they formed less than a year ago ago, this duo is already tight tight tight, churning out country-tinged blues in a wholly unclichéd and cheery fashion. The on-stage chemistry between the pair is palpable, and in their wonderfully unassuming way, they hooked the ear of every person in the room. Influenced by the likes of the White Stripes, CCR, Hasil Adkins, John Lee Hooker, The Sonics, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and a host of other greats, you can get their debut single “Oh Girl” on vinyl or via iTunes now.

This is raw rockin' garage action from the "If it ain't broke..." school of Childish Medway beat, mixed in with some Dictators and other NYC punk-ola with a bit of Aussie action and bit of power pop with that Shangri-Las sweetness. I got a "Primitive Urge" baby, and only these knuckleheaded Mexican rock'n'rolling wrestlers can satisfy it.

The Crackles are from north London. The Crackles like sixties sounds, from garage punk through folk to northern soul, powerpop and rhythm'n'blues. The Crackles take their name from the evocative sound of a needle on a vinyl record. The Crackles are a studio band. The Crackles are a live band. The Crackles aren't a band at all. The Crackles hope you get it because... The Crackles want to be your friends. How far you go is up to you.

Claiming to only write songs about "women, drinking and death" (what else is there to write about, after all?!), this is grouchy, sludgy, rumbling, primal punk blues racket - imagine if The Cramps and The Black Keys spawned, and the offspring turned out to be a bear with a particularly sore head.

We've had plenty of Spanish/Basque/Catalan bands at Dirty Water over the years and none have failed to give us a full-on wild and crazy rock'n'roll show. Los Cretinos are no exception with their mix of seventies punk and sixties garage.

Two members of The Vacants got a couple of mates together with the intention of playing some f*cked up punk rock'n'roll that'll make yer ears bleed. They take in any influences they find along the way but to my ears it seems to include the likes of the Cramps, Ramones, Tom Waits and various garage bands of the sixties and punk bands from the seventies.

Playing a mix of 1960s oriented organ-driven beat, surf and fuzzed-out garage-punk consisting they describe themselves as a “sexy Frenglish beat fuzz sensation”, seeing as their songs are kind of a bit French and a bit English, but totally rock and roll. This is the most original garage bands of the last decade both for their music and due to their positioning themselves in the left wing with their lyrics and political positioning. Their new LP features 17 smashing hits, average length around two minutes, with a powerful blend of garage, soul, pop and mature though juvenile self-written compositions.

Formed more than 20 years ago by the head honcho of Get Hip Recordings, Gregg Kostelich, The Cynics are a garage-punk institution. This Pittsburgh band have seen many trends come and go, but through it all, they’ve always stuck to real basic rock’n’roll. And that’s something that’ll never go out of style.

"With incessant bass drum and snare (courtesy of a tamborine around the heel and stomp on a baking tray), grizzled looking and sounding like a one-man-blooze-show , D-66 starts off like the White Stripes if Jack got bored with carrying Meg and decided to replace her with his shoes. With his Tom Waits growl D-66 delivers rasping blues good enough to make you question wether it really is a spent force, before pummeling into frenzied psychobilly." (Artrocker)

This power trio’s rock’n’roll, inspired by the blues, is made of late night ramblings and menacing trees, bleeding and iniquitous games, passions heightened into a frenzy, a muddy river that begs crossing, elegant distortion and fuzz fed dance, a black groove bursting out of the garage.

When you talk about British blues there can be a worry that you'll be subjected to some fleet-finger twiddlage and flat bar room vocals. Wih Dave you get blasting bottleneck riddims and a scary Captain Beefheart vocal. It's the original blues message - drink, be merry, fall over.