Friday 02/04/04 Surferosa @ Liverpool Academy

Female-fronted Norweigan synth-punk band, Surferosa are little known here in the UK, which explains why they're playing as part of a student club night, tucked away in a small back room with a relatively small crowd.

Mariann crawls (yes, crawls) onto the stage, wide-eyed, and slowly stands up as she reaches the mic.  The band begin to play, and to the crowd’s amazement (and slight horror) she starts dancing like C-3PO on Speed – people can barely take their eyes off her for wondering what the hell she’s gonna do next!  This ‘special’ intro leads them straight into their catchy new single 'Lucky Lipstick', after which Mariann proclaims: “that was our new single.  Maybe you’ll go out and buy it tomorrow so we can keep touring and maybe eat something.”  Yeah, maybe we will.

Wearing a custom-made outfit by designer Josefin Johansson (who must be at least little crazy), complete with shiny silver leggings and batman-style arm band, Mariann leaps off the stage, grabs a random girl in the crowd, and plants a huge smacker on her lips (much to the appreciation of the mainly male audience), before running to the back of the room and singing to two slightly frightened and embarrassed blokes who’d been timidly enjoying the gig from a ‘safe’ distance – neither the girl or the lads know quite what’s hit ‘em!  She says: “you’re a little bit shy ...well, I’m gonna change that”.  Some people look genuinely scared, while others are clearly luvvin’ the kerazee shenanigans.

With the Surferosa boys we have mullets.  Real mullets – not just your average ‘too cool for skool’ Brit student-type (…they are from Norway, after all) – but mullets your dad would have been proud to have sported in the 80s (the keyboard player strongly resembles Richard O’Brien).  Yet although the boys have their fair share of leaping around the stage in fits of madness, Mariann constantly remains at the centre of everyone’s attention.

“I’m taking you to China, English bastards!” she roars before they kick into one of their more outstanding choons, 'Chinese Moon', with recorded Asiatic guitars producing a sound reminiscent of Siouxsie and the Banshees’ ‘Hong Kong Garden’.  The band walk off stage after their last song, but the small crowd somehow manage to make a loud enough din to persuade the Scandinavian punks to come back for a bit more.  The guys just walk back on, but Mariann marches, still wide-eyed, exclaiming: “lets ****ing trash this ****in venue!”  She dedicates their first encore song, 'Bim Bam Boom', to the band’s first UK stalker, who is apparently (and perhaps a little ironically) Giorgio from Italy. 

After three exciting and energy-filled encore songs, the band finally exit.  Mariann leaves stage last, putting both her middle fingers up to the crowd and mouthing ‘****’, then pointing at herself and mouthing ‘me’.  She laughs, with a cheeky grin on her face, then walks off, leaving the crowd (and especially the blokes) wanting more.

Surferosa are an exciting Electro-Punk band who bang out punky chaotic melodies amidst the havoc caused by Mariann’s on and off-stage antics.  Despite the small number of onlookers tonight, this self-proclaimed trash-pop group have an amazing live energy – we get headbanging, crazy dancing, water being spat on us, mic stands being thrown, and my favourite: punching the air.  Seeing Surferosa live is all about the entertainment-value – and everyone certainly got their money’s worth! 

Photos by Scott Higgins