Saturday 14/12/02 Zombina and The Skeletones, Goldblade @ The Masque Theatre, Liverpool

'And if I still had eyes, then I would surely cry, no-body likes you when you're dead and that's the story of my life…'

Zombina and The Skeletones have played a lot of gigs this year and have not once failed to entertain me whenever I've been in the audience. Still, they need to tighten up in a few places in order to move out of the Nationwide league and compete with the big boys and girls in the Premiership. Their debut album 'Taste the Blood of…' is out now and the songs on it are fantastic. Hopefully Zombina will be able to go out on the road in 2003 and apply the same level of polish to their live show as to their record. These guys are only going to get better and better, it is surely only a matter of time before they're featured on the soundtrack to a teen movie.

'KISS, KISS, KISS MY ASS!!!'

I first saw Goldblade play live supporting Dodgy about six years ago, inside a Big Top in Sefton Park. Gone are the shiny suits but the funk/soul brothers remain and thank God that they do. Brother John Robb is not just paying rent for the use of the Masque stage, he owns the son of a bitch. Goldblade appreciate the importance of putting on a show and giving the gig-going punter value for their money. (I see a lot of bands standing on a stage reciting the songs that they have rehearsed, but they don't perform as such) There are six cool dudes on stage whacking seven shades of schimoli out of their instruments like the future of the planet depends on it.

The one and only sour point (and let's be honest here, it is a rather important one) is that Goldblades' songs are not very good. Let me continue by saying that Goldblade are great to shake your ass to at a gig, but I would not recommend that you go out and actually buy one of their records. Having said that, this is a live review and Goldblade are a live band…One of the best around in-fact.