Friday 23/07/04 Flamingo 50, Dirtblonde @ Evol, Liverpool

OK so there’s some kind of interesting concept here – Dirtblonde feature just a guy with a guitar and a girl on bass ‘n’ vocals.  They’re backed by a drum machine.  This apparently makes it all really cool.  It doesn’t. 

They look ok – Ivan Hell is yer archetypal punky indie kid with floppy fringe; whilst Lola Blue is a 70’s Debbie Harry who spent just a little too long in the pie shop.

There’s potential there, with ‘I’m Tired’ kicking out a pleasantly ‘She’s Lost Control’-eque stark backdrop to Blue’s ethereal vocals... but it’s not enough.  It’s one thing to set yer drum machine going and mince around in yer diy threads, it’s another to actually have some ideas.

The same could be said about Flamingo 50.  They’ve been doing what they do for quite some years now.  But, their NOFX / Fat Wreck Chords shtick is so god-damn exciting, enthralling and totally compelling that it really doesn’t matter at all.  Lou needs very little prompting to start her mining-with-guitar spasms, whilst new bassist Laura is now fully at home in her role, and Morgan seems to lose just a few more brain cells each gig.

A pounding wall of noise coupled with a bass riff lifted right out of Magazine’s ‘Shot By Both Sides’  in ‘Told U So’ is an impressive break from type, and ‘Roll on Rolly’’s more commercial SoCal sound is still by far and away their best track; but all  F50 need to do is keep on keepin’ on, and more people cannot fail to notice.

Photos by Dave Evans