8/3/2007 Adventures in Essex... Zen Motel, Honeykill, Disarm & Trash Monroe @ The Twist

Subject	Zen Motel, Honeykill, Disarm & Trash Monroe @ The Twist.
PostedDate	3/8/2007
	My friends Honeykill were kind enough to take me to this gig out in Essex in their van - something they may have had cause to regret later... The Twist in Colchester is a smallish place - basically a pub venue, but set up more like a club inside with quite a good stage setup. It's the sort of venue you would be pleased to find on your doorstep, and they get some quite well known bands in there. There are four bands playing on this Friday night and it's a pretty good bill.  The place slowly starts to fill as the first band take to the stage. Essex band Trash Monroe are on home turf and turn in a solid performance, with the surprise of a Skunk Annansie cover thrown in - something not many singers dare attempt. Singer Melany is rather good though, and carries it off well. I prefer the more raw live sound of this band's songs to their recorded work on MySpace. However, although the band play well enough - none of their own songs made a great impression on me. Honeykill were on next and gave one of their usual polished performances. Aided by stand-in keyboard player Nell they gave a short snappy 25 minute set. This band continue to improve every time I see them and seem to be starting to get noticed with their regular gigging around London and the home counties. They have a commercial sound and wear their Foo Fighters and QOTSA influences on their sleeves - without actually sounding like they are trying to copy these bands. The crowds seem to give them good receptions everywhere they play as well, so they must be doing something right. I haven't seen or heard Disarm before, although I have been aware of them for a while. I was expecting something fairly punk rock, and they are - but they were also the biggest suprise of the evening as they turned out to be really good. They were as punk as I was expecting, and performed with great exuberance, but they were also very tuneful - it was impossible not to like them. Like the first band tonight, Zen Motel were also on their home turf. They decided these familiar surroundings would be a good venue for the launch party for their forthcoming album 'Stations Of The Dead'. After a warm-up gig in London last week they were all fired up and ready to go. I've seen Zen Motel many times, going back to their earliest days as a three piece and with their two previous guitarists. The current lineup of the band is the strongest yet, and tonight they really tore the place up with the best show I've ever seen them give! Frontman Lee Wray's snarling attitude and ear for a good tune make for terrific sleazy dirty rock 'n' roll - but with a very distinctive stamp. Sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll - it's all here - but without the usual cliches.  Songs about sex, violence, boozing and other vices - all tied up with catchy tunes and great sing-a-long choruses. With an excellent new album under their belt I think 2007 could be a good year for this band. As I'd been in the venue since well before the door opened until well after the last band finished I seem to have had more to drink than usual. Newcastle Brown out in the wilds of Essex is also cheaper in London and I lost count of how many bottles I downed. I'd seen some excellent bands and had a fine evening in good company. It all started to go a bit wrong on the way home and it appeared that maybe I'd enjoyed myself a bit too much.  I had to get Jimi to stop the van twice on the trip back to London so I could leap (or fall on one occasion) out of the van to chunder.  I normally know my limitations pretty well and like to think I'm quite good at the drinking game - I haven't puked for years. Until tonight. I ended up rather disgracing myself by hurling like a cider drinking schoolkid over a roadside fence.  Jimi graciously dropped me off on my doorstep, which was more than I deserved - and I fell in the front door covered in mud - mixed with traces of something rather less pleasant smelling.