SLEAZEGRINDER - Pepsi Sheen 1992 summed it up, beautifully at a time!!! A soulful glam band comprised of Ant, Birchie (Ray Birch), Twiggy (Jeff Ward) and Ozzy (the guy who went on to "replace" ex-Barracuda Nick Turner in the great Brian James' misguided Lords Of The Nu Church) and they were once seemingly poised to become the 90's sleaze rock Beatles or the post goth Bay City Rollers or something, but they dumbly dropped the ball after storming Gotham and effortlessly blowing D-Generation off the stage at CBGB's. It's a cryin' shame, too, cos they were so, so viable as talented songwriters, phenomenal performers, and once imminently marketable pin up idols. They looked like T.Rex and Hanoi Rocks in their vintage publicity photos and rocked like primo Deadboys onstage. Ant even wrote really great lyrics, by Flash Metal standards, you know: "Spike me drink with a happy end in the nick of time 'til I'm on my knees and laughin', I was laughin'..." and he and Ward co-wrote tunes that reminded one of the perfect cross between the Kinks and Stiv's Wanderers.
BLISS STREET - Gunfire Dance were the quintessential flash metal rock n' roll group and were on the very forefront of the whole trashy glam flash metal movement, along with Motorcycle Boy, Manic Street Preachers, Comatones, the Loveless, the Rose Hips, the Bounty Hunters, Dogs D'Amour, Grey Spikes, Ultras, Miniskirt Mob, Thee Hypnotics, Soho Roses, etc.,etc. You know-filthy, black leather sleaze rock shades of the Paul Black era L.A. Guns, the Joneses, the Lords, Dogs, alla Darrel Bath's bands, etc.,but with a decidedly sixties Brit Pop sensibility ala the Kinks, Stones, Pretty Things, etc. Any righteous band of he-dog rock bros, bound by a common empathy worth their salt is comprised by a buncha different personalities who've come together to create a synergistic effect larger than the sum of it's parts, inevitably attracts individual factions of groupies, yesmen, and hangers-on, by design. Nancy/Courtney types, who hone in on guy insisting, "You're the real star, Sid, you don't need the Sex Pistols". The trick is to ignore the static, fuck the press. Every guitarist's old lady is gonna tell him he's a better singer than the singer, or she ain't doing her job, but that don't make it so. ANT had charisma, penned excellent lyrics, chicks loved him, he was the total rock package ala Ian Astbury, David Jo, Jim Jones, Stiv Bators, whoever. Me, I still ain't shook this stubborn propensity for calling a spade a spade and admonishing bands with a vital synergy to find a way to put aside their "solo artiste" pretensions and entourage-fed ego trips to create that wild untamed thing everybody gets to feel. Gunfire Dance are still deeply beloved worldwide for their guts, soul, style, and catchy songs by a dwindling party of lost and alone flash rawk survivors who profoundly appreciate authenticity over the put-on's of wardrobe budgets, and fix it in the mix studio polishers. Ain't you sick to death of musical make-over models? Songs like "Make You Cry", "Give Me Back My Heart", "Archway Of Thorns", "Darlin' Anne", "Suit & Tie"-all their stuff was so good.
KILLIN' TIME - The Gunfires made a lasting first impression on NYC's flash metal glitterati and their memorable debut performance on U.S. soil was enthusiastically received (and documented, I believe by noted glam video archivist, Deane Clapper) by the cream of the downtown scene. Members of the Senders, Pillbox, Murder Stars, Waldos, Heartbreakers Lunachicks, Piss Factory and Dimestore Haloes were all wowed by this landmark showcase, that sadly preceded Jeff Ward's departure from the group Nowadays, there's zillions of mediocre greasy kid bands who lack that elusive x factor so crucial to succeed at bashing out their original twist on the traditional Dolls inspired rockarolla shtick. The Gunfires shoulda been rockstars. Having stepped out of retirement in 2005, for a couple of successful reunion shows, Gunfire Dance sadly came to a sudden end when Ant, after a long battle with depression & addiction, took his own life. The latest record is dedicated to him. Rock on bro, wherever you are.
|
GUNFIRE DANCE The Legends that should of been... And that now will be!! The Very best of GUNFIRE DANCE "Archway of Thorns" an 18 track classic album to be released in June that captures this semi legendary groups career.