Bloodhound Gang : London Astoria, 16th August 2000

What do you expect from the Bloodhound Gang live? You know they're a bunch of lads with a penchant for scaring, shocking and stagediving their audience. You know that they baulk at anyone who takes their music seriously…but what I didn't expect was a stage show spectacular to rival Circus Oz and the most serious of musicians.

Bloodhound Gang

Not only did the music sound great, but the band are real performers. Q-Ball and Jimmy Pop dance round each other, enjoying it all as much as the crowd, and Evil Jared teases the pre-pubescent front row of teenage girls with pelvic thrusts and sly looks before throwing himself on the hungry crowd. It's not enough to just play and sing, there must be audience participation too. At a moment's notice, a volunteer is pulled from the crowd and given the task of eating a carrier bag full of kebabs before the show has finished. He sits there through the energetic set, lethargically munching as the mayhem continues around him.

Bloodhound Gang

And it's not just Joe Public that gets the Bloodhound treatment. Amongst Jimmy Pop's Oasis digs come hilarious impressions of "What's The Story" and "Wonderwall" intercut with Bloodhound tunes. Then, with a little more affection, they throw in some early Blur and Duran Duran's "Save a Prayer". For "Fire Water Burn", Jimmy gives himself a rest and gets a punter to sing the entire song, which is enjoyed by all. New single, "The Ballad of Chasey Lain" gets an amazing response, despite Jimmy's dumbing down of his own band…

Jimmy's got plenty to say for himself. Not content with slagging the Bloodhounds and other contemporaries, he launches into an attack on us, and says he has a goal to 'warm' Europeans…. not that we need it mind, when they pull girls up on stage, they launch themselves on Evil Jared, taking his vest with them and exposing g-strings…

Bloodhound Gang

Could it get any wilder? Oh, yes. Jimmy Pop challenges Evil Jared that he can't throw up as much stomach acid. Challenge accepted, the pair proceed to stick microphones down their throats and projectile vomit several times over each other. Before the crowds have time to sympathetically throw up in return, Jared rushes off stage and returns with a mouth full of paraffin, throwing flames from his mouth high into the air.

An encore to follow that? What more could they do? Only return in bright orange boiler suits and masks and their dance routine to "The Bad Touch". What a show. Sweat Baby Sweat.

Beat that, Mr Gallagher.

review by: Butterfly

photos by: Pete Smith