Kinky Machine Going Out With God. I thought about this record for the first time in a light year today because I was thinking of a time I saw, my beloved, Manic Street Preachers on 15 October 1992 at Leeds Polytechnic. The support band were a young group I had never heard of called Kinky Machine, so as I used to in those days, I bought their latest single, 12″ in this case, to see what they were like.
Going Out With God looked the part, the circuit board and composite bike/head/strange device* cover. Indeed live the band looked the part too, all skinny mod-ish and lairy, the skinny singer wore a track suit top and was a bit shouty. They weren’t very good, their songs with a couple minor variations were all a bit samey for me and were just your normal pop/rock songs overlaid with some aggressive mod overtones. Unfortunately, I’m left with exactly the same impression tonight after playing the 12″, nothing at all memorable I’m afraid. One of the B-sides, ‘Counting Down To Zero’ is probably the best track here, a bit slower and more cocksure.
I do want to add my usual caveat here, that this is a far better record than any I’ll ever release and hey, they got up there and did it and I didn’t. I’m the loser.
Now it may come as a bit of a surprise to y’all but I used to keep a diary of gigs I went to, who/when/where and a single line review, here’s theirs from that night :
The other thing I remember from that night over 23 years ago? the singer kept staring at a hot ginger chick who was standing front and centre against the barrier wearing a mesh top and cut-off jean shorts with black tights and a Jack Daniels belt, I mean really staring. Ironically, she was already ‘Going Out With God’ by then anyway … it was the first gig we ever went to together in fact, (the future) Mrs 1537 and I.
606 Down.
PS – The Manic Street Preachers were just spot-on incredible that night, but you probably guessed that bit already.
PPS – Thanks Geoff for making me think of them again.
*from almost long-gone distant memories of my friend’s dad’s bongo mags I think the device in question was called a butterfly(?) and was designed to stimulate a lady’s nether parts, and thus her, into paroxysms of ecstatic lust – personally I always thought it just looked a bit medical at worst and that it would chafe like hell at best – but what do I know? I’m only a man. (I’d just like to point out that thanks to the parental lock I put on my PC (and forgot the password of) I can’t Google this, if you do, don’t tell me, I don’t need to know.
The album art really ups the expectations here. Love the look here, sounds like the music not so much.
Also, I’ve never heard of this group before. But of course you’d buy it because it had Kinky in the title. If only it had BEWBS in the artwork… 🙂
You’ve got completely the wrong idea about me …
I’ve had those thoughts a lot, sitting here as a desk chair commenter on records – those folks are actually doing it, I’m just sitting here playing judge and jury! I have been in bands before, I know the work it takes. Good to keep in mind when blathering about records for sure!
Gah! Lego Man is blocking your comment on show #59 Rollins Band!
That was a co-headline with the Beastie Boys, End of Silence tour. He was quite fierce.
What do you mean USED TO keep a journal of shows? How could you abandon a project like that?
Well, the blog took over but then I don’t review every gig I go to here, so it has all sort of fizzled out a bit.
My mind boggles!! Can’t be coincidence that my outfit as I happen to plunk down to read this EXACTLY MATCHES that of the (future) 1537 better half, can it?
WOW!! That is truly a miracle for our times. We should probably sacrifice a member of Cinderella, or something to mark the occasion.
You outshone a genuine rock star? You’re my hero!
Thanks David – you should have seen what I was wearing!
And you think we Canadians are making up bands. As if “Deadline” was so tough to swallow!
Once again though you have an LP here with some stunning art!
Cheers Mike! One day I will make up a band and sleeve.
I once plotted out my own discography from first demo tape to the final boxed set. All of these albums remain unreleased. And unrecorded.
Jeez, you are my Canadian twin! My band was called Noose, debut album? No Noose, is Good Noose. True story.
Wow dude, your wife sounds hot!
She is! (note how damn careful I was to avoid using any hint of the past tense there!)
Good call.
That’s 19 years of marriage for you – I done learned me some survival strategies!
Seems there was loads of those track suited lairy types in the 90s, huh? One of your few posts that haven’t even stirred a slight bit of interest in the band or release (thank you!).
There were, These Animal Men and S*M*A*S*H were good though. I bet they’re all working in banks now.
I often feel I have to add that disclaimer whenever I’m critical too – they’ve released more than I did, so who am I to complain?
I’m pleased to hear that even if the band’s performance was crap (incidentally, I’d love to read that succinct diary!) the story had a very happy ending. Enjoyed this post Joe, thanks for the thanks too!
Thanks Geoff. It’s funny how even a not great 12″ can unlock some great, detailed memories. A bit like Proust, but with vinyl instead of cake.
Far too many embarrassing teenager-y comments in there to ever release that into the public domain, I’m afraid!
Relieved to hear the singer did NOT get the girl. Great punchline.
Now on to important matters, not this life-partner rubbish. You never find me trawling through old memories. Pah! Now, BMX Bandits were a precursor of Teenage Fanclub. Any hints of the excellence to come in Gig #63.
Old memories?! For wimps and losers only, I reckon. BMX Bandits were alright, but Shonen Knife … Wow! Full on pop punk oddball perfection, the end of that gig (in the university bar) was the closest thing I’ve ever experienced to Beatlemania, we were just left shrieking and howling at the sheer wonder of it all. Sadly, they were never really able to get it down on vinyl. Happy days!