MISFITS, Juicehead, Those Furious Flames @The Ballroom 3/2/11

There is a real feeling of de ja vu was RTM walks into the Birmingham Ballroom.

There were many great nights here in the late 90s and mid 2000s when it was the Academy, but this is my first visit to the place since it’s re-opening as The Ballroom last year. So it is something of a shock to find things almost exactly the same as when I was last here three years or so ago.

It is a retro feel that suits Those Furious Flames perfectly. The Swiss band – at least they will feel at home in the freezing cold conditions in the cavernous main room – play rock with a distinctly “classic” feel. They have songs called “Hell Yeah,” “Hot, Hot Baby Rock” and “I’m Alive” and they are extremely entertaining.

They are also the type of band that would be better off supporting a band like The Answer rather than The Misfits, but that’s not their problem.

Juicehead by contrast are a straight-ahead punk band and fare much better. It is, apparently, the first time the Chicago three piece have played outside London and its only their second trip to these shores.

If they make a return I will be avoiding them as they offer little of any great interest and their songs – which all merge into each other anyway – are easily and quickly forgotten. *

So to The Misfits. With a band like The Misfits you know what you are going to get. The last time RTM saw them (just over four years ago) they belted out over 30 songs in 90 minutes and tonight is just the same.

Jerry Only, front man of the venerable New Jersey triumvirate strolls out, shouts “1,2,3,4” and gets on with playing “All Hell’s Breaking Lose” which effectively and neatly sets the tone for the evening.

They have a new CD out called “The Devils Rain” and they give its stand-out track, the quite magnificent “Father” an airing – along with, in fairness, quite a few others.

After 35 songs they come to set closer “Die, Die My Darling,” and what conclusion can be reached? Well you can hardly come and see The Misfits and moan about the speed of the songs, so it seems that there’s a reason that Rock The Midlands is called Rock The Midlands and not “Punk The Midlands.” This stuff is not my thing.

“You were a so-so audience,” sneers Only, in his best, sub Sid Viscous way at the end. That’s ok, Jerry, you front a so-so band.

Not a great night. I should have gone to see Edguy and Voodoo Six up the road…..

*for a much fairer review of Juicehead check out www.metaldonnie.blogspot.com as he loved them!