THE REZILLOS @ O2 ARENA, LONDON

On support for Devo and the B-52s as part of their joint ‘Cosmic De-evolution’ tour, the Scottish post-punk band played to the largest crowd they have ever likely played to and also platformed their new album, ‘Psycho Tornado’, arriving in September, their first studio album in 11 years. The band is still headed by founding members Fay Fife and Eugene Reynolds alongside Willy Molleson (guitar), Chris Agnew (bass) and Phil Thompson (guitar, backing vocals) and Angel Paterson (drums).

The opened on their punk rock cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Someone’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked in Tonite’, following it from their cult status 1978 debut album ‘Can’t Stand the Rezillos’ with ‘Flying Saucer Attack’ and non-album single ‘Destination Venus’, with black-and white footage of old sci-films as visuals. There were some technical issues during the set so the former song didn’t have its bass interludes audible enough, although the band adapted a live version of the latter song well vocally to lift it off the recorded version.

With the new album soon for release, they included lots of new material in the set, with Fife’s bites in ‘The Curse of the Pretty Man’, the catchy ‘Cranium’ and ‘Peppermint Lounge’, the last of which is about the punk days in New York at CBGBs but suffered from sound problems despite Fife’s soaring vocal octaves. They also performed their new single, ‘The Edge of Delight’, with Fife on organ, and a Revillos’ (the spin-off band to the Rezillos formed due to legal contract issues) cover, the frantic ‘Motorbike Beat’, featuring garage rock screams and background visuals of motorbikes.

The Rezillos had to abruptly end their curtailed set due to set delays caused by technical issues on their 1978 and 1977 singles ‘Top of the Pops’ and ‘(My Baby Does) Good Sculptures, however, they continue their new album tour across the UK in October.

20/06/26: The Rezillos @ O2 Arena, London.