The Nomads threw a fifteenth birthday party and everyone came.
Everybody that was anybody that is. The Swedes enjoy a wee tipple or seven in much the same way as Glaswegians do. They drink and drink. Even at prices that would make your average wee Glesgae guy go ga- ga. Anyways, it was quite a bash and our four days in Stockholm were a proverbial blast. The show was like some kinda bill you could only dream or something. A four hit, four strike riot.

First up, Robert johnson and Punchdrunks tore up and trashed a brace of instrumentals and whacked ‘em out at the crowd. Messrs Wray and Dale oughtta head for the hills cuz this guy is packing a double dose of their tribal thunder. You want your instros roped and tied with a 90’s brand then these are your guys.

The Hellacopters are young and they sound like the MC5 meets White Zombie. They are therefore (potentially) Metallica huge. If they were American then every record company and it’s hick cousin would be pledging their firstborn for their wares. Grab a handful of their Freak Scene released 45 now before it commands $50 minimum.

Sator are an archetypal teen punk thunder combo that blast out ”16 Forever” like it was their own. They didn’t do ”I’d Rather Drink Than Talk” but what they did do didnae half hit the spot. Turns out that Chips K. was a member of The Cramps Fan Club I ran way back whenever and he brought his card to prove it.

Fine as all of those were The Nomads came out and effortlessly pulled rank with a short, perfectly formed set that ranks up way there with the sharpest shows I ever saw. An elixir borne of the coolest ingredients rock’n’roll has spawned these past 40 years. An organic Marshall art that could never be fabricated let alone calculated. I could babble gibberish for page upon page… The ol’ appetite was whetted so completely that Missy Abril and I are seriously considering the possibility of catching the US Shockathon tour (with The Mono Men) Thats on the agenda for September. Nobody travels X thousand miles just to catch anybody now, do they? Granted, we are kinda nuts but The Nomads are similarly kinda great.

It was great to get out there (finally) and to meet everybody and hang. Certainly this was one haul that has made all the NBT admin hell beyond worthwhile. Wherever those kindred spirits may lurk you gotta seek ‘em out and we sure shot the shit with a whole kaboodle o’ them. The weekend was rounded off by getting back to Glasgow Airport and being whisked off to a club called The 13th Note where Alex Chilton was playing with Teenage Fanclub. The perfect finale or what? The way their version of ‘Telstar’ ripped through my soul took me briefly back to a couple of nights before in Stockholm. I smirked and figured to myself, what a lovely way to burn.

LINDSAY HUTTON