B-Movie Rats

Rock N Roll Queen (R3)
by Craig Regala

These guys hone a “thing” so perfectly, you just gotta say, “Gimme another beer, and shots for them up there!” The downside is, straight-forward crank-it-up hard rock has a lot of competition and such powerful antecedents whose records are still available, it’s a real fuck for any band to bang heads with the whole of tradition. But so what? This is what they do. I don’t think they have a choice, ya know? Here’re five slices on a 10″ (the perfect rock and roll serving), one being the title tune penned by Mick Ralphs, and one of a dozen really rockin’ Mott the Hoople tunes. They probably gig with “punk rock” bands, but really have little to do with the “punk” tag as it traveled out of ’77. Much more along the lines of a buncha Swedes/Finns who’ve been pumpin’ a punk-fueled arena-bound hard gunch towards you and your ma for a decade now. Think of the space between the Candy Snatchers and the Hellacopters and their take on roots of punk stuff. The Detroit Wheels, Dictators, MC5, Rationals, Stepson, Stones, Faces, et. al. Most of all, they remind me of Rose Tattoo – the slide guitar bite, the strong mid-to-quick tempos, the soul-inflected singing… Hey, if you like Roadsaw, hop in. The chicks are cool, the beer’s cold, and the rock’s hot.
(www.bmovierats.com)