Lollipop Magazine

Andrew W.K. – at The Roxy – Review

November 22, 2002

After the first couple songs, I was exhausted and ready to get the fuck out. But then WK and his cohorts ripped into “Ready to Die,” and I got a second wind.

Emissions From the Monolith – at Nyabinghi – Review

November 8, 2002

A three-day event of heavy groovin’ bands. “Stoner Rock” being a heavy liquid amalgam of Sabbath, Soundgarden, Skynyrd, Sleep, Scientists, and ’72 (the year).

Gorillaz – at Avalon – Review

March 1, 2002

Gorillaz are much more entertaining than other live bands cuz you can do so much more with a cartoon. A fake band gives you so much freedom.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show – at Circle in the Square Theatre – Review

April 1, 2001

Muscularly-lipsticked actor Tom Hewitt butches and babes-up Frank ‘N’ Furter to the hilt. With a blonde buzz cut that shines like razors.

The Skatalites – at the New England Ska Festival – Review

November 1, 1998

Reformed in 1993, is the band that EVERYONE in the ska, reggae, and rocksteady scenes are influenced by. Why? Because they friggin’ started it all.

Entombed – at Pearl Street – Review

April 1, 1998

Entombed came to the States to push To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak The Truth. It may not match Clandestine, but it stomps like Motörhead on steroids.

Down By Law – at the Rathskeller – Review

April 1, 1998

I had the feeling that I was seething in some timeless netherworld as Down By Law went into their third or fourth tune.

David Bowie – At the Orpheum – Review

March 1, 1998

Gone are the melodramatic posturings, the over-the-top inflections, the overdone stage settings. Bowie is being David, rather than some fantasy construct.

Chemical Brothers – at the Roxy with Death In Vegas – Review, live

March 1, 1998

Why does a band that has become internationally famous for breakbeats and “Loops of Fury” revert to the metronomic bass drum sound that drove so many away?

Spike & Mike’s Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation 1997 – Review

December 1, 1997

Veering from vomitous to hysterical (and sometimes both), Sick and Twisted offers enough raunchy sex, scatology, and sailor swearing for a millennium.

Blur – with Dandy Warhols at the Orpheum – Review

November 1, 1997

After over an hour of this wank, I saw me moment at last. They got t’ that fuckin’ “Woo-hoo!” song, the one they couldn’ even come up wi’ a proper title for.

The Toasters – at the New England Ska Festival – Review

November 1, 1997

Jack Ruby got the crowd’s arms up, waving in unison, thousands of people singing along to the tunes they grew up with.

Dandy Warhols – with Blur at the Orpheum – Review

November 1, 1997

That shite don’t mix well wi’ drone-pop, y’know what I mean? That’s another o’ those terms I learnt. Just them two is all.

The Pilfers – at the New England Ska Festival – Review

November 1, 1997

Think we could take a break? Naah. The Pilfers were up next, rudies, and to say the least, it was a set everyone was raving about afterwards.

Skavoovie – at the New England Ska Festival – Review

November 1, 1997

They kept the famed instrumentals to a minimum, as it was obvious the crowd enjoyed shouting along with the band as they skanked it up in the heat.

Bim Skala Bim – at the New England Ska Festival – Review

November 1, 1997

Bim put on an awesome set pulling songs from all over their over six-album repertoire. John Cameron played the organ with one hand, and sax with the other.

Amazing Royal Crowns – at the New England Ska Festival – Review

November 1, 1997

King is a charismatic vocalist, and the Colonel plays guitar like a hell-bent rockabilly god. A perfect mix of rockabilly, punk, and old school rock ‘n’ roll.

Moby – at The Big Top Festival – Review

November 1, 1997

Funny how “Electronica” has so many trappings of rock. After three songs, Moby stripped off his shirt, wiped his face with it, and threw it into the audience.

Loop Guru – at The Big Top Festival – Review

November 1, 1997

The samples are flying, the sticks are flying, the whole crowd is flying. Their new disc, Loop Bites Dog (Mammoth) is amazing, but this is fuckin’ INCREDIBLE.

Headrillaz – at The Big Top Festival – Review

November 1, 1997

With guitar, bass, drumset, vocals and keyboards, the energy poured off the stage with a gorgeous rapper spewing out words and rhythms like it was nothing.

Emperion – at The Big Top Festival – Review

November 1, 1997

Not bad, but after all the manic energy we had seen emanating from both stages, the two mixer boys twiddling knobs didn’t really cut it.

Eat Static – at The Big Top Festival – Review

November 1, 1997

Eat Static tried to charge us all up again, sounding almost industrial-dance. The beats were hitting hard, the need to dance once again strong.

BT – at The Big Top Festival – Review

November 1, 1997

Using no guitars, no drums, nothing but a series of ELP-stacked keyboards (is the acronimity a coincidence? I think so), BT rock us with driving, heavy beats.

Banco de Gaia – at The Big Top Festival – Review

November 1, 1997

Whereas the other acts used the drums as accompaniment, Banco played them… slow. And heavy. I hate to say it – it sounded like a cheeze-metal power ballad.

808 State – at The Big Top Festival – Review

November 1, 1997

The opinion of Jungle was that the sampled frenetic drums were impossible to play by a human. To this 808 State clearly and succinctly said, “Up Yours.”