Gig Review: Milk Roar & Probing Cranks at The Old Tiger's Head, Lee, South London (By Tox from 14 Carat Grapefruit)

After playing on the same bill as Probing Cranks at the Punk-Rock-Til-You-Drop gig last week at the Dublin Castle, I really wanted to see them playing the following Friday at The Old Tigers Head on Lee High Road in sarf London, with Milk Roar, who are fronted by my mate, Ming the Mong.

It's a nice room (with a bar) but a very limited PA and backline. No mixing desk (only one mic.). Nice high stage and limited lighting. So if you're going to play there ... be prepared!

Otto and I were early and Ming was sound-checking as we arrived. Otto needed a dodgy burger so we took off and by the time we came back we'd missed most of the first act. Don't know who they were?

Then came Milk Roar ... the bastard offspring of Salvador Dali and Captain Beefheart after a good night out. I've seen Milk Roar a few times now and have always enjoyed their set.

I have not been able in the past to find a suitable description for them, a lot of people say the Fall with guitars but they are not as easy to define as that, after speaking with Tonal D, one of the guitarists, who let on about his Beefheart leanings it became a lot clearer. Some very interesting quirky guitar play. Singer Ande's original and surreal take on the world and its personalities making you think "What the ....?!" Tonight he left the carrier bag at home.

If you like The Fall / Captain Beefheart / Faust / Dada or Surrealism you will like Milk Roar, as much as I do.

Before last Wednesday at The Dublin Castle, I hadn't heard any Probing Cranks. They are a three-piece consisting guitar, bass and drums and play sarf London swamp rock. Like Milk Roar they are difficult to categorise but brilliant for that reason alone; great foot stomping tunes, powerful guitar and rolling bass held together beautifully by tight drumming. The tunes are infectious and for the second time that week they had my head nodding, my foot tapping, and my ears saying thank you!

A note on The Old Tigers Head.

This place could become an excellent south London venue if they invested a little on the in-house equipment. The bands on this night did brilliantly even with the obvious limitations of the venues "kit". But I play in a five piece band that requires a three mic set-up, I think we would find it difficult to get a decent sound at this venue. We would certainly need to bring a bit more equipment than usual. We would also need a fair old bit of time to sound-check.

That aside, it was a very entertaining evening, and big thanks to Milk Roar and Probing Cranks for the experience.

(Tox - 14 Carat Grapefruit)

Gig Preview: Milk Roar at the Libertine, Borough, 3rd October

Milk Roar play the Libertine for ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP on Saturday 3rd October. I asked their wordsmith and balaclava model, Ande Clarke, alias 'Ming the Mong', to tell me more about his band. Even he couldn't sum up his band better than this, he said, and he attached this review of a recent record release that appeared in... or is it on Organ? Well, it used to be in. But maybe it's both these days? I should find out, eh? Anyway, here it is:

MILK ROAR – Hanging Basket Of Babylon (self release)

Whole album of scratchy space-punk rock and tales of homemade sputniks in garden sheds and cricket paranoia brought on by the Duckworth Lewis method, that and ancient burial chambers and toxic nausea and sinister Crazy Frog ringtones and in case of sonic attack please follow these rules. Inner city units of homemade punk rock fizz and swizz and scratch and get yourself the London look and beam us up to the Here And Now and some Floating Anarchy. Oh that London look, call Max Clifford, get Milk Roar in London Lite with Pete and Kate and a trilby hat and Amy Beehave and a rat in drainpipes and we/they want out of here. Rant and rave and where did he lose those boots and a Southern John Cooper Clarke and you wouldn't like me when I'm happy and what did all these people do anyway? Would the only thing you'd miss be a nice cup of tea? Would you miss Killing Joke or The Who or Pink Fairies, yeah, they'd miss Pink Fairies more than good cups of tea. Wonder what they're like when they're on a bad day? This is good, if you like it garage-like and DIY and you like any of those bands we named dropped, that and backyard rocket ships and here you go, My Space once more, you go look there while I go make a cup of tea and check the latest cricket scores on the Class War page.

(From Organ Magazine - date unknown)

Milk Roar is:

Tonal D (guitars & backing vox),
Nick Rowan (guitars and cricket ball),
Richard Ward (percussion),
Graham 'Probably No Relation To Michael' Eavis (bass),
Ande 'Ming the Mong' Clarke (words, Extra Strong mints & Aled Jones impressions)
Time Out: Adam Paul Leach (bass & backing vox)