The Detonators @ Joseph's Well
By Cathy Simpson
Despite an interesting stage get up (bandit style scarves over their faces and shirts with military targets on them) the Detonators take their sound and pretty much every move they make straight out of 1979, and with such cutting edge opening lines as 'You middle-class wankers' they obviously mean business. Although, as an utterly bourgeois character myself perhaps I'm not qualified to appreciate this kind of thing. Err, or maybe it was just the fact that they should have opened the set with 'Tonight Matthew, we're going to be a facsimile of a generic 70's punk outfit' so at least then we'd all have known where we stood.
We all know it's neither big nor clever to make fun of those with disability but Whirlwind Heat's singer is doing a rather accurate impression of a child with attention deficit disorder, muscle spasms and tourettes. It's pretty entertaining to watch, he dances like someone's shooting at his feet.
The songs on Whirlwind Heat's album are all named after colours, but after a handful of songs it becomes apparent that they only play in one shade. What starts off as exciting and entertaining rapidly becomes samey, and then frankly annoying. There's only so much heavily distorted bass and drumming anyone can take, and whilst yes, it's fucking refreshing to have an alternative to manufactured chart bilge, a tune wouldn't go amiss every now and then boys.
Although the band are cagey about it, it's obvious that Jack White's endorsement (he produced 'Do Rabbits Wonder') is carrying Whirlwind Heat along - his name is sufficient to create enough of a buzz to make people want to listen - I know this is true because I'm guilty of it myself, but are we that easily manipulated? If you overlook the credibility of White and the Detroit scene and actually listen, Whirlwind Heat sound like a plane being shot down and that ain't big or clever.
