Londonist hereby puts forward the Two Kinds Of Gig Theory:
There are gigs you go to knowing pretty much what to expect.
Then there are those gigs you go to on a whim, in the hope of seeing something genuinely unique, something that you can tell people about later.
Next Tuesday the 12th, Those Legendary Shack Shakers play the Garage in Islington, and it will fall squarely into the "unique" category: a psychotic ginger leprechaun fronts a punkabilly act and kicks your arse in the process.
Londonist would try to describe the Shack Shakers' act, but why reinvent the wheel when others have done such a good job?
Frontman Colonel J.D. Wilkes is a harmonica slaying anti- (pre-gastroplexy) John Popper with a twenty inch waistline and a reminder to “EAT” written on his chest. He’d be one of the hairiest men on the planet if he didn’t keep tossing his chest (and pubic) hair into the audience. The rest of the band was heavily tattooed and were stellar, incredibly energetic musicians. Wilkes’ punk showmanship delighted most of the 70 (+ a fetus) in attendance. He played with num-chucks, punched a stage light, stuck his mic stand into a spinning ceiling fan. He taunted those seated - “Let’s see you do better, you f*cking ingrates”. The pregnant woman didn’t seem amused when Wilkes joined the sit-in by bearing his ass and sitting with his thumb up it. 20 or so concertgoers finally made their way to the front and some square-dance moshing almost broke out...
I'd say that's pretty accurate. If you want to see what a full-blown gig looks like in action, check out this student video from Norway.
Trust us: You don't have anything better to do on a Tuesday night.
Tickets still available here.
