LIVE REVIEW: NASHVILLE PUSSY + THE SUPERSUCKERS + AVALANCHE AT MANNING BAR, SYDNEY. 23 JANUARY 2025
by PAUL SOUTHWELL
WHEN a band like Nashville Pussy are in town, you can be assured that a cross section of music genre fans will appear to enjoy the spectacle. Adding The Supersuckers to the bill was going to be icing on the cake for the demographics represented. Sure enough, everyone from pub rock diehards to rockabilly cowpunk fans and the odd metalhead appeared to catch the twin engine power of these two no-nonsense rock acts. But to warm up the evening, Western Sydney’s Avalanche had the task of getting the room moving, and they did so pretty well.
The hard rock four-piece is primarily led by husband-and-wife duo of bassist Steven Campbell on lead vocals and bass, alongside Veronica Campbell on lead guitar, the latter being clearly influenced by AC/DC’s Angus Young right down to the choice of guitar. It’s not the only Gibson SG to be seen this evening, obviously. By their second song, lead and rhythm guitarists briefly swapped their sides of the stage, with lead soloing traversing the fretboard in a frenzied burst of guitar interjections, matched only in intensity by the howling vocals from their frontman.
Tracks such as “Bottle of Sin” and “Armed to the Teeth” took on AC/DC stylings, with “Thunderstruck”-styled pull-off riffs bolstered by backing vocals from their rhythm guitarist and drummer, who manned the fort as the two main band members jostled for space, sometimes kneeling, lying on their back, generally channelling Angus’ antics, soon followed by a waltz out into the crowd to solo on blue pentatonic based phrases during “Down for the Count”. Some finger picked riffs introduced their last track of the set, during which the Campbells ebbed and flowed into each other’s stage space, with the bassist kneeling before the lead guitarist’s riffage.
As the changeover was sorted out, it was a stage set with a central drum kit, and flanked by Marshalls cabinets, amplifier heads and bass bins – meat and potatoes rock and roll show, a single large bass drum kit, with essential cymbals and no snazzy artwork backdrops. As both The Supersuckers and Nashville Pussy had toured with Motörhead, it was obvious they knew how to make a racket without a ridiculous backline. Fronted by Eddie ‘Spaghetti’ Daly they kicked into their set, with the punk vibe of “Pretty Fucked Up”. Daly’s voice had a similar gravelly tone to the late, great Lemmy Kilmister. Drumming was powerful, from nonchalant drummer Christopher ‘Chango’ von Streicher, with similar laid back but no less workmanlike attitude from low strapped, weathered Les Paul sporting guitarist ‘Metal’ Marty Chandler.
Determined to fill the set with as many humour laced tracks from as many albums as possible, they ripped through tracks at breakneck pace, including “The Evil Powers of Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Rock-n-Roll Records (Ain’t Selling This Year)”, chock full of double stop blues guitar runs, octave jumping solo phrases, and an ability to end the song with the guitar in another position, as a final chord rang out, or a note slid out. Both guitar and drums offered backing vocals throughout, as the groove of their first ever released track from 1992, “Coattail Rider” was soon followed by the raucous “Get the Hell”.
Some newer material was thrown in, including “Maybe I’m Just Messing with You” and later on, “Then I Wrote a Song” that both contained some interesting guitar rhythm figures ranging from muted progressions to use of open note tones, with grit but not too much distortion and the odd harmonic.
“Rock Your Ass” did just that, with backing vocals aplenty, and soon Chandler took vocal duties for a few of his tracks, including the barrelling “Working my Ass Off” and “Idaho, Baby!”. “Rocket 69” kicked along at pace, whilst a cover of “That is Rock & Roll” by The Coasters had judicious used of wide bends against the country shuffle feel. Of course, their big hit “Born with a Tail” from The Sacrilicious Sounds of the Supersuckers ended the set, dedicated to an audience member’s birthday, the crowd was encouraged to replicate middle finger salutes.
Nashville Pussy had their work cut out for them to top The Supersuckers but having toured with them, they rose to the challenge and once their set started with the blistering “Pussy’s Not a Dirty Word”, the volume was roaring, and the flurry of hair and unbridled female aggression encapsulated within the indomitable guitar wielding firecracker, Ruyter Suys, was soon taking over centre stage. Frontman Blaine Cartwright, familiar with the onslaught, would move when needed as Suys and her SG would regularly whirlwind into his area. But it was all in good fun as they shared the microphone stand for plenty of chorus parts, such as during “Piece of Ass” and “She’s Got the Drugs”. For the latter track, bassist Bonnie Buitrago lined up next to her band leaders, when not delivering strong backing vocals, with Suys leaning backwards to the stage front on the song’s final chord.
“Come On, Come On” got the crowd interaction happening with a call and response of ‘Fuck you!’ at apt song junctures, as Suys let fly with wild, slightly jerky, high energy vibrato during her soloing, whilst drummer Dusty Watson, who also once served with The Supersuckers, smashed his snare and floor tom with power. The drumming shuffle of “Speed Machine” had some tasty cowbell for good measure. Buitrago and Watson used their rhythm section prowess to introduce the rumbling “Gonna Hitchhike Down to Cincinnati and Kick the Shit Outta Your Drunk Daddy” whilst the equally comical “You Give Drugs a Bad Name” bore more than a passing resemblance to a classic ZZ Top track.
“Everybody’s Fault but Mine” saw Suys strut and again share the microphone with her husband, who also offered up some tasty, sliding, blues rock-based soloing. Swigs of the hard stuff soon entailed as “Hate and Whiskey” got an airing, with requisite unison bends, and a slightly more subdued soloing approach from Suys, with the song something that would fit well alongside 70s Alice Cooper tracks. The energy picked up again with “Pillbilly Blues” as raised hands, duckwalks, and facial expressions from the dictionary of rock poses ensued, but all done with integrity.
Cartwright, at some point during “Till the Meat Falls Off the Bone”, took off his hat and emptied a beer into it and drank the contents,to much applause.
The encore had Rose Tattoo’s Ronnie Simmons joining in on Cartwright’s guitar for a reputable cover of “Rock’n’ Roll Outlaw”. The fast punk of “Rub It to Death” didn’t quite get a circle pit moving but it had all the punk rock fuel for the pop-punk Ramones feel of “Why Why Why” to get past the gate, but of course, to end the night, “Go Motherfucker Go” was trotted out with wild abandon, by which point Suys took to the strings of her guitar at the song’s bombastic end, and pulled strings off , on her knees, one by one, coaxing squeals out of the dying instrument one any of the remaining strings.
Wow, all bands this evening put in a stellar effort. Yes, it was a long night but well worth it. Catch this tour as it winds through the country. It’s meat and potatoes, no nonsense, ear ringing, guitar torturing bombast from the best at delivering it with a dash of spice, a large side of tongue in cheek humour, and lashings of lager.
