Gypsy Pistoleros – Duende A Go Go Loco! – Review

Label: Earache

Released: Out Now

Genre: Flamenco Glam Punk 

Tracklisting: 

1/. Duende a Go Go Loco
2/. I Got it all
3/. Revolution
4/. Whats it like to be a Girl?
5/. The Ballad of Tommy Shelby
6/. Like Tears in the Rain
7/. Thrill Kill Killer Club
8/. Maybe Tomorrow
9/. I’ll Remember You
10/. Come on Eileen
11/. Jet City (bonus)

Members: 

Gypsy Lee Pistolero – Vox,

Shane Pistolero Sparkz –Guitars,

Kerry Pistolero White – Bass,

Crag Pistolero Shape – Drums,

If gene splicing scientists had created the Gypsy Pistoleros, they would have a certain set of ingredients in front of them to arrive at this raucous mix of glam rock, theatrical rock and shambolic punk. Firstly, one has to look at the 60s set rock musicals like ‘Rocky Horror Show’ and perhaps a dash of ‘Grease’ to ensure we are blessed with the sort of harmonies that somehow 4 people manage to deliver instead of an ensemble cast. Then we pick up a healthy slice of 70s British glam rock. There’s no denying the similarity to the drum sound of The Glitter Band and for the sake of discussion I’m focusing on the musicians that initially backed the disgraced singer before heading out on their own to craft seven UK Top 20 hit singles in the mid-1970s, and three hit albums. Just check out the single below to see what I mean. 

Finally we throw in more than a soupçon of The Dogs D’Amour and Dexy’s Midnight Runners and we have… Gypsy Pistoleros. On mentioning the latter, the band have even thrown in a cover of the famous ‘Come On Eileen’. 

For me that combo ticks every single possible box in terms of music I either love or grew up with. I still listen to the Glitter Band and Slade to this day as that platform boot stomping sound simply put, is uplifting in the extreme. If that music can’t get you out of bed every day then nothing can. Similarly with musicals. The classics hit home and there are none better than ‘Grease’, ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ and of course ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ for capturing that rock ‘n’ roll infused musical that makes us all want to rebel, wear a leather jacket and buy a motorcycle to escape the modern day life. Obviously avoiding man eating plants, mad scientists and Rizzo (she’s mean) is all part of the plan as well. 

The flamenco sound that the band have added to their music that gives them the special sauce and, in their own words, makes them “the ideal house band for the fictitious Titty Twister bar of Rodriguez’s From Dusk Til Dawn. Between the nods to Morricone’s tense, tumbleweed atmospheres and the Gypsy Kings’ manic Mediterranean energy, a New York Dolls raw glam spark and a surplus of prime G ’n’ R attitude!”

Now I’m all for self promotion and when line like that is delivered then one has to pay attention and to be fair the band truly nail that dusty Mexican cantina sound perfectly. Again, avoiding the vampires and killers when you rock up on your new bike in your shiny leather jacket! 

The Dog’s vibe gets a healthy dose of Hanoi Rocks on ‘Like Tears In The Rain’ and it’s fair to say this deserves as much airplay as possible from every rock radio station in the country. The vibe and chorus also give it enough commercially to be able to get picked up by the wider radio stations and whilst we might not hear on on Heart’s breakfast show (where Steps remains the bar) it’s easily a fit for the likes of Absolute Radio, Capital and Radio X. 

It’s difficult not to wax lyrical about each and every track on the album as the band truly deliver the goods on each and every song. Jangly guitars, deep groove laden bass, drumming that forces me to find alternatives to ‘thunderous, driving, stomp-tastic’ but at the end of the day ‘huge’ is the one I’m going with. The drums are huge. Backed by Kerry’s ‘dabba dabba dabba’ bass-lines… it’s easy to see why L.A. Guns thought a lot of the band back in the day. I do love a bit of bass, just not the solos and in true punk style, we don;t have time for such frivolities as the album clocks in and then clocks out in just 35 minutes. It’s almost short enough to fit on one side of a C-60 cassette but not enough for a C-90 which means (in the old days) I’d have to fill up the extra 10 minutes with other songs, b-sides, demos etc… Ah.. nostalgia! 

For those with a keen eye, you’ll see there’s a bonus 11th track which goes some way to filling up the gap so if you want more Gypsy and an extra dash of Pistolero, look for the releases also carrying ‘Jet City’ at the end of the album. 

Where to get this cracking album from? Try the Earache web store: https://webstore.earache.com/A-Z/g/gypsy-pistoleros

Overall, if it’t not obvious or you simply scrolled to see the score without the reasoning, this is a belter. A British band with a truly international flavour playing the sort of music Tyla and Michael Monroe would be proud to say they helped create. 

Superb! 

Reviewed by: Adrian Hextall

Score: 9/10 

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