Bobby Conn - Live In Manchester
[Bierkeller]

Portland, Oregon husband & wife duo Viva Voce took to the stage like a trailer park Joy Zipper. The band have been supporting Bobby Conn on his European tour since the end of May. They opened with Alive With Pleasure, from their current EP and rattled through a half hour set of songs from forthcoming album The Heat Can Melt Your Brain and their home-recorded debut Lovers, Lead The Way.

Both the drumming and the guitar-playing from this band is muscular, and the overall sound brings to mind the aforementioned Joy Zipper, but also The Breeders, Grandaddy and The Flaming Lips.

Between song chat revealed that the band’s equipment had been stolen in London earlier last month, and that they wished they were wearing costumes – feeling “Like the girl at the prom without the sparkly dress” in comparison to The Glass Gypsies and certain members of the crowd. But it was all about the music, and they are a band worth seeing, if you haven’t already.

The Bierkeller was reasonably full for a Monday night, and there was a scrum for the front as The Glass Gypsies took to the stage, all clad in 1970s velour leisure-wear. Bobby Conn, resplendent in silver glitter eyeshadow, kicked proceedings off with Angels, curling back his lips on the line "My gums got so numb from the cocaine" and setting the pace for the first half hour of the set. Songs from all four studio albums (Bobby Conn, The Golden Age, Rise Up and Homelands) received an airing, including Axis '67 Pt. 2, A Taste Of Luxury, We Come In Peace, Baby Man, You've Come A Long Way, and Payback.

Mid-way through the set the crowd was advised that the atmosphere would change from that of "rock show" to one of "rock concert". The reason? A half-hour, non-stop prog rock out marrying songs from Bobby Conn, through The Golden Age to Homelands, and keeping the crowd moving the entire time. A crowd invasion by Bobby Conn saw a small huddle of fans pogoing with the diminutive camp-meister. There was touching, there was love in the room, there were karaoke-style duets, there was a reason for forgetting the bad of life.

The crowd was a mixture of die-hard fans and those curious to discover what Bobby Conn is all about, making for a friendly atmosphere and a 100% fun gig, mixing classic Glam Rock with Van Halen-esque metal and prog. The Glass Gypsies were the epitome of cool, but it was the boyish figure of Bobby Conn that commanded the attention of most and the adulation of not a few.

A true spectacle - there aren't many bands left who put on a show like this and still retain their credibility. Edgier than the equally flamboyant Flaming Lips, the Glass Gypsies are a tight unit of musical virtuosos, with instrument swapping between bass, guitar and drums.

The wild-yet-composed violin playing of Monica Bou Bou sits well with the showman persona of Bobby Conn. Dallas Cooper plays a mean line in funk on bass, complementing the rhythmic drums of Colby Stark, while lead guitarist Sledd looks like an escapee from a Van Halen tribute band, and hams up the rock posturing with tongue flicking à la Kiss. Pearly Sweets on keyboards completes the line-up with majestically self-assured wit and cool, expressed through his playing.

For those who have yet to catch them on tour (and this European tour has been a short one), there's a live album out right now called Live Classics Vol.1.