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The Flaming Sideburns / The BellRays: Testify, Muthafuckas!

Rotterdam doesn't know how to rock. The Flaming Sideburns and The BellRays do.
29 maart 2002, Waterfront, Rotterdam (NL)

Tekst: Martÿn ter Haar

Publicatiedatum: 12 april 2002

Although Amsterdam has the reputation for "been there, seen that" audiences, Rotterdam is actually worse. Two rock bands that have solid live reputations, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Zen Guerrilla, played there to an audience that was for 50% petrified and for the other 50% too busy ordering drinks at the bar. The latest two bands that failed to draw the interest of the Rotterdam crowd were The Flaming Sideburns and The BellRays.
Argentinian Flaming Sideburns singer Speedo Martinez, who looks a bit like Maradonna, used his entire arsenal of stage antics, while his Finnish bandmates gave ultra-tight renditions of the heaven-sent material from last year's 'Hallelujah Rock 'N' Rollah.' All to no avail.
BellRays singer Lisa Kekaula wouldn't take it. With her blaxploitation look (including huge afro) and tornado-power soul voice, she already has an impressive stage presence; but when she actually jumped of the stage to curse the audience for their lack of appreciation it got downright scary. Apparently not so for "the muthafuckas in the back" - as she addressed them - though, because they remained more interested in their beer. Their loss, because The BellRays too played a fine gig. Kekaula's voice went Joshua against the walls of sound the rest of the band built from stones made of soul and psychedelic heavy rock. That the song sometimes got lost in the hurricane wasn't even a problem.
Both bands have a song called 'Testify' in their repetoire, and that's what should've happened, but the gospel of rock 'n' roll is lost on Rotterdam.

http://www.kindamuzik.net/live/the-bellrays/the-flaming-sideburns-the-bellrays-testify-muthafuckas/1459/
Meer The BellRays op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/the-bellrays