Review: Black Helium - Primitive Fuck

One of my earliest musical memories is listening to The Sweet's 'Blockbuster' on my Mum's 'Top Of The Pops' album and Brian Connolly's almost pained 'We haven't got a clue what to do'. Why this maudlin nostalgia? Well, because of 'Primitive Fuck', an riff fuelled monster of an album by Black Helium (out in July on Riot Season) that is like the freaky mutant kid spawned by the mad coupling of The Sweet and Hawkwind. It's not all warped glam of course, there is plenty of Stoogian scuzziness and some krautrock influenced psych on offer as well. Most of all though, it is an album that is fun (remember the concept of fun....it was something we had before these dystopian days of egocentric world leaders hell bent on mutually assured destruction and capitalism run rife), an album that sees that warped kid grow up to become everybody's mate. The band are: Stuart Gray (vocals/guitar), Beck Harvey (vocals/bass) Davey Mulka (guitar) and Ben Davies (drums) although Diogo Gomes has now taken over drum duty and they are, to quote the press release, "a band your psychiatrist warned you about."....nuff said.

Opener 'Drowsy Shores' is a relatively slow burner, a measured rhythm over which a voice intones the numbers 1 to 8 in German. Gradually the track opens up and things get heavier by the minute...drums crash and riffs roil like a restless ocean. About halfway through the guitar seemingly goes into overdrive..like some musical tommy gun and all the while those numbers are repeated...it's like Sabbath recording a Linguaphone tape. 'Love The Drugs' is an awesome track...glam heavy riffs abound and it is a real showstopper. There are some lovely little 'psych' moments that punctuate the glam but it is those riffs...man! 'Wicked Witch' again takes us back to the seventies but the glam is forsaken for some heavy psych....it's down, dirty and as greasy as hell. 'Summer Spells' throws the listener a bit off guard....the intro is hazy and laid back with the vague hint of feedback heard over the ethereal weirdness but it doesn't take long for fuzzy riffs to spoil the reverie and we are firmly back in heavy psych territory. The track is never quite content to chug along, it veers constantly between slow, quiet, mournful periods of haze and heavy 'rock out with your cock out', denim clad heaviness. 'Videodrone' is a short blast of Stooges scuzz, full of verve and spittle and sets the scene nicely for the epic 'Curtains At The Mausoleum'..a track that is pure psych with lashings of reverb and nods to neo-psych bands like The Black Angels as well the kraut stylings of Amon Duul..it is 9 minutes of top class music. The band are not afraid to mess with these well worn tropes, throwing in experimental flourishes and firmly stamping their own personality on proceedings. 'Do You Wanna Come Out Tonight' has everything thrown at it....some glam flourishes, some proto punk riffage and some good ol' fashioned rock'n'roll...what's not to like? The title track 'Primitive Fuck' closes the album in a hi-octane blast of riff fuelled noise rock...feedback and fuzz aplenty and a suitably hedonistic ending.

'Primitive Fuck' is a solid album with more riffs than you could stake a stick at.....I was never quite sure whether I should be donning my silver platforms or reaching for the patchouli oil but I like that in an album, one that mixes things up and doesn't just plough the one furrow. What is not in doubt, however, is the fact that it is an album that makes you feel good. Regardless of whatever 'scene' tickles their collective pickle on any particular track, it is obvious that these guys know what they are doing and, from what I have read, they put on a helluva show which makes perfect sense because they have made a helluva album. 'Primitive Fuck' can be pre-ordered from the Riot Season shop here on black vinyl (limited to 300) and the download can be got here. Both will be released on July 20th