Sounds From The Junkshop #111 - Crash Kelly

 

"Gimme joy, gimme action, gimme electric satisfaction!" - Crash Kelly - Ride The Wire

Believe it or not, ladies and gentlemen, there was a time way way back when the idea of retro rock revivalists didn't make me roll my eyes to the heavens and mutter something about having some ideas of your own. I'm prepared to admit that maybe it was because of being a bit younger when my ears were still hearing things for the first thousand times and the fog of middle aged cynicism hadn't quite yet bitten me although I prefer to think that the bands of this genre we had back then were just a bit...well, better really.

Case in point - Crash Kelly. Another group who emerged from the early noughties Canadian rock scene that also spawned the likes of Robin Black and the IRS, Danko Jones and Crystal Pistol, they were a group of four lads who'd quite clearly grown up idolising Marc Bolan and Phil Lynott but were smart enough to give those sounds an early 21st century nip and tuck to prevent them being written off as idea-free revivalists. And believe you me, there were a fair few bands even back then who were falling into that bracket - anyone remember the Answer or Wolfmother (shudder)?

The group would crash (no pun intended) on to the scene in 2003 with their debut album Penny Pills which was a strong debut but looking back, it feels kind of like the build-up for what followed with the group still smoothing off the rough edges a little bit. Nevertheless, the likes of lead-off single She Gets Away, the teenage heartbreak ode Eleven Cigarettes (plus point for the Hanoi Rocks namecheck in there as well) and the Thin Lizzy style twin guitar attack of Irish Blessing '95 all pointing to them being a band with a lot of promise.

And it was 2006's Electric Satisfaction which saw that promise well and truly realised. With their sound honed via tours with the likes of the Quireboys and even a few gigs opening for Axl's version of Guns 'n' Roses around this time, it showed a band who'd grown in confidence from young upstarts to sleek rock 'n' roll veterans with hooks and choruses to die for. Hang Out Where You Matter was an absolutely storming opener with that Lizzy style guitar sound pushed front and centre and a chorus which steadfastly refused to leave your skull afterwards (even if it did bear a passing resemblance to Spinal Tap's Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight!) From thereon in, it's a full on rock 'n' roll rave-up with the highlights coming thick and fast from the chugging Ride The Wire through the glam boogie of 33 On The Charts (an ode to all those bands lead singer Sean Kelly had grown up idolising who had a couple of minor hits but never quite broke into the big league - that one could almost be a theme tune for both Sounds From The Junkshop and Garbage Days Revisited really!). Elsewhere, She Put The Shock In My Rock 'n' Roll and Count On Me, Count On You could almost have been a couple of great lost Starz songs and Cut On Your Tongue and You're A Drag When You're High were prime slices of Hanoi style spite. All in all, an absolute killer record which I heartily recommend you track down if you're unaware of it.

Unfortunately, while it brought them some minor success in their native Canada, Electric Satisfaction remained very much an underground classic away from their homeland for Crash Kelly and although I remember it getting glowing reviews in a lot of the fanzines I read like Bubblegum Slut and Trashpit as well as some praise in Classic Rock magazine, the elevation to Darkness-style levels of fame never arrived and the group would end up leaving their record company, Liquor and Poker (who also had the Backyard Babies, the Hellacopters, the Black Halos, American Heartbreak and Hanoi Rocks themselves on there at the time - talk about a killer roster!) . The group would hold it together for one more album, 2008's One More Heart Attack - not quite up to the standard of its predecessor but still a fine effort with the likes of the title track, 16 On A Summer Night and Nottingham Rock City Blues being particular highlights. Unfortunately, it came out on a minor label and I'm not even sure if it actually got a UK release (I remember it took me a fair while to track down an affordable copy online). Either way, the band would split soon after. And we ended up in a world where the term "classic rock revivalists" is now mostly associated with by the dull as ditchwater likes of Greta Van Fleet and Those Damn Crows. For shame...

Following Crash Kelly's split, Sean has gone on to be a session musician of some renown, spending several years with Canadian rock veterans Helix and also working as a gun for hire with the likes of Nelly Furtado and Lee Aaron. I can't help but feel though that that's a bit of an underutilisation of the guy's undoubted talents as a songwriter. Certainly, I think I can safely say that if Crash Kelly were to announce a reunion album and tour then I'd be the first one to put in a request for some tickets if they came back to the UK. In the meantime, I'd happily recommend all three of their albums but start off with Electric Satisfaction, a proper retro rock revival with a 21st century sheen masterpiece that the world sadly ignored at the time. They may not even have reached that fabled 33 On The Charts slot but Crash Kelly will always hold a special place in this jaded reviewer's heart.