Glasgow has a great reputation for garage and surf rock, with the likes of Reverse Cowgirls, The Kidney Flowers and The Bucky Rage leading the charge, and a cast of thousands following in their wake – Casual Drag and The Crails to name a couple. Another top outfit that forms part of that scene of rock fiends is The Kosher Pickles, who recently released a self titled 7 track EP, a mix of covers and their own songs which sit seamlessly with the original 60s garage rock tracks, the Glasgow version of The Songs The Cramps Kosher Pickles Taught Us…
Opening in style with a cover of The Others, I Can’t Stand This Love, Goodbye, The Pickles get straight into their groove, full throttle twanging guitars and a solid rhythm section instantly hitting the sweet spot, the band maintaining the frenetic energy throughout the following six songs. Let’s Get Pickled picking up the baton and running with it, the tongue in cheek “theme song” giving off psychobilly vibes.
A solid bass line introduces You Always Lie, the beating heart of the song, all the instruments coming together with a sinister undertone on one of the EPs highlights. Wild Green Necktie has me reaching for my phone to look for a new appendage to wear, such is the effortless cool that emanates from the speakers.
The Delmonas I Feel Like Giving In is translated from its French original, helping me appreciate all the lyrics rather than just picking up the odd phrases remembered from higher French. Cold Turkey is another highlight of this short collection of tracks, confusing my brain somehow creating a frenetic urgency to the underlying laidback staccato beat. I mean I’ve never done Cold Turkey, but I imagine this gives off an idea of how it would tick with your brain.
The final track of this fine selection is a cracking cover of The Other Half’s Mr Pharmacist from 1966, possibly introduced to many via the cover version 20 years later by Mark E Smith and The Fall.
Clocking in at just over 17 minutes the only complainant I have here is that it’s just not enough, I’m just getting into a rhythm and it’s over. Still that’s what they say isn’t it… keep ‘em wanting. Well me old Pickles, I want more.