Gaye Bykers on Acid
100 Club
 

SAMPLES aplenty, psychedelic riffs, sly lyrics, wizard like guitarists and selling their soul to rock ‘n’ roll, this Bykers gig at the 100 Club is a veritable trip to the 1980s Grebo scene, but also a testament to how much fun the four piece were and are.
 
Kicking off with a sample of the film intro from A Clockwork Orange, the band launch into TV Cabbage and are immediately in their groove. That’s all the more impressive as they have a stand in guitarist Tom Stanley subbing for Tokyo-based founder member Tony Byker whose guitar licks are suitably psychedelic and hard to emulate. Tom excels.
 
There follows a 17-song set that veers from standard indie punk to thrash metal and dance rock that brings to mind a clash of music genres, but all go down well with the committed fan base.

Stand-out treats include Shoulders, written as a tribute to the fans that followed the band from gig to gig and Zen Express which takes 1960s guitar riffs and crosses them with a punk edge.

But the main applause is saved for the final two tracks, the band’s debut single Everythang’s Groovy and the breakthrough Nosedive Karma with Hendrix like guitar, sci-fi samples, and a punk rock electropop rap culture mix aplenty which has kept its cool some 35 years on.

The set may have been a bit heavy on tracks from the early singles and albums, but the Bykers remain tight and their musical trip remains totally enjoyable with the delight from the band playing together like old friends reflected by the enthusiastic reception of the audience.

There’s depth and a greater message than may be expected, not just a comedy name. All in all it’s fun and one of those comebacks where the fans definitely want more.