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Rating: I can't quite imagine a Swiss punk band. Or if I do imagine it, it turns out that if the flyers say the concert starts at nine, they are already all on stage at eight fifty-nine and exactly start playing, and if it ends at nine thirty, at nine twenty-nine, they are all off with Swiss precision, as you can't disturb the peace of those who work tomorrow; the audience, all composed, no one shouts or makes noise, and then no one holds a beer, the only thing consumed is chocolate, and woe to anyone who throws the wrapper on the ground; at the end, after putting away the instruments, you take the gig money straight to the bank to deposit the loot in the super-efficient neighborhood bank, with many blessings to the abundant secret.
In short, a punk band as boring as Switzerland, which many years ago Paolo Rossi had a funny monologue about Switzerland but I don't remember it anymore, really too much time has passed; however, I do remember the Swiss of Aldo, Giovanni and Giacomo confirming it.
Then, the funny thing is that stereotypes exist and are there waiting to be disproven, and every rule is made to be challenged.
For instance, Shady & The Vamp is a punk band based in Switzerland, known recently even though it has been active for almost ten years, but has released few things, a cassette, a handful of singles and splits, and only two albums; however, the most important thing is that it made a very good impression on me; besides disproving the stereotype of taking the money and running to the bank, because everything they've played so far is on the never too praised Bandcamp page for those who want to support and free for those who want to grab and enjoy without supporting.
Almost all the material is '60s garage and deserves it, but the second album deserves even more, starting with the title, «The Holy Teachings of Rock'n'Roll» meaning the holy teachings of rock and roll, because this is a matter of faith and you either have faith or you can't buy it and I never believed, don't believe, and will never believe in conversions on the road to Lucerne; because rock and roll is something you love without question, always.
But the album is well worth it for how it sounds, a definite shift towards punk'n'roll, and there's barely any garage left, perhaps just the organ that takes the solo in the concluding «Get Wild». Otherwise, it's well-crafted punk'n'roll that owes almost everything to Johnny Thunders and «Born Touloose» stands there as proof, somewhat like the New Bomb Turks of «Born Toulouse Lautrec», and long live Johnny Thunders, long live the Turks and long live pure and hard rock'n'roll.
Because then rock'n'roll has many small great heroes to celebrate, and if anyone has the courage to claim that people like Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, just to name two famous ones and therefore represent the many unknowns who have made history, and if they didn't make it great they certainly made it passionate, if certain country isn't rock'n'roll and someone feels like claiming it, please be my guest; and so it goes that «You’re Not to Blame» is another beautiful thing that brings me back to when there was a hooligan like Jason Ringerberg who injected country with a zeal and vigor that the Sex Pistols could only dream of, just to name another of my small great heroes and a few others; and since there's no two without three, I'll throw in Sonny Vincent as well and I like to think that the tightly packed punk'a'billy tunes «Down at Joe’s Best Power Food» and «Sex Drive» are a tribute to him too and all the rabble that has spent and still spends their life spreading the sacred word of rock'n'roll.
Just to say that this is a great album, even if Switzerland in itself is always a drag. Long live Shady & The Vamp, down with Switzerland, basically.
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