The Fuzztones
Live At The Dive '85

In the '80s, I was hooked on garage-punk. I believe the first record of the genre I listened to was Here Are the Chesterfield Kings by the Chesterfield Kings, an album of covers that served as a kind of programmatic manifesto for the retro aims of that scene. In hindsight, I must say that many of those bands were overly hyped by the specialized press, particularly by Claudio Sorge in Rockerilla. However, some bands were genuinely noteworthy, like the aforementioned Chesterfield Kings, the great Lyres, the Morlocks, and Fuzztones led by Rudi Protrudi. The latter are still active; I saw them live in Pisa a few years ago. Now, Area Pirata makes available an unreleased live album by the Fuzztones, namely Live At The Dive '85. This concert is of great interest as it captures one of the last performances held at the legendary Dive (a cult and sacred place for garage-punk lovers) shortly before it closed its doors. Live, the Fuzztones were smashing, and even if the recording quality isn't the best, we have here a testament to their energy. The live energy they radiated was and still is of devastating power. Rudi Protrudi commands the stage excellently, interacting with the audience, who, as we can hear, are very warm and engaged. The songs are energetic and riveting, showcasing the verve of a group that invented nothing but was nevertheless highly impactful. But the true peculiarity of this concert is the presence of three covers paying homage to three rival bands. We can indeed hear "Help You Ann" by the Lyres (a classic from the Lyres on their first album On Fyre), "She Told Me Lies" by the Chesterfield Kings (from Stop!), and "Run Better Run" by the Cheepskates. Ultimately, Live At The Dive '85 is a fine document; kudos therefore to Area Pirata for this restoration, released in vinyl and CD (limited to 500 copies). Available on Bandcamp: https://areapiratarec.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-the-dive-85.