A review of a GWAR gig, where do you start? Where else but the stage show…and what a stage show! Beginning with the band, frontman/frontmonster Oderus Urungus and his 4 crazy colleagues are dressed in the most ridiculous costumes and make-up that you'll ever see on stage. If you think LORDI look silly, well, LORDI look like WESTLIFE compared to GWAR.

In-between almost every song, the sexecutioner (on stage slave) wheels out a different prop which then gets either violently mutilated or performs some highly obscene action (on the hitlist tonight were Adolf Hitler, Jesus, George Bush and The Devil amongst many others). The result of these actions always results in some sort of body fluid being spurted over the first 15-20 rows of the audience, whether it be fake blood or even fake seminal fluids! The GWAR stage show is certainly not for the faint hearted, nor the easily offended, so whatever you do, make sure you leave the kids at home!

So what about the music you ask? Well, the fact that GWAR stands for God What An Awful Racket, pretty much says it all! Aside from the fist-pumping 'Bring Back the Bomb', GWAR's music is secondary to their stage show and without their stage antics, they'd probably be playing at the Dog and Duck. Just for the record, their sound is a mish-mash of hardcore, punk, thrash and death metal – this being some explanation of the amazing range of different people in the audience! In all fairness though, they actually play their instruments pretty well.

A band? A show? A circus? Whatever you want to call them, a GWAR gig is something that at some point in their lives, every alternative music fan or horror freak should put themselves through. Once is probably enough for anyone, but if you can stand the music for an hour, you are guaranteed a night of fun entertainment – just make sure you either stand at the back, or, bring a damn good blood-proof anorak!!             

Rating 3.3/5.0 James Allman                Remaining Tour Dates :      

• Wed 14.03.07         Sincity, Swansea , UK .
• Thu 15.03.07          Bierkeller, Bristol , UK .
• Fri 16.03.07            Mean Fiddler, London , UK .