Engine Punk

I still can't understand why these guys aren't major league stars, The Hellacopters rock - they really rock - but for now they're calling it quite and going on to other things. I've never seen them live so now I never will but there are many great songs on my iPod that wouldn't exist if it were not for them. I discovered The Hellacopters by accident. Actually, it was terrorist action. I'd ordered The Flaming Sideburns first album from Amazon but amid all the confusion in London during the tube bombings was sent a compilation from the same record company with a serial number just one digit different. I rang them up and the guy said, "We'll send you the proper album gratis. We've just had some very strange days up here." So thanks to Al-Queada, I got Pushing Scandinavian Rock to the Man. That must mean me, then. The Flaming Sideburns had one song but The Hellacopters had two. At first I thought they were awful but it wasn't long before ...

Turbonegro's image is questionable - why would a Scandinavian wear an American flag - but they rock, no question. And is that a steam punk on the right I knew about Turbonegro before, of course, but recently I re-discovered them. I'd bought Scandinavian Leather and enjoyed it but don't have any of its tracks on my pay lists. Searching for the soundtrack of Repo Man I stumbled across Turbonegro's cover version and thought it was great. It's a very courageous thing to do, follow a class act like Iggy Pop but Turbonegro managed it and matched it. Phew! Euroboy can't walk on water but crowds are easy Next I stumble across them on YouTube doing Suffragette City by David Bowie live only - dare I say it - better. And I'm a big Bowie fan. It's Bauhuas doing Ziggy Stardust all over again with a version that is higher powered and just that little bit faster - one of the few instances of a cover version being better than the original, in my humble opin...