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Two drummers, goofy costumes; the first time I saw Beachbuggy in the flesh, supporting ...Trail of Dead at the top of Manchester University's student union, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. They looked pretty odd, and had songs that bordered on cringe-worthy, but they did it all so well. Having two drummers just worked, and when they dropped their 'Sport Fury' album, any doubt I had was banished. Here was a British band playing genuinely exciting rock 'n' roll (punk rock I suppose â?? ethically rather than aesthetically) with scant regard for commercial gain or critical acclaim. They were just doing their own thing, and with Steve Albini on production duties, 'Sport Fury' was justly praised. And so here we are again â?? same band, same producer, and near-enough same album. You may have already heard the single Killer Bee, as it's been played on a few radio stations, but it's far from the best moment on a mixed bag of a record. In fact, it's probably one of the worst songs, with the grungy following track Fire In My Eye (remarkably Jesus Lizard-like), the fuzz-crunch of Dirty Mouth and the slacker-indie stomp of Strip City Heights all outshining it with ease. Overall, 'Killer B' is a good record, occasionally great, but not one to drop everything and rush out for. Wait for the sales and have some budget fun instead â?? you'll appreciate it a lot more.

Mike Diver
CWAS #12 - Summer 2003

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