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Released by: MVD
Released on 5/10/2005
Director: N/A
Cast: The Vibrotors:
Year: 2004
The Movie:
They've broken up a couple of times, they've had line up changes, and there have been long periods of silence from their camp but The Vibrators are still around and remain one of the longest running bands to come out of the British punk rock scene of the seventies. They played their first show in 1976 and rose to fame around the same time that the Clash and the Sex Pistols exploded, but like The Damned and GBH, never quite got as big as those two acts. Despite the fact that they weren't as famous as Sid and company, the Vibrators have never the less put out some really good music and if this new concert DVD is anything to go by, they still put on a pretty good show.
Like all good bands to come out of the scene, they hit a nice raunchy snotty nerve that they've managed to spread out over at least fifteen albums by this point. Sure, not everything they've touched has turned to gold and like any band that's been around for three decades they've got their high points and their definite lows, but their blend of punk and plain old rock and roll still goes over well today.
The band has toured the US a few times during their long career and they'd played CBGB before (there's a Live At CBGB album out if you don't believe me, it was recorded in 2000) but this time there were cameras present when the old British punks landed at New York City's seminal Bowery district venue.
The Complete set list for this performance, captured in its entirity on September 23, 2004 at CBGB is as follows:
Automatic Lover, Your Love Is Fading Away, The Kid's A Mess, I Need A Slave, I Knew It Must Be Love, Politically Correct, Troops Of Tomorrow, He's A Psycho, U238, New Brain, Whips & Furs, So Far Down, Baby Baby, Disco In Mosco, Petrol - Pat Collier, London Girls, Judy Says; Encores: Brand New Cadillac, Amphetamine Blue, Bad Time, Pure Mania, Wrecked On You, Yeah Yeah Yeah.
The set list is a nice assortment of newer stuff and older stuff with more of a focus on the band's seventies output which makes sense, as it's better material and it goes over better live as fans seem to be more familiar with it. Performance wise, the band are obviously having a good time on stage. There's a lot of energy in the set and they've definitely got their sound down live. The editing does a fine job of capturing the guys on stage as well as the action in the crowd which results in a pretty decent concert video that makes the most of the crowded settings and intimacy that grubby old CBGB provides.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Small venue rock shows rarely look good on DVD, especially when they're shot on video. The stage lights and conditions of the club usually prevent really good cinematography or lighting conditions and this release is no exception. It is well edited and some of the shots are pretty cool but some of the harsh lights tend to wash things out a bit here and there. It's not a bad transfer and for a club show it looks as good as you can expect, but it's far from perfect.
The English language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound track is pretty strong, but there are definitely a few spots where things get muddy, likely due more in part to the acoustics of the location rather than any fault with the mix. Between song banter is clear enough though and the music sounds appropriately raw enough on the disc.
The best of the supplements comes in the form of a thirty-seven minute on camera video interview with band members Eddie and Knox, recorded backstage at the club where the show occurred. These two have got a million and one stories about the band and its history and they cover a lot of ground here, as they discuss the Ramones and the influence that they had on their own work, interacting with fans, life on the road, and various band members and gigs. At one point in time Nigel Bennett of The Members wanders into the room to gab a bit, and the chemsitry between the three participants is quite infectious.
A second interview, recorded on a street somewhere in New Jersey, isn't quite as interesting nor as long or in depth as the first one and is more or less the band members giving their memories of other old school punk bands.
The Final Word:
For a band that's been around as long as they have, The Vibrators have still got what it takes to deliver live (unlike some of their counterparts cough cough SexPistols cough cough). While the audio and video could have been better, it's not bad considering how and when it was recorded and the extra interviews are a nice touch. The Vibrators: Live Energized CBGB 2004 is a pretty solid release through and through.