Bite The Buffalo - Grillstock, Saturday 11th May

Beefy blues-fuelled fuzz is high on the menu today as aptly named Bite The Buffalo provide the perfect soundtrack to a day of rib-munching and ale guzzling at Grillstock, Bristol’s premier Deep South barbecue fest.

Bearded Bath based brothers Stos and Dimitri Goneos arrive following the end of a full tour of the US and a slot at the SXSW festival in support of impressive debut ‘Blue Lips.’  Originally from the Copperbelt in Zambia the two bromigo’s regard Robert Johnson, Lead Belly and Muddy Waters as key influences on their brand of snarling stomping 70’s rock.  Recorded in a lighthouse in Dorset, the album is an explosive, scuzzy homage to Americana that’s much more authentic than The Black Keys and they’re the band that everyone seems to be talking about in the queues for hot dogs and spicy wings. 

Named after a Zambian drinking game that would surely consist of a healthy dose of Tennessee whiskey Stos (lead vocals, guitar) and Miti (vocals, drums) are soon onto the tiny tented stage creating joyous havoc in front of a soggy but high spirited crowd.  ‘Tell Me What The Dead Folk Know’ is a hillbilly rock’n’roll hoe-down that has Stos reeling off music’s departed icons howling as he goes.  The result of which has the tent violently shaking and it’s hard to believe that the noise from within is only being made by two people. 

The sharply dressed singer is performing step aerobics as he turns effects pedals on and off throughout whilst Miti (who is a spit of Zach Galifianakis), with tongue hanging out for the most part, wildly thrashes the drums.  A top-notch cover of Lead Belly’s ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’ is the only non-blues effort in the set whose highlight’s include the hurtling White Stripes like ‘My Gun’ and Eels sounding ‘Cherry Window Blues.’  Playing pretty much the entire album, most tunes end in a similar balls-out bloated jam as Stos’ squeezes every last inch of noise out of his Hofner.  It can get a bit repetitive in places and the duo’s impressive vocal range is subjected to a slightly irking and unnecessary glossy metallic effect towards the end.  It is a minor aberration though and doesn’t spoil album title-track ‘Blue Lips’ which has a hypnotic surf-slacker feel that gets the crowd shifting.

“Facial hair is the main inspiration to this band’ claims Miti as he bemoans the lack of recent lip hair of the Kings Of Leon before a furious cover of ‘Molly’s Chambers’.  Things even get a bit lightheartedly sleazy as two bellydancers gyrate away atop picnic tables much to the Buffalo’s approval.  The repertoire is definitely stretched as they go way over curfew, the fans happily plying them with beer to keep them on stage longer.  Tonight’s slick performance reflects a strong momentum for a band that has every chance of success and if you’re pining for a good ‘ol chunky slice of bluesy-rock then you better get out and see them before you get caught up in the stampede.

Kindly published by Venue:
http://www.venue.co.uk/music-live-reviews-g/20605-grillstock-bite-the-buffalo

Best track: Click on link below
Bite The Buffalo - Tell Me What The Dead Folk Know

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