Review: Emptifish at the Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea

It may have taken The Stone Roses five years to bring out a second album, but hey, we waited 30 years for the first from Portsmouth legends, Emptifish.

Released on June 3, the sumptuous vinyl version has virtually sold out, and it was a definite sell-out on the night, with 100 expectant souls crammed into the Edge of the Wedge.

The band sounding as good as ever, with Craig Boyd and Tony Rollinson augmenting the line-up.

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Singer Georgie Wipeout still looks a film star, even after all these years, alongside Damien O’Delic and Lord Sonic, aka Ian Parmitter.

Opening with Manta Ray, it’s difficult to believe this band in our punk rock days actually changed the way we dressed. Back in the day quiffs and sharp suits appeared in the audience and it happened aain here.

The band used to stand on Dansette record players to make up for the lack of the stage, tonight Ian stood on a revolving plinth, like a guitar-playing mannequin. It was a magical moment that belied the band’s troublesome past and showed an often forgotten sense of humour.

All the classics were played, among them my favourite 395BBK. The band were dragged back on for an encore of Do The Surf Board, sounding as fresh as ever.

Make sure you see them on the Sunday at Victorious Festival in August.

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