Me First & The Gimme Gimmes Get Help

Me First & The Gimme Gimmes w/ Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds and Together Pangea
Showbox, Seattle, WA
05.04.17

First up on the night’s lineup of strutting rock and roll was the legendary guitarist (The Gun Club, The Cramps, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) Kid Congo–née Brian Tristan–and his band The Pink Monkey Birds. Congo was dressed in a suit, tie, and furry hat to charismatically lead the four-piece through an animated set of primal surf rock.

This was followed by Together Pangea, another SoCal rock band with straightforward, slightly slower-paced, punk/surf rock with two-part harmonies. And then it was Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, a punk rock

And then it was Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, a punk rock supergroup cover band. Gimmicky outfits–blue silk button-downs and white pants–aside, the band delivered short, fast, party punk. The crowd, dressed in either punk shirts or Star Wars tees (may the fourth be with you and all), ate up their gregarious energy. All the roadies, too, were in sleeveless red leather, like something straight out of the 80s.

Lead singer, Spike Slawson, with gold streamers draped from his mic, ran all over the stage waving his arms. “This next song is a cover. That’s right you get a cover, and you get a cover, and you get a cover” he pointed to various members of the audience, Oprah-style.

He talked a lot between songs as the band rocked out on stage. “Please help us, help you, help us, by buying our new record. It is the worst title ever. We plagiarize others’ heartfelt material…we mean no harm, we just want to make it better,” he said, before breaking into a punk rock version of the John Denver song, “Country Roads.”

Review and photos by Alex Crick

Me First & The Gimme Gimmes