Alabama 3 perform in Perth

Nov 24 2009 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

SINCE forming in 1996, Alabama3 have built a reputation as one of the best live bands on the circuit, and it's a credit to them that 13 years of hard touring and living have not dented that reputation.

And so it was that a good turn-out of Alabama3 faithfuls and some newcomers to their 'punk rock, blues and country techno pop' were delighted that The Very Reverend Dr Wayne Love, his co-vocalist Larry Love and a handful of other wacky characters can still entertain in their very own inimitable, pseudo religious fashion.

They're not from Alabama but from Brixton in London, and there's not three of them, and their PCH audience seemed to attract a legion of 'men of a certain age', but happily, as far as is known, no heart attacks were induced by the pulsating techno beats and vampish apparel of the band's current female singer, who unfortunately remains anonymous in this review despite her massive contribution to the set.

The Alabama3 'hymn sheet' included devotional numbers such as Mao Tse Tung Said and the ever-popular Woke Up This Morning (best known as the theme tune from The Sopranos) and we said goodbye to the closing strains of Hello, I'm Johnny Cash.

It had been a good night but not a great one. Main support Krakatoa were simply a band in the wrong place – giving their ear-shattering all to a sadly empty space in front of them; then a solo slot by Alabama3's techno king 'Sir Eddie Real' had some of us wishing Bob the Builder would put in an early PCH appearance to hammer to smithereens the gizmos which were thumping out his moronic 'music'; and good as Alabama's set was, they did seem to put more emphasis on the techno beats than real music-making.

Final grouse was the over-long break between main set and encore.

Alison Anderson