Nov 15 2002 @ Garage Glasgow, UK

"Do You Like Swimming?". Fishbone dive in at the deep end.

I'm gutted. I've been driving around Glasgow for almost an hour. It's "permit holders only" and double yellows for a five mile radius round the Garage. I've been Fishbone mad for over ten years, and I'm missing my opportunity to interview them. When I eventually get a space, past quizzing, searching bouncers and through a potentially embarrassing guest list problem, I walk into the main room to the sound of the uplifting "Everyday Sunshine".

Angelo Moore is rolling around on top of the crowd and generally being everybody's hero. His voice is a one-off, he's a cool mover, and his bottle is un-breakable. The stage diving, the crowd surfing, the mad theremin shit, the humour ... this is a front man.

Fishbone is now operating with no keyboards. This is no bad thing ... more raw and energetic is my opinion of the new five piece set up. Spacey T (ex-Bad Brains) on guitar - I shouldn't need to tell you how good he is - and John Steward on drums; sublime. Original members Walter Kibby II on vocals and trumpet, alongside Norwood Fisher on bass. These boys do funk like George Clinton, speed punk like the DK's, ska like Prince Buster and humour like Zappa. Sometimes they fit all these elements into one song.

Although I've seen a few Fishbone shows over the years, I was a little worried that they may have lost some of the energy, but this was as good as anything I've seen or heard from them. It's more of a "best of" performance - "UGLY" from '85, "Ma and Pa" from Truth and Soul, a super funky "Cholly" from In Your Face, "Sunless Saturday" and "Pressure" from The Reality, "Swim" from Give a Monkey... I laugh out loud when Angelo asks the crowd "Do you like swimming?" and laugh again when he shouts "Aye Aye Captain" over the heaviest guitar riff ever created. The Garage is solely a mosh pit for the duration of the song. "Fishbone (is red hot)" brings the nuttiness to an end and as an invitation to get on stage goes out to all the ladies present, any sensible person would leave at this point. I stay 'till the lights go up and the bouncers start shouting.

I arrive home just in time to catch Vinnie Jones perform "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" on Jools Holland. Please, Vinnie...stop.

Fraser Dougall (http://www.the-fly.co.uk/articles/live-reviews/6565.html)

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