Somewhere along the spectrum of satire to rock god sits Jimmy Yukka.
Clad in leather high-pants, Yukka rips off his posh cream silk shirt to reveal a more working class Chesty Bonds. Never quite sure if he is serious about his art or totally taking the piss, the charismatic singer is joined by sidekick drummer Quick Sticks to complete Jimmy Yukka and His Amazing Band.
What Yukka lacks in musical prowess, he makes up for with originality and did-he-just-sing-that lyrics. He screams his way though the Eurythmics inspired “Love God” (“I look in the mirror and what do I see – a sexy mother fucker looking back at me”) and his UK hit “Lezbian Hedgehog”. His move down under is reflected in the bush-themed “Bitten by a spider” and “Mosquito”, but Yukka’s favourite topic is himself.
While “Rocket to Ecstasy” oozes rock ‘n’ roll ego, the crowd favourite is “My Space Blues” – an honest reflection of how the grunt and sweat of rock is being sucked away by social networking on the world wide web - “If it were my dog, I’d put it down; if it were my horse, I’d shoot it; But it’s MySpace, so I have to use it”.
Combining character and performance on a pub stage can be the difference between a good band and a popular band – but do we consider this type of performance theatre? Where is the line between the fiction of Hedwig and Freddie Mercury? There may not be a director and writer behind Yukka (yet...), but put The Amazing Band on at the Fringe Club or The Spiegletent and we’ll be swapping our long necks for wine glasses and calling it cabaret.
Clad in leather high-pants, Yukka rips off his posh cream silk shirt to reveal a more working class Chesty Bonds. Never quite sure if he is serious about his art or totally taking the piss, the charismatic singer is joined by sidekick drummer Quick Sticks to complete Jimmy Yukka and His Amazing Band.
What Yukka lacks in musical prowess, he makes up for with originality and did-he-just-sing-that lyrics. He screams his way though the Eurythmics inspired “Love God” (“I look in the mirror and what do I see – a sexy mother fucker looking back at me”) and his UK hit “Lezbian Hedgehog”. His move down under is reflected in the bush-themed “Bitten by a spider” and “Mosquito”, but Yukka’s favourite topic is himself.
While “Rocket to Ecstasy” oozes rock ‘n’ roll ego, the crowd favourite is “My Space Blues” – an honest reflection of how the grunt and sweat of rock is being sucked away by social networking on the world wide web - “If it were my dog, I’d put it down; if it were my horse, I’d shoot it; But it’s MySpace, so I have to use it”.
Combining character and performance on a pub stage can be the difference between a good band and a popular band – but do we consider this type of performance theatre? Where is the line between the fiction of Hedwig and Freddie Mercury? There may not be a director and writer behind Yukka (yet...), but put The Amazing Band on at the Fringe Club or The Spiegletent and we’ll be swapping our long necks for wine glasses and calling it cabaret.
