Self-professed psych freaks Regular Fries are perpetually dissed for the token journo in the pack, somehow their individual outside interests and financial dealings usurp the credibility of their aural output.
The raw deal from critics has yet to indoctrinate tonight's crowd however. This evening's compere snarls about the lack of respect for dogs and kids (perhaps a personal issue for her) before introducing, with a climactic offer of "Do you want Fries with that? DO YOU WANT FRIES WITH THAT?!?", and only yelps and bellows of ascent can be heard reverberating back as the shambling pack congregate before us.
The reasoning behind the tag psych freaks becomes apparent as they lumber into a set that sounds more like a continuous, spontaneous jam. The music charts a collision of influences, reminiscent of a jumble of a hint of Primal Scream here - in as much as they are a bit dancey, occasionally messy and very good - a dash of Happy Mondays there - with the largesse and excess of baggy - all with a funked up special ingredient of the Fries' own.
The sound is still diverse however; from klaxon-heavy discordant beats, the intoxicating simplicity of the mantra of 'King Kong', the chaotic bagginess, and then when the co-vocalist leaves the stage a lowbeat, mellower side to the Fries becomes apparent, the comedown from the cluttered collision of sound the Fries have 'mastered'.
In a world as eclectic and jumbled as that of the Fries respect and credibility hold little sway. What matters is that a gang of mates can get together and produce sounds as good as these for their own enjoyment and if they please the audience while they're at it, so be it.
