11/30/00 @ The Galaxy in Santa Ana, CA
Review By: Frank Rizzo
Photos By: Scott Harding

Toilet Boys

So DeadOnTheWeb calls me up and says to me, "Yo Frank, you have to review this Toilet Boys show" They told me that they are pretty big and they are from my home town New York. Kick ass, any band from NY is great in my book....well most anyway. I have never heard of these guys before so I didn't know what to expect. So I go to the show and find out that the whole line up kicks ass. The Bleeders, The Donalds and Diablo 44 were the opening bands for the night. When I got to the Galaxy, I was pretty surprised to see so many people there for a weekday. 

Diablo 44 was rock'n the stage when I got there. I have seen them before and I can never get over their dark melodies. They are a great band  to see. The last time I saw them, they were opening for The Damned at this very same venue a few years back. Diablo 44 is kinda rock, kinda goth and kinda punk. I'm not sure what genre they would fit in exactly but I think that's what makes a band stick out among the rest. Anyway, they kicked ass, go check them out if you get a chance. 

So now it was time for the Donalds to jam. I haven't heard of this young band, but I couldn't help but notice the huge Misfits logo painted on one of their amps so I knew they were gonna be pretty cool.  I got a few words with the guys and I found out that they have only been around for a few months. It was pretty amazing because in the crowd I noticed many "The Donalds" shirts floating around. 2 of them were on 2 very hot and well endowed ladies. To to shabby for only being around for such a short time.  Anyway, their music was raw and punk. The best combo of styles. Feeding off the sounds of early punk, The Donalds keep it real. No polish and no bullshit. It was also funny to find out that their songs are about the band The Donnas hence the name "The Donalds". Scott grabbed them for an interview so make sure you check the interviews section in the February issue to hear what they had to say. In the meantime, check out their site by clicking here.

Click Pic For Closer Look

Next up.....The Bleeders! Yes, I have seen the bleeders many times. Yes I like The Bleeders. Nothing like some blood curdling Rock and fucking Roll! Front man Ruben has no problem poring out lyrics of real life shit. And with  musicians like Clint, Pauly, Mike and Adam backing him, Ruben and the boys force feed you the rock you have been look'n for. These guys are full of fucking energy, and know how to get the crowd going . And if their music didn't draw you in, tonight they offered some eye candy to help out...2 fine go go dancers! As you can see in the pictures, it would be very hard not to check them out! www.thebleeders.com

So next up was the Toilet Boys. Before they took the stage, they had some props to set up. Some pyrotechnics, a few weird looking specially rigged guitars and they even brought their own light show. So then they took the stage. And yup, the singer is a transvestite not a woman. Kinda hard to tell at first glance. They all were dressed in the early punk fashion ala The New York Dolls. And they even sounded much like them! I guess you could definitely say that the Toilet Boys are glam punk to the extreme.

Click Pic For Closer Look

And boy, did they put on a show. First of all the singer and the lead guitarist were all over the stage. Not taking even a few seconds to take a breath. And then came the pyrotechnics that were pretty impressive for a smaller theatre venue. Fire shot out of the cannons at least 10 feet in the air. Then the guitarist whips out a metal grinder and starts to grind away part of his guitar shooting sparks out to the crowd. 
And if that were not enough, he later grabbed a guitar that had a sort of cannon strapped to it. At strategically placed part in a song he pulled on a ripcord causing the cannon to spew  out a shitload of confetti. So much I had in my hair even the next day! So if your looking for a new style of band to check out that presents many visuals in their live shows then check out the Toilet Boys. And be sure to check out www.toiletboys.com for all the Toilet Boys news.