The Rifts, Goodfinger.

20th January 2007.

With three good bands in action upstairs on Level 2, I was nonetheless drawn to Danny's Bar and the lure of seeing a Rock'n'Roll band straight from the US of A.

A journalist wrote in the Daily Telegraph recently that of the three great cities in the world, Paris is the most beautiful, London is the most interesting while New York is the most exciting. Tonight that excitement was encapsulated in GOODFINGER, a raw and raunchy N.Y.C. band.
It is always an event at Esquires when we get an international visitor to our humble abode but when they are as charming, polite and witty (let alone so knowledgeable about the English guitar scene) it is doubly appreciated.
Goodfinger visited as part of a short tour with friends The Rifts. With all due respect to the latter band, all ears and eyes are fully focussed on our cousins from America. The bright lights are dipped as Scrappy Galloway (vocals), Mike Williams (drums), Johnny B (lead guitar), Seth Skolnick (rhythm guitar) and Frank Caira (bass) took their positions. Wearing a black leather jacket and boots to match her long dark hair, female vocalist Miss Galloway cuts quite a striking figure as the band perform their first song 'Face to Fly'. Johnny B (a New York DJ in his spare time) is also gaining some attention with his giant afro and facial resembalance to his all time musical here, the late Jimi Hendrix. He is also resplendent in a quintessentially 'English' black and white stripy blazer. Very cool!
The sound owes a lot to various bands, as well as an almost Hispanic Latin-American feel on the early part of 'Cracking Up' before infusing into that familiar N.Y.C. new wave sound. At it's end Johnny lights another cigarette, just like his last half-dozen it just hangs limply from his lips while Scrappy deftly removes her jacket and this chanteuse shimmys in her sparkly top and she seductively closes in on her mic, her dusky eyes flickering before she clings to the microphone. Needless to sat the song is 'Love Digitale'. It seems as if Danny's Bar has for one evening only been transformed into CBGBs. 'Radio Perfecto' finds Good finger in a rather retro mood before closing song 'Sounds of the City' has a full on proto Stooges undercurrent surging through the guitars and drums. To great applause these native New Yorkers were off to catch their plane back home. A real pleasure to meet and listen to. When Tom Verlaine (of Television) heard them live he described the sound of Goodfinger as 'the future of New York music'. How can I possibly disagree with a legend?