Ausgang - Oct 22 By the time I started my journey into the murky world of goth in late 1985, a fair few of the early pioneers had already split up or were in the process of ringing their death knells. Others such as The Sisters of Mercy, The Mission, All About Eve and Fields of the Nephilim were about to take the genre mainstream. On the edges of the scene, bands such as Ausgang and Bone Orchard, with sounds more akin to the Birthday Party’s proto goth blues, were making the live scene a far more livelier affair than their black clad competitors.

Despite touring with the Cult, an indifferent record company and a lack of funds saw Ausgang split in 1987 so I never got to see them. Mick Mercer brought them to my attention in his ‘Gothic Rock’ book and Cherry Red put out an excellent compilation in 2001. The band reformed in 2003 and have since played sporadic gigs across the globe. With an excellent supporting line up, it was time to finally see the band live at The Water Rats.

Ongoing train and tube issues meant that I missed the first few songs by The Go Go Cult and got there in the middle of ‘Bring out Your Dead’ with its rockabilly beat and ever singable chorus. The band are as tight as ever and it is always a pleasure to watch John’s pounding drumming. Both ‘A Devil in the Process’ and ‘It’s a Car Crash’ allow the band to go into a frenzy with their pulsating bass lines and stop/start structures, creating waves of sound that permeate your ears. The band have been getting some cracking support slots recently and, based on this performance, they should be increasing the legions of the Go Go Cult.

I’ve seen Healthy Junkies a few times recently and they are fast becoming one of my favourite bands. Their take on trashy rock n roll is incredibly addictive with songs like ‘The Sound of My Guitar’ and ‘Juliet’s’ Call’ quickly becoming earworms. Nina’s onstage persona ranges from baby doll through sixties siren to screaming banshee, sometimes in the same song whilst Phil’s guitar harmonises perfectly with the vocal gymnastics.

‘Tricky Situation’ sees Phil taking lead vocals with a nice early 80s new wave feel to them. New song ‘Media Whore’ is promising and the punk rock thrashy chords of ‘Lion in a Circus’ closes the set with the band giving it all whilst Nina interrogates Phil’s guitar. Another band to keep an eye on as they are a great live band with tunes galore.

Max from Ausgang is looking sleek and dapper as he bounds on stage. The mohawk may be long gone but as soon as the vocals kick in, Max’s voice is unmistakable taking you back to the heady days of the mid 80s. The tribal drums set the rhythmic beat and it is unrelenting for most of the set. Taking songs from the Kabuki period (the band that morphed into Ausgang), the original album and early EPs, plus some newer tunes, the set weaves itself tightly together and nothing feels out of place.

‘Hunt You Down’ gets a short intro but ‘4 Tin Doors’ sets the scene with those jagged guitars and angular almost growling vocals. ‘Trapper Sam’ from the Kabuki period sounds refreshed whilst new song ‘Resurrection Man’ is a nice progression.  The crowd is a strange mix of ages with a significant number of suitably attired youngsters who have come to see how the originals do it. The band are going down well with all and a version of ‘Lick’ is well received.

‘Weight’ and ‘Sink Into You’ have the crowd bouncing around even more as Max joins them and then we are in the home straight. ‘’Fat Vigilante’ sounds as urgent as always and makes me a happy man, although not as happy as when the band launch into the lyrically surreal Kabuki single ‘I Am A Horse’. The show might not have been as chaotic as those in the 80s but this was still a welcome addition to the list of bands I‘ve seen.

Three excellent sets more than making up for the long train journey home that was awaiting for me.

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