Bomb Disneyland Why Not!

Bomb Disneyland 'Why Not!' (Vinyl Solution, 1989)

I've never been a fan of comedy metal. Neither has Pringle. Some might say all metal is inherently comedic, which may be right and most metal fans are the first to laugh at the all too true genius of 'This is Spinal Tap' or 'Bad News', well maybe not 'Bad News' but you know what I mean.

In metal there is a fine line between taking yourself too seriously and parody. Bands like Iron Maiden and Slayer have never been troubled by such matters, modern bands like Watain are so aloof that it's impossible not be in awe of their commitment and bands like Type O Negative balanced so brilliantly on the tightrope between the two that you never quite knew where you were.

However, in the late 80s/early 90s there were a slew of bands, inspired by the Bermuda shorted tomfoolery of Anthrax and Nuclear Assault's frays into ice cream van themes, who made joke music. Admittedly, the likes of Acid Reign wouldn't be outright comedy but by the time Faith No More had infected the thrash scene you really did wonder if all this jazz/funk slap bass nonsense was anything other than a terrible, horrible joke.

Bomb Disneyland supported Acid Reign at the Venue in 1989 and were the epitome of a joke band; stupid name, ridiculous songs, horrible tie dyed merchandise and a skanky punk crusty look/ attitude. But it worked. They blew Acid Reign away.

We were gobsmacked; did they really just spend a minute saying nothing else but 'Faster B*stard' and squawking? You bet they did. Every single song was an immediate sing along and the crowd went mental. I quickly bought a t shirt which was a favourite with everybody from my Spanish tutor who loved the idea of bombing Disneyland, to my mum who appreciated the green and black tie dye to my soon to be (well give a year or so!) girlfriend who wear the shirt over her long sleeve as was the fashion at the time.

Their debut album isn't exactly a classic, but it still reminds me of the two or three times I saw them and how much fun they were. 'Suicide 999' is a highlight as is 'New One!' revealing a bleak darkness also apparent in 'Blood F**ker'.

The groans and jeers sampled throughout and the drivel of 'Wa'as Sappenin'' and 'Live in Grimsby' unfortunately drag the whole endeavour down to the embarrassing level of not particularly funny comedy music. I'm also ashamed to admit that a band that seemed relatively 'right on' had me singing along to horrible misogyny like 'Woman!', but bands got away with a lot more in those days; remember the 'Macc Lads'?

Definitely flawed, but a fun reminder of my youth.

Peace