Hicksville Bombers: Press / Reviews

Previously, we had Hicksville Bombers on Crondall's 30th anniversary night
back in Nov.'06. I had so much to write about, then, that the Bombers didn't
get much of a review, so I can make up for it now.
I 1st saw the Bombers approx 13/14 years ago at Crondall which was where
they did their 1st Southern gig. The Lincoln based band have been a regular
there ever since & always go down a storm. The Rosecroft club & Barnstaple
rock 'n' roll club, also book Hicksville Bombers on a regular basis.
This band is on turbo boost from start to finish, & they had our dance floor
having the living daylights knocked out of it with all the stompin' boppin'
punters throughout both of their sets.
The Bombers don't take long to do a sound check, 1 song & it's done. Now
they are good 'n' ready & raring to go after a refreshing cup of tea after
their 3 &1/2 hour long journey. They're wild, exciting, enthusiastic & loud,
as rock 'n' roll should be. They have the ability to get the adrenalin
pumping through your heart and soul, from yer head to yer toes, driving you
to unavoidably NOT keeping still ! Paul is such an energetic bass player,
going crazy with his turquoise coloured bass really giving it some good ol'
slapping & letting rip on it, like it was as light as a feather, moving it
from one side to the other, forward & back, and even trying to hide from me
& my camera, taking his bass backstage!.....crazy! They played some
fantastic boppers, some deep 'n' bluesy, a few to jive to, but mostly heart
pumpin', foot stompin' stuff. Dave sung from his rockin' heart, some of his
own material, which can be heard on their new c.d ' Deal with the Devil '
(brand new at time of gig) on ' Cool & Crazy' records. This is the first
release with the Hicksville Bombers latest line up with Paul Chambers on
bass, Dave Brown on guitar & lead vocals & Andy Turner on Drums.
The band also did a good cover of that great Johnny Cash' no. - ' Folsom
Prison Blues', which seems to be a popular song with many bands at the
moment.
Oh Boy! Record Hop kept the floor busy while some of the punters decided to
go out for some cool air, after a steaming hot 1st set performance from the
Hicksville Bombers heating the atmosphere.
The Bombers were lucky to get off the stage at all after their 2nd set, as
all the rockin' crowd, teds & rockers were cheering them back on.
More info on the Hicksville Bombers can be found at
www.hicksvillebombers.com
I have to mention one of Crondall's regulars, of 32 years plus - Jill a.k.a
one of 'The Crondall sisters', was celebrating her 50th in true Crondall
style, with the band doin' a rockin' rendition of 'Happy Birthday to you' &
Jill joining them up on stage for a stroll with the next song. A nice touch
to someone who has been loyal to the club all these years.
I'd like to thank anyone & everyone who has helped support Crondall rock 'n'
roll club in one way or another for the last 32 years. You all helped it to
survive!
Keep on rockin', Janie.

THE HICKSVILLE BOMBERS (1st FEBRUARY 2008 AT SHIPLEY WORKING MENS CLUB)
February 09th 2008 Posted to Gig Reviews
This place was packed. We got there at just after 7.30pm, and still ended up without a seat.

The HICKSVILLE BOMBERS always put on a good show, and in my opinion are still one the best ‘LIVE’ Rockabilly bands on the circuit. This band have been on the circuit for 16 years now. I could be a bit biased because I have seen these lads many times in the last 16 years and I saw this band with their original line up when they 1st hit the scene 16 yrs ago. Dave ( the singer/guitarist) is the only original member, although the current line up have been playing together now for quite a few years. Paul replaced Pete (the mad geordie) on the slap bass many moons ago and had previously played in THE BEAGLE BOYS, THE BLUE DOTS, and THE HUB CAPS. Andy replaced Bryn on the drums, a few years ago, and had previously been the drummer with COTTIE AND THE ALLEY CATS.

These lads have had 6 cd’s released over the years with a 7th on the way, along with a couple of EP’s on vinyl prior to that. I think most of their cd’s are available from RAUCOUS RECORDS. A slight tip though, check EBAY first, cos I know Dave often sells Bombers CD’s on there (and he sells them cheaper than Raucous).

The lads played alot of songs from their new forthcoming CD, alot of it self penned, and damn good rockin’ songs that I’d not heard before. The lads as part of their act, ask the audience to shout out songs that they have never heard the bombers play before for them to have a go at. I tell you what as well, I’ve never seen them stumped. They always manage to play whats requested. They played OH BOY as a tribute to BUDDY HOLLY, with it being the anniversary of the plane crash, the day after. The DJ played WALKING THROUGH MY DREAMS for the BIG BOPPER. Ritchie got mention but none of his music was played.

The HICKSVILLE BOMBERS myspace url is http://www.myspace.com/hicksvillebombers

We had a great night, then I had the job of driving home through a freak snow storm. lol. Have a look at these pics. The ones of the band are not as clear as normal for some reason.

The Hillside Club, Lenton Nottingham-
So on the good days I do manage to venture out
one such day
being on the 29th
December, as
Ade and I went to
see Hicksville
Bombers at Hillside
Club in Lenton,
Nottingham.
As always greeted
by the lovely
Crazyjo and gang
and when we got inside there tonight the place was
a buzzing with the sound of people laughing and
talking and the DJ was keeping us all in the mood
with his excellent choice of songs. Already the club's
atmosphere was one of expectation as it filled up to
capacity knowing that these guys know how to
entertain us.
As they exploded into their first set at 9;15pm this
talented trio blasted out a continuous fast paced
selection of great rockabilly, blues and country
songs. With plenty of strollers and Boppers and
some jivers they had they crowd enjoying every
minute of it. With such classics as 'Love Substitute'
'Mean Woman Blues' 'Tennessee Boarder' 'One
Hand Loose' and 'Route 66' all played with such
energy and obvious enjoyment from the three guys
on the stage, they even play some of their own
songs that they have penned...talented or what!?
Finishing their first set around 10pm to an appreciative
audience and CrazyJo came over and invited us
to her birthday bash on the 9th Feb at Hillside...so
come along you good people it should be a
blast..will tell you all about it next month!
The second set from the Hicksville Bombers started
at 10;50pm and was as strong as their first with 'I'm
On Fire' 'She's The One To Blame' and 'Worrying
Kind' a good version. The Bombers were in fine
form and as they went into a cracking version of
'Shoppin Around' some of the audience decided to
join in with the chorus and ad lib it was real fun.
By 11;35pm I was feeling unwell and so sadly had to
leave early but as we left the building the throbbing
beat of the music still echoed in our ears and I just
wished I could have stayed till the end, but Hey Ho!
there are always other nights isn't there
mateys...lol....so you all take care and till next
month as always........
Keep On Rockin’

Excert from the Mad Rag Mag, feature of the Americana 2006-

The Hicksville Bombers - I haven't seen the Bombers for a while, so when i heard that they were playing a pre-show set on the thursday night, i made a bee line for stage 3, and whilst i realised that Bryn had left the group, didn't realise that the bass player, Guy had also gone.
I had heard that the loss of Bryn had resulted in a loss of quality for the band, and that Dave, wanted to concentrate more on his work with Country Cattin' anyway. However, dedicated Bombers fans, fear not, not only are the Hicksville Bombers alive and very much kickin', but they are doing so with as much gusto and quality as ever.
Dave kicked off with his usual 100 mph rendition of "Bull by the horns", and away we went. All the usual stuff was there, plus a couple of new songs and even a couple of improvised numbers. The band were relaxed and able to improvise wherever they wanted, there were only around 150 watching, and i left confident in the knowledge that the reports of the Hicksville Bomber's demise were definately false!

Hicksville Bombers/ Country
Cattin/ Houserockers
B52 Diner/Club
Southend-on-Sea, Essex

20th August 2005

Well, where else can you see three of
the best Rockabilly bands in the country
for just a tenner? The Mad Rats of
course! Those of you who didn’t spend
that tenner I guess will be very sorry by
now! What a night! Country Cattin’ a
real fave of mine, fronted by Dave Brown
the man that delivers, not just good
rockin’ country like your right, i’m left
She’s gone! but can also melt your heart
with real gone ballads like I forgot to
remember to forget and I love you
because, took to the stage with yet
another very impressive line up and
gave us a full hour of fantastic rockin’. A
fifteen minute set from Radar was followed
by local favourites The
Houserockers. You just cannot fault
The Houserockers and if i tried this
review would never get written! The true
fifties sound untouched by time, a sensational
set as always! The crowd loved
them and surged forward so there was
little room between the crowd and the
Houserockers, although they played
some real danceable tracks; ‘Little Linda’
springs to mind, dancing was just impossible
and the crowd stood their ground
firmly in front of them and even the Mad
Rat himself jumpin about to ‘Sneaky
Pete’ didn’t move them.
Last but by no means least Lincoln legends
The Hicksville Bombers throwing
Dave Brown back into the spotlight. I
Like most pondered the bands future
when Pete left and when I heard that
Bryn had also left I was really concerned,
I needn’t have worried they were
great!ll action fun and wild solid rockin’, blues
boppers like ‘Hip Shake Baby’ had the
floor packed with guys showing their
moves, Forevers much too long, had all
us girlies strollin’. You request it and they
will do their best to play it. We had at
least four versions of Lonesome Train
‘Thanks Spike’ and as some psychobilly
was requested they finished their four
encores with ‘maniac’. Not a static person
in the place, this was the night of the
year. Radar who held it all together didn’t
get to play much but the tracks he did
play were chosen well! In summing up I
think this night will be talked about for a
very long time to come.
Members of The Roaming Mad Rat Kafe
@ The B52 Club/Diner would like to
thank all three bands, Radar and everyone
who visited us for the first time and
travelled a long way for a brilliant night.

Janine Higgs

Just perfect!

This is the greatest rockabilly I've heard in a long, long time. And I have been listened to very much music in and around that style. The Hicksville Bombers got a fresh lightness in their music, beautifull melodylines, a perfect driving beat and a hearttearing use of minorchords. A perfect balance between roughness and sweetness, fury and poetry. Clear vocals and quite interesting guitarplaying. It was music like this that first turned me in to rockabilly many years ago. I've heard enough that turns me off. This cathing on. I hear it all the time.
Since I've got this album- a pair of weeks ago - I've heard it almost every day. Sometimes several times a day. For all fans of rockabilly who got sick and tired of songs about vampires and zombies, of what sounds like competitions in speed/fast playing, of the music getting lost in hair and tatoos, of a lot of noise, and of screaming and stuttering singers going "b-bop-b-bop" through tuneless tunes, here is someting else! Real songs with real melodies, lyrics about plain ole love and heatache. Not pop or polished, but cathing the true romance of the style, but still with a touch of something raw, used in the way it is suposed to be. Relaxed and controlled, but still getting off and blasting away. Getting a quite unique mood 'n' atmosphere in the way smiling and driving goodtime-feel of wellswingin' rockabilly meets the melancholia of heartbreak. The Hicksville Bombers are loyal to the 50's but not sounding like some specific 50's star. It's not that "Oh - they like ..." stuff. Not copying any idol - just plaing that kind of music. If you are notoric about references, you could perhaps describe it as some kind of blend of Ricky Nelson, Charlie Feathers, Carl Mann, Sanford Clarke, Mac Curtis and early Gene Vincent mixed with some flavours from such 80's revivalists as The Rimshots and The Magnetics. I guess that makes it central and typical rockabilly from the lesser noisy end, but with it's own personal aproach, extremely charming, and really great. Not new or original, but just sounding so good that it filles you with warm good-feel from head to toe, and played with autority. These guys put them self into it. I really think they mean it - and mean it from the heart.

The Hicksville Bombers
The Prettiest Girl In The World
Raucous

Like the blues, honky-tonk and classic rock, in fact any style that’s carved its own Grand Canyon size niche in music’s core, rockabilly is always going to be crafted in approximation of the well chiselled cheekbones of silver screen icons by sharply dressed desperados. Currently enjoying another resurgence of popularity The Hicksville Bombers are one reason why this music will keep seducing new blood and causing unsuspecting pulses to pound with a V8 thrum.

Denigrators may carp that such retro attention to detail should be left in the fifties but play the Hicksvilles and any of their near contemporaries like The Crawdads, The Rhythmaires or The Tennessee Trio in comparison to a set like Proper’s recent Classic Rockabilly and quickly disabuse them of such trite ideas. Originating around the Lincoln area and rarely venturing away from the Rockin’ circuit this trio are a primo deluxe proposition straddling the bonnet-bucking bop-beat, country swing and midnight blues in fine voice and Brilliantined slinky strings.

While drawing indelibly on the Sun sound such sad-eyed, self-penned titles as Weather Baby, Don’t Let Me Face The Rain and Within These Four Walls show the superficiality and fallacy of simple likenesses. Easily standing collar to collar, if not tower over, classic I’ve Changed My Mind, these are articulate laments in best Buddy Holly or Felice and Boudleaux Bryant manner that smoulder like Rick Nelson (indeed, Get Out Of My House could be a cold kiss-off to Hello Marylou), while some brazen fuel-consumption boogie breaks bail on Hey Judge, drinking I’ve Got A Problem, Moonshine Mama and comic-strip caper of jack the lad cool cat Johnny Valentine.

Well worth blazing a trail to a hick town of your own shaking, stirring full-house slamming on table causing drinks to spill invention.

- Stu Gibson

HICKSVILLE BOMBERS
The Best of The Bombers
Raucous Records RAUCD 154
Blackout Baby / Coming Home Baby / Crazy Baby / Playboy / Do The Bop / The Worrying Kind / Alabama Jailhouse / Kaw Liga / When It Rains It Really Pours / Ice Cold / Bombs Away / Cindy Lou / So Hot She's Cool / Bopper And A Shaker / Desperate Living / Greenback Dollar / I've Changed My Mind / Moonshine Mama / Love Is My Business / Knockdown Dragout / What Kinda Fool / Get Outta My House / Bopper And Shaker / Swamp Walk / Just Like An Old Hank Williams Song
The Bombers seem to have been around forever and if you've never picked up any of their albums before then I would say this compilation of all their best bits would be a a good deal.

They are a fantastic live band who always seem to be gigging - when a band gets plenty of bookings it tells you something about them.

Sadly, I don't think their recorded material does them justice somehow. I've seen them a few times and they've always blown me away with a lively energetic set. This CD, though musically and technically pretty good, sounds mild in comparison to the real thing.

That said, they are still a Top Ten UK band and deserve all the success in the world. There are plenty of groups kicking around the scene with albums which are more professionally produced and designed than this one - but still could not touch The Bombers with a 10 foot barge pole when asked to play live.

A great lead singer and first rate musicians, their own material is really strong and is the best stuff on the CD - all the Hicksville Bombers need is to find a producer capable of capturing the magic they have on stage.

7/10 reviewed by Gordon