Friday 01/12/06 Goldie Lookin Chain, Marvin the Martian, Lyons and Tigers @ Carling Academy, Liverpool

It was to be a night of pleasure and mayhem. Of stolen handbags and herbal remedies. Of belly laughs so strong they could have powered a Welsh village.

The support acts Lyons and Tigers and Marvin the Martian conjured up mental images of grown men in at least one silly costume. Women of a certain age can tell you that two hours of foreplay needs to be consistent or the mind begins to wander and before you know it she’s thinking of what she needs to buy from Tescos. Now Lyons and Tigers staved off thoughts of shopping lists for the whole of their short but sweet set. With music that one minute sounds like it should be in a CBeebies show for the under fives ‘I Am A Monkey’ and the next sounding like something  very cheap and dirty ‘My Pants Are Too Tight.’ Perhaps the most memorable lyric being ‘You don’t need to smell of shit to be an arsehole.’ Great. 

Marvin the Martian were no less talented but definitely less silly. A member of Marvin the Martian’s Why Lout? team, came on stage looking like he’d be more at ease arranging your mortgage with his paunch and a shirt and tie. Whatever they have doing on between them definitely works. Main man Marvin actually hails from Brixton, but those who have had the pleasure of seeing him live, can confirm he’s in a stratosphere of his own with his roots firmly planted in the realities of life. To compare him to The Streets would be crass as he’s got a darker and heavier feel to his sound.

It was easy to see why ‘I Hate My Job’ has gained such critical acclaim. Wry and musically accomplished with a general air of intensity, if sales of the ‘Hoods and Badges EP’ aren’t boosted by supporting the GLC then the Macdonald Brothers are talented and the sky is green.

Goldie Lookin Chain burst on the stage with the enthusiasm of a child’s first wet dream. What followed can only be described as genius. Between the friendly banter and sharing the shock revelation that Eggy has finally got his provisional licence, everything was safe as fuck. The ‘safe as fuck’ count got up to 15 times then the dazzle of the bling became almost hypnotic. Each member has their own charm with almost too much to take in from Billy’s frankly shocking robotic dancing to Mike Balls and his balancing on the stage equipment while taking tokens of herbal refreshment from the first row.

The majority of the evening featured songs from ‘Safe As Fuck’ but what joy to hear ‘Half Man Half Machine’ in all its splendour along with a couple of the ‘Greatest Hits’. The dynamic between the lads was one of warm familiarity with a huge dollop of talent.  In the flesh the GLC are as musically tight as the Virgin Mary’s hymen. Treats like their take on Nelly Furtardo’s ‘Maneater’ featuring a Nan called Rita and some new tracks  including ‘Tracksuit 07’, ‘Do Yer Missus’ and ‘Rollin’  made the party go with a bang and were good return to form. A Christmas costume inspired by Adam’s recent trip to a discount store only serve to make the night even more memorable.

The interaction between the crowd and the lads was superb with various members rushing forward to shake hands with the audience throughout the gig. Combine all this with a general understated feeling of fun and camaraderie and it was clear that GLC are here to stay. You fucking knows it.