Reviews

"sounds" jan 1983
bourbonese qualk "laughing afternoon" lp
bourbonese qualk seem to creep up on you. their haphazard existence and punk ethos doesn"t come across on record: they're a different proposition altogether. "laughing afternoon" is an oddity indeed; it meanders through embryonic cabs, floating vini reilly, thumping tg and a wealth of other angles but never gets stuck in a rut, it never becomes obvious or predictable. at one point it sounds like an abominable thud that"s coming from next door, then a crisp regular beat irons out the indecision and layers of melody and noise spar for position, you lose track for a moment, that sunday afternoon sense of being comatose creeps back and the migraine is accompanied by a crunching chorus. bourbonese qualk don't fit in, this lp is messy but mesmerising. at times rough and at times smooth. they don"t so much change the face of rock"n"roll in a revolutionary way, more twist and torment it with sadistic pleasure.

dave henderson