Fu Manchu roars through Seattle once again / Review and Cat Rose photos

 

Fu Manchu (All Cat Rose photos)

By Andy

And just like that ... another gnarly explosion of pummeling rock of the highest order is in the books with Fu Manchu.

We've patiently waited about seven years for the mighty Fu to once more grace our Seattle terrain. It finally happened and we're stoked all over again. This time, the festivities occurred on the most heavy of eves at Neumo's on June 21. 

From the first time we witnessed the heftiness of Fu Manchu in 1998 alongside The Hellacopters, on through their other killer Seattle visits, we've always left the venue with smiles as wide as a sky valley.

As our friends Tim and Beth Ramage superbly described Fu Manchu's impact in their 2015 review for this blog (and it still holds true today), "Their energy did not let up one ounce. Fu Manchu stomped the pedal to the metal so fast as they took the stage, it would have even given the statues of Easter Island whiplash." We miss you, Tim, and always rock strong for you. Rest in power.

Actually, our time with Scott Hill goes back to his band Virulence, which I saw ignite the fury in 1988 with Bl'ast! at The Anti Club in Hollywood.  

This time around with Fu, we were also treated to the well-crafted and pounding tunes of Pink Boa. 

Behold Cat Rose's photos:

FU MANCHU

PINK BOA

UltraBomb unleashes the boom in Tacoma/ All Cat Rose photos

UltraBomb. (All Cat Rose photos)

By Andy

Yes, loud and fast does fucking rule.

UltraBomb certainly does barrel into that realm at times, all the while possessing a golden touch as they display their musical mastery and heaps of infectious energy to boot.

When you’ve got stellar UltraBomb songs on tap along with still-stunning Husker Du songs to thrust forward — thanks to bassist/vocalist/pogo stick Greg Norton — you can’t go wrong, right?

With Soul Asylum ripper Ryan Smith up front with Norton on guitar and vocals and former Social Distortion drum master Derek O’Brien powering the unit in back, UltraBomb is a force to be reckoned with. 

On June 7, UltraBomb led the charge at the Airport Tavern in Tacoma, WA, alongside openers The Fucking Eagles and Never Shut Up.

Unfortunately, planned headliner Dead Bob was held back from entering the country from Canada due to issues with US Immigration and the band's touring artist work visa.  

All Cat Rose photos:

ULTRABOMB

THE FUCKING EAGLES

NEVER SHUT UP