The Zico Chain, the band named after the connection that all icons possess, play the Carling Academy on Friday in what promises to be a memorable gig...
They call themselves after the connection between Maradona and Madonna, Monroe and Manson, Bobby Moore and Bobby Kennedy, Robert Plant and Robert De Niro...and the list goes on.
It all began when Chris Glithero moved south from Manchester because, “every musician there wanted to be baggy but I wanted to be Lemmy”. He met Paul Frost and Ollie Middleton in Brighton and they bonded over their dissatisfaction of 21st century British rock.
Inspired by the likes of Meg White’s drumming, Hendrix’s guitar work and Motorhead’s driving force, they set out to write songs like The Beatles, Pixies and Pistols (no mean feat there, then) and all there was left to do then was buy a van and get on with it.
The Zico Chain write stupid songs about brainy people, celebration songs about drinking, worried songs about drugs, and been-there songs about teenage angst, social suicide, paranoia, nuclear families, personal responsibility and split personality.
Their simple punk ‘n’ blues concoction gives frequent nods to Nirvana, especially when Chris Glithero’s husky voice kicks in. They’re hit and miss, and you never know quite what you’ll get, but they like to provoke a response.
They were signed by Hassle Records, recorded a mini-LP with Teo Miller, who has recorded, mixed and produced tracks for an eclectic range of artists including Placebo, Happy Mondays and Robert Plant, and released their self-titled debut earlier this year.
Doing it the hard way, Zico Chain have been out touring non-stop for the last few months. And word is spreading, not least from pals Nine Black Alps, Alkaline Trio, Cave In and Fall Of Troy, all of whom recently invited them on their tours.
www.myspace.com/thezicochain