Peter & The Test Tube Babies
The Beat Generator, Dundee
26th January 2013
Armed with my trusty camera and hoodie, the second being an essential piece of kit at a Test Tubes gig as it will inevitably rain down with beer on you at the front, I sit and wait for the band.
They walk on stage to a roar and we are straight into âMoped Ladsâ, âRun Like Hellâ and âThe Jinxâ which are over in a flash. Peter is grinning all the time and I just know tonightâs going to be a good night.
âShit Stirrerâ is up next and there is a guy at the front who keeps putting his hand out to Peter. The Beat Generator stage is so close to the crowd you can touch them so Peter takes the guyâs glasses of his face and puts them on his head for the remainder of the song, every now and then teasing by offering them back to him and then pulling them away. At the end of the song he gets them back.
âUp Yer Bumâ gets the usual response of loud cheers and heaps of beers coming at the stage and Peter gives the middle finger to the crowd and they do the same back.
During âKeith Moonâ our friend at the front decides to take out his phone to try and take a photo and yes you can guess the rest – Peter snatches it and after the song he shouts ‘should we text his mum?’. “Yes!” the crowd replies so a text is duly sent, or was it, only he will know when he checks his phone the next day.
All the great songs are blasted out – âTransvestiteâ, âManiacâ where Peter does look demented when he rolls his eyes to back of his and head and you can only see the white parts of them. Meanwhile Del, Paul and Dave are playing flawlessly. We finish with âBlown out â…
Superb – how can the encores top that? They come back on and yell ‘do ya want more?’ A massive yes goes up and the band say with cheeky grins on their faces ‘not when you hear what weâre about to play’ and they break into âSOSâ by Abba! Everyone sings along. ‘Wow do you want another?’ they ask, again yes respond the crowd so we get âMama Miaâ. Two brilliant punk renditions of Abba tunes. To finish they do their version of âHocus Pocusâ by Focus.
Only the Test Tubes could do this and get away with it, great night.
