The 99 Degree – Manchester Soup Kitchen 17th September

The Soup Kitchen lies in the heart of Manchester’s thriving Northern Quarter, it’s a new venue to me although I do have a vague hazy recollection of visiting the venue on a previous long lost weekend. I arrive in Manchester early as the venue has adopted the increasingly common practice of concerts starting and finishing early to make way for a club night, this isn’t a practice I’m fond of as getting to the venue in time isn’t always possible. However, in an age where independent venues are under assault from gentrification and town planners I understand the need for a venue to make enough money to stay in business. I decide to make to best of the situation, and as September has remained unseasonably warm and dry I take the opportunity to enjoy a pint in the early evening sunshine and watch as the city begins it’s changeover between the post football and shopping crowds, and the nocturnal denizens who are slowly beginning to filter into the city.

Tonight The 99 Degree are playing in the basement of the Soup Kitchen, this a stripped down venue with bare brick walls and exposed pipework which sets the vibe nicely for The 99 Degree‘s brand of primitive surf inspired garage rock. Tonight is the first of a series of nights that goes under the banner of Psychetropic, this will hopefully become a showcase for local bands whose music is inspired by psychoactive compounds and the primal elements of rock n roll, if this is the case then The 99 Degree are the perfect band to play the inaugural Psychetropic event.

To my ears The 99 Degree channel The Gun Club and The Cramps whilst adding their own unique elements into the mix, the lead singer shakes and shambles around the stage and reminds of me of nothing less than a deranged preacher from the old west, the guitarist makes a glorious primitive noise from his Gretsch whilst the rhythm section hammer out a solid backbeat. I’m not sure what it is about their combination of garage rock, deranged spaghetti western soundtrack and primitive rock n roll I find compelling about them, but for me they are a unique band amidst a sea of wannabe bands that recreate, rather than be influenced by, the sounds of the past. The reverb and echo drenched guitar riffs are reminiscent of the kind of primitive noise that Poison Ivy, of The Cramps, was famous for, the vocalist has an authentic brimstone garage howl and the rhythm section provide a solid backing that keeps the insanity anchored.

The 99 Degree are one of Manchester’s most unhinged and original bands, and I’d recommend catching them live if you have any love for the garage bands that originally emerged from the mid 60s or the subsequent garage revival bands. The 99 Degree live are the equivalent of a soundtrack from a deranged Quentin Tarantino movie that was made under the influence of bad acid, they simultaneously have one foot in the past whilst making their own contemporary and demented take on garage and surf rock. The 99 Degree will be entering the studio later this year and I can’t wait to hear whether they can capture the essence of their live set on a recording, because if they can then that will be something to treasure.

The 99 Degree‘s Soundcloud Page can be found here and their Facebook page is here