“I’m a monkey/I’m a gorilla/I’m a baboon/I’m a chimpanzee...” Sound familiar? Well it should, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past six months, in which case may I introduce you to Liverpool’s worst kept secret - Lyons and Tigers. Arguably one of the most original and definitely the funniest band that our city has produced in the last twenty years, with Dave Lyon’s utterly improbable afro and Johnny Tigers trademark sailor’s cap, once you catch them live they are indecently difficult to forget. Whereas GLC are shackled to their tracksuits-n’-Welsh-rap outfit, Lyons and Tigers are free to prowl the comedy prairies and swing in the musical jungle, liberated to dip into the realms of rock, pop, electronica, lounge, disco (or sea shanties) at a whim. Which they do with consummate ease, as songs like ‘Sexyland’, ‘16 Weeks in the Cellar’ and ‘Everybody’s After Me’ testify. | "Arguably one of the most original and definitely the funniest band that our city has produced in the last twenty years." | | Graham Hughes |
But where Lyons and Tigers really rule the roost is when you see them play live. Quick to get the crowd on side, they rip through their repertoire like seasoned pros, winning more converts at every gig they play. Tonight is no exception, and their latest fans are easy to spot – they’re the ones doubled over in laughter as the surprisingly lyrical profanities issue forth from the limelight. It’s about time us scousers wrestled back our comedy credibility from the likes of Stan Boardman and Jimmy Tarbuck. Let’s hope 2007 will be the year they break into the big time. Goldie Lookin' ChainNow it’s time for the main act – Goldie Lookin’ Chain. After packing out the London Astoria last February at the height of the Maggot-on-Big-Brother shenanigans, it’s a real shame that tonight’s gig is only half-full. Has the novelty worn off? Or maybe the problem is that the group in question have only one or two new songs and the tickets are priced at a whopping £17… Well, that just make the fans who have shown up that much more die-hard! Every single person in the room goes nuts from the moment the Newport Massive swarm on stage and break into ‘Your Missus is a Nutter’. By the time the Welsh Rappers get to ‘S*** to Me’ the crowd are frantic, screaming back every refrain with glee.  | | Goldie Lookin' Chain |
It’s the first night of the tour and GLC are as lively as ever – they actually seem to be getting more energetic tired as the gig goes on. After the irrefutably hilarious ‘Bad Boy Limp’, Maggot announces “it’s good to be back” while the rest of the lads tease him for prostituting himself on telly with the likes of Michael Barrymore and George Galloway. ‘Sticky Fingers’ is preceded by a warning from Mike Balls to “keep our hands in our pockets” but that’s the last thing anybody is going to do during the chorus of ‘Guns Don’t Kill People Rapper’s Do’. Then the lads try something they “have never tried before”, a new song, Tracksuit 07 – it’s okay, but doesn’t have the same punchy sing-a-long chorus of earlier efforts. Wrapping up the night with the irrepressibly charming ‘Your Mother’s Got A Penis’ (featuring, bizarrely, Adam Hussain dressed as a snowman), Goldie Lookin’ Chain head off into the night. They’re still entertaining, they’re still incredibly good live, but have they got the legs to make it to album number three and beyond? Only time will tell. One thing’s for sure – they better drop the ticket price next time they invade this side of the Wirral Peninsular. | 
