> Reviews > Reviews 2006 > Ginger & the Sonic Circus

Review by Steve.

Ex Wildhearts genius provides a few surprises

Being sceptical about most things in life, I approached the prospect of another of Gingers' side projects with caution. His previous efforts have varied from 'good enough to be Wildhearts B-sides' (Silver Ginger 5) to 'utter shite' (Clam Abuse) - so the idea of Ginger and the Sonic Circus did not inspire me greatly. For one reason or another the gig was moved from the Rig at Rock City round the corner to the Rescue Rooms. I like this venue and, although it was not rammed, it was busy enough downstairs to opt for the comfort of the balcony and private bar.

Most of the Sonic Circus were also upstairs whilst the support 'artistes' were on. Psycho Cyborgs were entertaining enough for those who like to see grown men pierce metal skewers through their cheeks and stomachs. The Sonic Circus took a little while to assemble themselves on stage, being a nine-piece outfit (possibly eight, it was difficult to tell), and after the ringmaster Ginger emerged to raptuous applause, they launched into a plethora of songs from the Valor del Corazon album. Not being familiar with the album, this hapless reviewer did not know any of the songs, but is pleased to report that the Sonic Circus is easily the best of Gingers side projects. It was even noted that several of the songs were good enough to grace a Wildhearts album proper. Variations on that theme took the form of a distinct country feel to one of the songs and the 'Drunken Lord of Everything' was clearly a Geordie version of the Pogues.

The band were tight as you'd expect from anything associate with the ginger one and contained a couple of minor stars from elsewhere. Spotted early on, wearing the same Cap'n Jack Sparrow outfit as he was wearing last year whilst playing with Hanoi Rocks was Connie Bloom of Electric Boys fame. The other guitarist, looking the spit of Romeo from The Magic Numbers, was introduced as Jason Edwards. If you were wondering what he'd been up to since the sad demise of Wolfsbane in the early 90's - it would appear that he'd spent most of the intervening 12 years eating lots of pies. The set finished with Gingers' cover of the Wildhearts' cover of the Elvis Costellos' superb 'Pump it up' and the crowd pleasing '29 X the Pain', after which the circus left town. I was pleased to see that Ginger is continuing to write good songs and appears to have cleaned himself up (a bit). The Sonic Circus is certainly a worthy side project, but the real worry is that this is not a side project at all...

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