The tag ‘comedy punk band’ could be applied to many an act, especially thanks to the second wave of less hardcore acts that surfaced at the end of the 70s. But, in common with cartoonish acts like The Damned and the Rezillos, there was a top tier of acts which could always be judged on their musical merits.
The Dickies however were another kettle of phlegm. Making their name initially as performing high-octane cover versions of ‘classic’ tunes penned by everyone from Simon and Garfunkel to Black Sabbath, the band’s own musical talents were usually overlooked.
But, they still command a very decent following, and even 30 years on still tour – apparently they had intended to split at the three-decade mark but were too disorganised to do so (thanks to Adam Plimpton for that insight).
Down to two original members now – singer Leonard Graves Phillips and Stan Lee – the band are completed by a fairly virtuoso crew, even if one takes the comedy angle a bit far being clad in a giant kids spotty dog
outfit.
It’s Graves Phillips however who takes centre stage, with Lee only getting a look-in only after a protracted argument over his (alleged) bisexuality and the vocalist’s (documented) Republican tendencies.
Serious business dispensed with, the band employ props (a glove puppet for ‘Doggy Do’, a towel-cum-cape for ‘Gigantor’) which match Phillips’ showmanship – a lanky, 50-something streak of energy, he prowls the stage and directs proceedings.
But despite their infamous cover versions it’s the original material that shines – the high-speed ‘Paranoid’ seems almost too keen to reach its climax, while ‘Eve of Destruction’ is submerged in last-song noise. However, ‘Give It Back’, ‘Waterslide’ and relative newie ‘My Pop The Cop’ are bonafide punkpop classics, very much in the vein of The Ramones – another act noted for their ability to knock out lasting 3-chord tricks in 90-second bursts.
And, crucially, a band never too taken seriously but still revered. As the Dickies approach, we believe, their final chapter, is it too late for them to have their name writ large in the comic book of punk?