The Future Free

Many years ago, back in 1992 or so, I picked up Daisy Chainsaw's first CD, Eleventeen. It was a great punk album, with driving beats and roaring guitars. But what really set the album apart was lead singer Katie Jane Garside's singing. Actually it wasn't so much singing as frantic screeching and angry screaming into the microphone. It was an awesome album, one of my favorites, and I eagerly awaited a second album from them. A year passed, and then another, and then another, but Daisy Chainsaw never followed up their first effort. Given the chaotic sound of their debut album, I figured the band itself had probably imploded, or maybe they were all mired in rehab or something. Eleventeen's singularity only made me cherish the album more, and every once in a while, in the years that followed, I'd play the album when I was in the mood for something really loud.

I mention this because the other day, while browsing Amazon.com, I came across their second album, which was released just one year ago. And I learned that Garside and guitarist Crispin Grey had previously put out a couple of albums in 2000 and 2002 with a band called Queen Adreena. I've since been listening to several of the songs and it is amazing how, in spite of all the time that has passed, they still sound pretty much the same as they did back in 1992. The second QA album especially could have been released back in 1993 or so--that's how much it sounds like the DC's debut.

It's freaky to think how much time has passed between the first time I listened to Eleventeen and the first time I heard one of their newer songs. Indeed, eleventeen years have passed! Although my need for this brand of psycho-punk has diminished over the years, it's still fun to listen to them again, and to finally see the potential hinted at in 1992 realized today.