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Monday night at The Gov; elevated excitement levels are evident for the younger Marky Ramone fans, clustered in their cliques, clad in obligatory Ramones tees. Anticipation, and perhaps a healthy splash of apprehensiveness, ride high for the older devotees, many of whom have been lucky enough to catch a more original line up of the Ramones in the past.

Thunder Express take to the stage, with their drummer bearing a slight resemblance to Jesus, their bassist almost passing as a younger version of Brody Dalle, a nondescript guitarist and a lead singer who successfully manages to shower the front row of spectators with various bodily fluids, most notably saliva as he spits the lyrics to accompany their short, fast and loud music. The highlights of their set are the songs sung by their bassist, Shannon Arscott, who possesses admirable punk vocals and who attacks the strings of her bass with fervor. After several songs, the lead singer jokes of being old and already having a stitch – he subsequently invites members of the The Ramonettes ( Suzy Ramone and Andy Burrey, an Adelaide Ramones cover band who formed in 2001 onto the stage to join Shannon in covering I Wanna Be Sedated and Blitzkrieg Bop. Thunder Express continue to play a sizeable set, and with copious amounts of sweat falling from his flaccid faux-mohawk, the lead singer bids goodnight to Adelaide.

Joy Division’s Permanent rings throughout The Gov as the anticipation for Marky Ramones Blitzkrieg heightens. When lead singer Michale Graves, bassist Clare Product, guitarist Alex Kane and the legendary drumming machine that is Marc Steven Bell walk onstage, it feels remarkably surreal. To be viewing Marky Ramone in the absence of his late colleagues from the Ramones is deeply saddening, yet also strangely inspiring. Clad in a trademark black tee and sporting – œthat’ infamous haircut, Marky looks very slim and rather fatigued. His drumming however, is breathtaking; the man doesn’t miss a step and indeed has the crowd – œpulsating to the back beat’. Every muscle in each of his arms springs into action as he vigorously starts to drum the intro to Rockaway Beach, and continues to drum flawlessly to classic Ramones songs such as Teenage Lobotomy and Pinhead.

Clare interacts beautifully with the crowd, particularly with a group of young teenage males who are evidently ready to proclaim their undying love for her. With the lights partially highlighting her fluro green, yellow and purple hair, Clare is a mess of energy and good-natured attitude, often screaming the infamous “1, 2, 3, 4!” to signal the start of a new song. Songs are ejected one after the other, with only the slightest pause to separate them.

Michale’s vocals are solid, with his innovative sound providing a new credibility to songs that have shaped the lives of many. He prances around the stage in his makeshift, gaffer-taped leather pants, with endless vitality, pausing momentarily to act out the lyrics to some songs – perhaps a little cliché. The lyrical intensity of Poison Heart leaves many breathless and provides a quieter moment to reflect on the experience.

Alex provides unfaltering consistency on the guitar, commenting at the end of the show that it “took people a while to get loose”. The crowd is somewhat disappointing, with the overall attendance less than desirable. Similarly disappointing, a couple of imbecile teenagers decide that it would be, – œliike, sooooo amaaaazing’ to jump on stage and sing in an out-of-tune manner into Michale and Clare’s microphones during Blitzkrieg, only to be directed off the stage by officials.

Marky doesn’t personally address the crowd and almost seems slightly uncomfortable, offering only a salute in the crowd’s direction after each of the two encores. Michale and Marky remain behind closed doors post-performance, with Clare and Alex dutifully signing autographs or sandwiching supporters between them for photos. Sucking on Poweraid, Alex jokingly remarks that his contains Vodka – a fallacy he wishes to purport to keep his rock reputation alive.

Overall, the Marky Ramones Blitzkrieg experience is enjoyable because it doesn’t feel as if they are trying to recreate the original Ramones; rather, they succeed in sharing the music with a new generation of individuals who otherwise wouldn’t be able to experience live the brilliant simplicity of such tunes. One thing is for sure… “It’s the end, the end of the 70’s…”.

Marky Ramones Blitzkrieg Setlist: Rockaway Beach, Teenage Lobotomy, Psychotherapy, Do You Wanna Dance?, _ I Don’t Care_, Sheena Is A Punk Rocker, Havana Affair, Commando, Beat On The Brat, 53rd And 3rd, Do You Remember Rock N Roll Radio?, Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue, Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment, Rock N Roll High School, Judy Is A Punk, She’s The One, Poison Heart, I Believe In Miracles, The KKK Took My Baby Away, Pet Semetary,I Wanna Be Sedated, Chinese Rocks, I Don’t Wanna Walk,Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World, Pinhead, Now I Wanna Have Something To Do, Cretin, R.A.M.O.N.E.S, Have You Ever Seen The Rain?, California Sun, What A Wonderful World, Blitzkrieg Bop.

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