album review
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Louder Than War Fest
Manchester • Saturday 13 March 2027
The Wedding Present + more across Manchester Academy.
Zombie’ites
Artificial Idiot
DL only
Out now
Psychedelic Rock’n’Roll Party bands follow-up album to 2024 debut Brains. More of the same but even better, says Ged Babey, as Zombie’ites put their hometown on the map in psychedelic technicolour and draft in a producer who makes their sound even more cosmic.
If you’ve ever driven to the place by car, and entering the city limits, noticed a road-sign that says ‘Southampton’ – then underneath it, it says proudly, ‘Gateway To The World’ – that’s some boast – but it’s a nod to it’s maritime heritage, it’s a port. (Didn’t the Titanic set off from there? Yes.)
When I interviewed an American Rock Star some years back, mentioning where I was from he sang to me “Sitting in the dock at Southampton…” mis-remembering the lyrics to the Ballad of John & Yoko. A cooler way to know of the city rather than as ‘the birthplace of Benny Hill, Ken Russell and Craig David’ – and at last a song has been written celebrating the place and it’s rock’n’roll heritage: Gateway To The World – by Zombie’ites!
That rocks and is fab and mentions several Southampton music venues in verse: the Joiners, Heartbreakers, the Social, all of which Zombie’ites Perry, Colin and Pete have played many times, and is a cracking space rock’n’roll anthem, even if the bass-line does seem to be a bit Stepping Stone (Pistols version).
Zombie’ites are a Rock’n’Roll Band. In that mythic, street-fighting, hedonistic kind of way. Only on a smaller budget – playing Biker pubs and small festivals… the rebellious spirit of MC5 colliding head-on with the intricate musical tapestry of Cream in a Wonderland of sound. …with a deft touch akin to alchemy, masterfully conjures this fusion, creating a sound that is … intricate, chaotic yet harmonious—a sonic Cheshire Cat leading you through the kaleidoscopic corridors of psychedelia, where the boundaries of musical genres dissolve like an illusion.
Regulars at Alice’s Wicked Tea Party Festival they have even written a psychedelic spaghetti western anthem to the event.
When I posted it online Irish punk legend Pete Holidai (from Radiators from Space) responded with ‘That is a zinger! Love it!’ much to the delight of Zombie’ites in particular drummer Pete Hutton (a ’77 veteran and Yoda-with-a-wizards-beard stunt-double, universally-loved by everyone in the local music scene – as are the younger Perry and Colin to be honest.)
The other Southampton specific song is called Mutant Mile – which as any local knows is the nickname given to Shirley High Street – the main vehicular artery through the suburb of Shirley. I’d love to know who came up with the name, probably over 20 years ago… which has become thoroughly embedded in local culture, despite being deeply insulting to the community in general. It is a fact though, that you cannot walk the length of the mile without seeing some-one, usually in grey-joggers kicking off, having a punch-up or melt-down, evading the police or arguing with a lamp-post. Their angry, twisted-face making them look like a mutated version of a human being; hence Mutant Mile.
It’s another kick-ass song. There are thirteen stretching over almost an hour. Zombie’ites give value for money when perhaps a bit of judicious editing may have been an idea.
Man On The Moon is another favourite – it’s catchiness down to the fact that the vocal melody is accidentally stolen from Blondie Rip Her To Shreds.
(As I said before…) The space-rock, free-form element of the Zombie’ites music is down to the continuing influence of another local guitar-hero, the much-missed Radioactive Roy (from Illegal Quartet, the Green Egg, Radioactive Bones).
Drummer Pete Hutton played with Roys bands as well as with Perry & (bassist) Colins for many years. A style that is every bit as good as Paul Cook/Jerry Nolan but with an added jazz swing inherited from his dad -an accomplished jazz drummer in his day.
Bass player Colin plays a blinder – funky and grooving when necessary and solid and subtle, the bedrock of the band with Pete, enabling Perry to blast off into the cosmos with his guitar pyrotechnics.
And then there are the samples and effects – the aural equivalent of bubble-machines, dry-ice and strobes – which lift the sound out of being just old-school boogie-rock, bar-blues-metal and makes it altogether something more psych and cosmic.
I notice the producer credited as Benjamin Ames- bassist Colins son – who has done an absolutely fantastic job – particularly on the drum treatment.
Perrys vocals are still a constant surprise. I joked before that his speaking voice can be a bit Dudley Moore (with the same comic timing) and how it transforms to full-on rock’n’roll belter (Axl Rose / Noddy Holder via Hanna-Barbera cartoon voice-overs) when he sings. He is probably the only vocalist I can forgive singing in a fake American accent – because knowing him as I do, I know he just can’t help it! It’s like he becomes possessed – and he seems even more uninhibited and over-the-top in-the-studio than live.
After mentioning the phoney Yank singing voice I somehow remembered Gary Holton from his days in The Heavy Metal Kids -checked some videos and yep, that’s very like our Perry vocal-wise.
Artificial Idiot is a great album, full of top musicianship but a real sense of fun.
Southampton has Delays and Band of Skulls as local heroes with decent sales and critical respect, but has never had a ‘proper’ punk rock’n’roll band ‘from the streets’ have any quantifiable success, who have written an album which is representative of its urban and suburban working/drinking mans culture – outside of the art/student music scene.
At last, it has – rock’n’roll songs from the ‘Gateway To The World’ to the Mutant Mile’ that you can dance to, party to, raise a glass to and sing-a-longa Zombie’ites. The sound of Southampton’s Music bars where the loud electric guitar still rules and rings n your ears.
Buy from Bandcamp
Zombie’ites Facebook
Zombie’ites Instagram
Next Live appearances
Tues, 29 Sept 2026 – supporting the Meteors – at the 1865, Southampton
Saturday (afternoon) 24 October 2026 – the Social, Southampton
all words Ged Babey
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