Forgotten Rebels

Call The Office
London, Ontario
May 9, 2009

Photos & Review: Declan "Ace" Goodall

I got to Call The Office by 10 o’clock to see one of my two favourite bands from Hamilton, Ontario, the Forgotten Rebels (the other being Teenage Head) playing Call the Office for the Umpteen Hundredth Time.

Now I have seen the Rebels from the get go, starting around 1979, London, Ontario at the Cedar Lounge on King and Talbot, and many more times at the Embassy on Dundas St and lots more in Toronto, Kitchener, Hamilton, etc etc..

I don’t kow Mickey personally, but he knows me to see me at the clubs. He’s always been good to sign everything we bring, as well we always bring Mickey photos of the Ramones in London, and photos of the Rebels from past shows.

This time it was photos of the Ramones from Centennial Hall, London, ON, May 1980. As well as photos of Teenage Head from their very last show at Call the Office in April 2008.

I got to the club and went upstairs to the VIP room complete with it’s beer fridge and shoddy furniture. It’s on the dark side and as I got to the top of the stairs I hear Mickey’s voice holding court with the band and friends. Mickey is lying on he couch and I say hello, dropping the package of photos on him. He recognizes me and checks out the photos. He tells me the last package I gave him got stolen along with his hoodie. What kind of a person steals another mans HOODIE? Girlfriend maybe, but not the HOODIE!!! Some things are sacred!!

Mickey signed all the photos I had for myself and my buddy “The Legend”, who was hanging out downstairs. I shook hands with the band and said see ya later as I made my way back downstairs to party it up before the show.

Downstairs the first band, Darling of Chelsea, were rockin the house. They sounded great. I only wish I wasn’t talking to friends and had stood up front to study their performance, but bars are for meeting friends, discussing ideas and drinking beers.

Next up, 63 Monroe, from London, ON. Now I have seen this band umpteen hundred times as well, partied with them on a boat cruise out of Sarnia, ON, and got kicked off the boat for moshing with some American dudes and almost knocking one of them overboard. Captain turned the boat around sooner than we would have liked and it was an early exit

I have seen 63 Monroe, from the first year, Cedar Lounge days to present at least 35 times over the years. I was really impressed with them. Two guitar players, with that great Marshall amp and Gibson guitar sound, playing off each other and a great performance by Steve Bentley aka “Steve R Stunning”

63 Monroe uses two singers, the other being the bass player, who looked like Gerry Garcia from the Grateful Dead. 63 could have carried the whole night, except that the Rebels were in the house and their equipment was already set up. I will be seeing 63 Monroe again ASAP, count on it!

Now to the main event. The Forgotten Rebels.

Mickey is the King of Call the Office. It’s another home away from home for the King of the Rocks Rebel Royalty, he arrives on the stage looking like he has been sober for a while and the girls start ovulating, wanting to have the King’s baby.

Mickey loves the ladies, and lets them know right away. They break into the classic “Bomb the Boats Feed the Fish”. Shawn Maher (Bassist) is Mickey’s left hand man on stage while Jeffrey Campbell (Guitarist) is the wingman on the right backed by Dan Smash them skins on the kit, and the place starts jumping.

Mickey looked great as usual in a combination Value Village/Goodwill combo outfit that makes Hollywood stars look dull in comparison. Only Mickey can pull this off so please, don’t try this at home, you will end up divorced!

The mosh pit that was fine tuning itself the first two bands was now in full swing and the front row was packed with beautiful girls swooning over Mickey’s sky blue jacket and shiny tight pants. Mickey did not disappoint them. Right off the bat, he gets into the crowd and gets busy with the girls letting them know he loves them all. This is his M.O. The girls love Mickey.

Mickey said he’d been sober for a week and that he was gonna celebrate this feat by getting drunk! Woo hoo!! He was drinking red bull all night while the rest of the band enjoyed a steady diet of good old Canadian hops. These guys are a very tight unit on stage with the great Marshall/Gibson combo and that overdriven sound of the great rock shows of the late 70’s with that Johnny Ramone signature to it.

As the night went on the girls got hotter and off came Mickey’s shirt to treat the ladies. Can you say anticipation? Mickey then traded tops with one of the girls up on stage and put on her smaller top to the roar of the crowd. Another girl gets up on stage and sings with Mickey and by the end of the night, the whole crowd is up on the stage singing “Surfin On Heroin” for the last song of the night.

Mickey is somewhere in that mob, while the band stayed back at the drum kit for survival. The band blasts out the last few bars that indicate the end of the show that can only be described as the best bar show in town. Forget about sending political leaders to stop WWIII, just send the Forgotten Rebels and that alone will bring peace to the whole wide world!

This review may seem very pro Forgotten Rebels but that’s because YES, I’m a rebel too. Since 1979.. Rock n Roll All Night. Mickey for Prime Minister 2012!!!

The Embassy
London, Ontario
May 23, 1997

I always really liked these animals. From way back in the 80's when they were offending everyone with great tunes like "Bomb The Boats Feed the Fish", and "Surfing On Heroin", we thought they were just the rudest fuckers around. So naturally, we loved 'em. Years go by and they really became the "Forgotten" Rebels cuz who really remembered them? Not I... Then one day I see a flyer for them at a bar I know I can shoot them in. I hung out before the show hoping to meet Mickey. Maybe we could get into a shouting match, or he'd just tell me to fuck off or something. It would have been an honour. Instead, Mickey was so bent on getting loaded, he didn't have time for anybody and chose to hang out elsewhere until just before show time. Typical.

Once his band came on and started playing, Mickey appeared from side stage and immediately jumped up there and picked up a Gin n Tonic... Mickey's favorite. There was a beer flat, lined with little plastic cups of Gin n Tonic which Mickey cut into immediately. I actually have photos of him WITHOUT a G n T in his hand!! Before you knew it, he was staggeringly hammered but having a great time. He noticed me standing in the front taking photos and started shamelessly posing for me. It was great. Not too often you get a singer hamming it up for the camera for you! They normally just ignore you. Mickey was really cool though. Even though he was hammered, he still wanted the rest of his band to get into the photos so he would get my attention and beckon me over with a hand gesture to shoot whoever in the band he wanted to at that moment. I just thought it was a real cool move. Instead of hogging the spotlight to himself the whole night, he wanted his buddies to get some recognition too.

I thought his shirt was hilarious. Another band from Hamilton, Ontario, Coyote Shivers, I had met at a Kiss convention 2 years before. Now I finally saw the T-Shirt... "You can suck my COCK, til a million o'clock".. the new album by Coyote Shivers.. In Stores Now. Never saw them play... never heard of them before OR since. With an album title like that, I'm sure they had a hell of a time getting distribution. Fuck 'em. The Rebels are always fun. Go see them and buy Mickey a Gin n Tonic.

Forgotten Rebels Official Web Site

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