Late last year I was honoured to be introduced to Shaky Sue and her Hellfreaks, whose remarkable “God On The Run” album I reviewed and rated highly. Several singles have been released from that record including Doldrum Dynasty, Men in Grey (my favourite track from the album) and Witches Heal.
Now, through the course of the history of recorded music we’ve seen cover versions, reimaginings, remixes, remasterings, and unplugged releases/performances by bands whose work didn’t usually work without amplifiers and effects pedals, like Nirvana and KISS, under the MTV Unplugged series of the 1990s/2000s. The Hellfreaks are no different, having released an acoustic version of Red Sky from their last album. The original absolutely slams, as we’ve come to expect from this new line-up. The acoustic version, conversely, comes over all heartfelt and pained; a new side of the band we’re not used to and, as per the experiences of MTV Unplugged, totally unexpected.
The Hellfreaks have come from a full-on punkabilly outfit to a performance artist whose work can no longer be slotted under one generic label, which is a good thing for a band who is always looking for new audiences. Grab a hold of “God On The Run”, compare it with the output of the band’s previous iterations, and then give Red Sky a look.
What’s next for Sue? Who can tell? I’m looking forward to it, is for sure (new album coming out some time in the next 12-18mo, we’ve been assured)!