A recent post on the "budget rock" facebook group featured a 2006 UK garage punk release by a band called Hipshakes. The original poster commended their live intensity and double speed tempos. A comment offered a window into how far we'd come: "Andy Hipshake is in Freak Genes, maybe best band at last Gonerfest". Having caught both their Gonerfest and afterparty sets I am in agreement. Both showcases where absolute tranced-out rage rock was executed. Pure energy or gas station magic? Whatever it was, the show had gumption; the kind where the bassist knocked into merchandise, leaned in on one chap, AND chastised someone for making fun of the queen before blowing a raspberry as a joke. The man was deep in a bit that was unfilmable and indescribable; savoring in it as much as inviting us towards every moment on that dive bar backroom stage. Their tour tape, last year's Power Station and this year's knockout Hologram is the work of Andrew "Hipshakes" Anderson and Charlie Murphy at its core (the aforementioned bassist and equally nutty guitarist). With new contributions (bolstering the band to a five piece live), the resulting vision is a dozen wired pulp-punk frictions and spasms. It's practically a jukebox. One spitting deep-oven fried Suburban Lawns and A Certain Ratio 7"s into antimatter discotheque dance punk of all mutant fusions. The shit-fi's crunch n' charm radiates stronger, even as the sound is cleaner than before. - Matty McPherson