0 Tuff played a free show at Fingerprints Music in Long Beach on Wednesday night, blowing out two fuses within the first five minutes, ripping the first two songs off their debut album, “Black Moon Spell.”
Kyle Thomas, the lead singer and guitarist with a tenacious, rock ‘n’ roll persona and sense of humor, grinned at the crowd and whispered, “So, what do you guys want to talk about?”
Old Gary, the drummer, entertained the crowd banging a couple drum solos, and Magic Jake smacked a few heavy Sublime bass riffs to cheer the sweaty, anxious crowd up.
Once the guitar amps fused power, King Tuff resumed the first song off of its debut album right smack in the middle of a bluesy guitar solo and thunderous drumbeats. The people in the crowd resumed too, their rock ‘n’ roll-crazed faces exhilarated as if they were instantly flung upside down on a rollercoaster.
Thomas took the crowd on a magical journey with the next song, “Rainbows Run,” his hypnotic lyrics repeating, “When I take you down where rainbows run / All your little colors come,” and mixing with grungy, retro-pop melodies and swirling guitar solos.
Everyone had a case of “metal-neck” after its subsequential song, “Headbanger.” This garage-rock tune opens with surf-rock guitar melodies followed by gently spewed lyrics, “Bang your little head,” meshed with guitar riffs resembling that of Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath.
“Black Moon Spell” was recorded during the muggy winter of 2014; according to Sub Pop Records website, “none of the members were prepared.”
Sub Pop Records also called the song “a heavily weird, heavenly dark, hysterically magical rock ‘n’ roll ‘sexperience.’”
King Tuff ended the night at Fingerprints with an autograph session. Fans were given posters upon arrival and had the option of purchasing “Black Moon Spell” on vinyl or CD.
King Tuff was scheduled to electrify the Irenic in San Diego on Thursday night.