Wraydioactive! – The Wraylettes (Fyrbyrd Records)
It’s four songs across a seven-inch vinyl EP and because it’s a homage to the late Link Wray (who deserves to be everybody’s Guitar God) played by the world’s only all-girl Link Wray tribute band, it sounds a lot like Link Wray.
You should know that Link Wray was a man of varied talents. His 1958 hit “Rumble” was just one claim to fame. Not only was he The King of overdriven and distorted surf guitar instrumentals, he worked across swamp rock, country and rockabilly.
On his one and only Australian tour, he pinned crowds to the back walls of venues like Sydney’s Metro Theatre with volume that would have put Thorpey to shame.
The Wraylettes are eminently qualifed to reflect that variety, drawing lineage from Melbourne bands like DollSquad, The Shimmys, The Exotics, The Vibrajets and The Beat Taboo, and hosting annual tribute nights to the man. These gals have supported the likes of Beasts of Bourbon, The Cruel Sea, Japan’s Stompin’ Riff Raffs, 5678s and King Brothers, as well as Scotland’s Lord Rochester.
Opener “Rum Ball” is knuckle-dragging (the band’s term) surf rock in its purest form. Tremelo applied with a trowel. Barrelling-ly good. “Wray(diation) Twist” has a cutesy chick vocal, courtesy of guitarist Sammy-Lou, and is one of two band compositions on the A side. The tones are as good as the tunes.
Flip it over and it’s two Link covers, the trashy “Mash Potato Party” (with another vocal that steers it into the garage) and the smoking instro “Rawhide” that showcases some superb guitar interplay between Sammy-Lou and Yolanda DeRose. The engine room holds it all down nicely and it sounds as vintage as it should, coming out of Melbourne’s Head Gap Studio (which has since burned down.) 
