Thee Cha Cha Chas – Rock’n’Roll Till I’m Dead

SinglesGoingSteady#03: Thee Cha Cha Chas – Rock’n’Roll Till I’m Dead [Folc Records; 2023]

Thee Cha Cha Chas’ approach to music can best be summed up as “good clean fun”. Unpretentious, straightforward garage punk rock’n’roll with a license to entertain. The exact opposite of esoteric shoe-gazing, so to speak.

This duo consists of Kylie Kooks (bass and vocals) and Lluis “Fuzzhound” Sanchez (drums and guitar/vocals) and hails from Melbourne, Australia. Between barbies, they have also managed to squeeze out five 7”, the first one in 2016, on the labels Hogwild, Soundflat and Outta Space. But Rock’n’Roll Till I’m Dead is Thee Cha Cha Chas’ second on Spanish Folc (“Friends Of Los Chicos”) Records, thus joining to the label’s impressive roster. The choice of label came naturally, since Thee Cha Cha Chas informed us that Los Chicos are dear friends of theirs since a long time ago.

Regarding the reason why the Cha Cha Chas use “Thee” instead of the usual “The” in the band name, they answer: ”At which hour comparing “The”, to “Thee” one “E” doesn’t seemeth dull”. In that way, they join thee exclusive subset of garage bands that practice this tradition, with Thee Midniters as a starting shot in the sixties, and later for example: Headcoats, Hypnotics and Cormans.

Rock’n’Roll Till I’m Dead is written by Lluis “Fuzzhound” Sanchez and forms one of the two B-sides of this single. Thee Cha Cha Chas reveals that Lluis wrote this song as a protest against the oppressive industry and people he was keeping company with at the time. A motivation as good as anyone. It’s a real party song that celebrates the joy of rock’n’roll itself and its rebellious attitude. Classic hand claps are included as a bonus.

Asking for comments on the homemade video of Rock’n’Roll Till I’m Dead, PopDiggers got to know that the story goes like this:

“When Kylie was in high school the careers counsellor asked her “What would you like to do when you leave school?” Kylie replied “I want to be a musician” the counsellor said “Impossible! You need a backup plan!” This became the plot for the film clip. Kylie would be acting as her teenage self, standing before the judge, stating her innocence for choosing to be a musician. We were granted access to the courtroom only one week prior to filming. With hardly any time to prepare, we spent many late nights getting the costumes and props ready. We had a great time!”

Spoiler alert: Thee Cha Cha Chas say that they have their debut LP, titled Temple of Mirth, coming out in the next few months on Folc Records. Certainly something to look forward to.