Mudhoney Still Gnarly After 22 Years

Mark Arm can't help but smirk. Having arched its way through the air, a bra is hanging from his mic stand like a limp lettuce. The Mudhoney frontman shakes his head, removes the offending item and holds it up before saying, "Man, we got better chicks than this in '88!"

As Mudhoney dominate London's Electric Ballroom, 1988 seems like a faraway place. As Mudhoney were releasing their 'Superfuzz Bigmuff' EP, no one would have considered Nirvana becoming the global phenomenon they were destined to be. Or that, for a brief period of time, Seattle would become the centre of the musical universe.

Having never suffered from angst, narcissism or self-doubt, Mudhoney always ploughed a very individual furrow. Now in the mid to late 40s and holding down a variety of day jobs -- Mark Arm is Sub Pop's warehouse manager -- Mudhoney are still in thrall to the trash culture and cheap kitsch that fuelled the band in the first place.

As proved by nuggets such as 'In 'N' Out of Grace' and the evergreen anti-anthem, 'Touch Me I'm Sick,' Mudhoney's second-generation garage rock stands as the equal to the first wave of scuzzed-up ramalama that originally made its way from suburban garages across America in the 1960s. But there's also a self-awareness rooted in humour that ensures that the goodwill the band drums up never lets up for a second.

But Mudhoney were never about the numbers. A band more inclined to shoot from the hip and not even bothering to ask questions later, Mudhoney -- much like the Cramps before them -- have created a language and universe unique to themselves.