Whenever I think of the Killer Dwarfs I affectionately remember their classic promotional videos ("Stand Tall" and "Keep The Spirit Alive") from their Stand Tall opus. The performance and concept portions of those videos were very entertaining to watch.

Reunion of Scribes – Live captures the Killer Dwarfs in a 2001 reunion performance nearly 20 years after they were conceived. Visually, the DVD is a treat because fans finally get a chance to see the onstage antics of lead singer Russ Dwarf. In between handstands, running in circles and riding tricycles, I was impressed by the quality of his voice as he belted out the lyrics to the band’s greatest hits. Musically, the band sounds fine, coming across as more stripped down than on their studio recordings. Recorded in Dolby 5.1 surround sound, all the instruments stand out in the mix and each member performs their parts and solos more than capably.

While I truly appreciate having the opportunity to see this band play live, there are some things that held the performance back from greatness. For starters, bassist Bad Ronbo Dwarf looks like a white-collar worker impersonating a rock star, as he stands on stage pretty much motionless throughout the show. Literally, any yuppie could have taken his place and you wouldn’t have known the difference. Secondly, the crowd was very flat for the whole performance, even with Russ running around performing his foolish antics. It probably didn’t help that the audience was separated from the band by a rather large divider, but the crowd sounded and acted like it was miles away from the Dwarfs. Also, much to my dismay, the DVD holds very little supplemental content. I was hoping it would include the aforementioned promotional videos from the 80s, but no such luck. I’m sure the videos are tied up in some ridiculous legal red tape, but it would have been nice to see pristine copies of these classic videos with beefed up sound. Despite this, I’m truthfully very happy to even get an opportunity to see one of my favorite underground bands from Canada perform live. Overall, this DVD of the Dwarf’s show blows the doors off today’s shallow acts.

Bottom Line: A respectable live release from an underrated 80s band that should please die-hard fans. Although the DVD doesn’t have any interview footage, promotional clips or extras, it’s cool to see a band of this ilk still alive and kicking.