It’s getting pretty popular this reforming business isn’t it? Name a band that split up at any time in the last 50 years and there’s a fair chance – at some point – that they’ll put their ‘musical differences’ aside, forget the fact that the drummer shagged his way through the rest of the band’s significant others (and ate all of the crab sandwiches backstage) and head out on tour...with varying degrees of success. The highest profile reformers du jour are, of course, The Libertines. A band that hit its peak way back in the early noughties, not unlike tonight’s headliners in fact. Although I doubt whether any of King Adora have shagged Kate Moss and burgled Carl Barat's flat...then again...
Anyway first up a band that has yet to split and reform, Vinny and the Curse, a three man, raw as an open wound garage rock band with a battered suitcase full of frantic, dirty tunes and enough energy to bring Lux Interior back from the dead. Vinny used to be the lead singer of the Big Bang...they have split up...for now...so his cool band credentials are well and truly proven. V and the C are a more unpolished proposition but actually that’s what I like about them. Kicking off with ‘The Change In Me’ - which sounds as though it could’ve come straight off one of those hip Nuggets compilations - the whole set was one short, glorious burst of energy, the only curse being its brevity.
After Vinny and his Curse had left the stage, no doubt on their way to an all night house party somewhere just south of Tacoma, the air was thick with expectation, sweat and cheap perfume. Of course King Adora were on ‘home turf’ tonight, but even taking this into account, there genuinely seemed to be a huge excitement about their second coming. After a quick video montage showing highlights of the band pre-split, ending with a photo of them right now (as in their heyday the eyeliner’s still in place, the hair’s a little thinner perhaps, the belly’s a little rounder...it comes to us all...unless you’re Iggy Pop that is...although I’m finding it increasingly hard to spot the difference between him and his bizarre freakin’ puppet on those oh so rock n’roll car insurance ads) they took to the stage and launched straight into glam sleaze classic ‘The Law’ (from debut album ‘Vibrate You’), an everyday tale of copping off with a policewomen in the back of her panda. I guess that’s what they call ‘community relations’ nowadays. The super fans at the front went nuts, one girl just behind me yelled ‘Best fucking band ever’ down my ear and, at that precise moment, it would take a cold, dark heart to disagree with her.
The band seemed genuinely surprised at the welcome. “I don’t know why we split up now” pondered Maxi to the capacity (and glammed up) crowd after a few numbers. Good question. Whatever the reasons they were every bit as sleazy and thrashy as they were back in the day. Maxi’s wearing particularly well “I can still get into the old clothes” he boasted just before camping his way through ‘Big Isn’t Beautiful’, mascara starting to run a little and lippie already looking less than catwalk perfect. One thing that has changed however is the band’s stamina. Where once the set would’ve ejaculated itself out after just 20 minutes or so tonight they managed a tantric hour plus, mostly made up from tracks off their debut album. We got a couple from the follow up ‘Who Do You Love’ though. Once again Maxi had something to say on the matter “I know none of you bought it but we did make a second album” (cue more screaming from the super fans and a shrieking chorus of “I did”). This prefaced the distinctly T-Rex-ish ‘Drag’ and ‘Nine Inches of Pure Malice’, both cracking tracks and a reminder of what might have been if they hadn’t jacked it all in back in 2004. Tonight wasn’t about regrets though. It was a celebration of a band that still means a huge amount to people...perhaps most of all to the four people up there on the stage. “See you in six years” quipped Maxi as the set reached its messy climax. Hmmmm...given the orgasmic reaction of tonight’s crowd I wouldn’t be so sure. There’s a London gig on Friday night, that’ll be a bigger test. Pass that and, who knows, strange as it might seem this King may just reign once more...
Head over to my other home at Gig Junkies and you'll see this review all over again but this time with added piccies courtesy of Mr Wayne Fox esq. Now that's value.
Check out The Blue Whale Blog's version of events too...nice use of the word 'bukakke'.
No comments:
Post a Comment