31/12/2006 New Year Rock Party!

Subject	New Year Rock Party!
PostedDate	12/31/2006
	New Year's Eve - what to do? Where to go? Well ideally it should involve music - preferably a live band, and definitely friends and plenty of booze.  The local options didn't look too great - all the local pubs were charging at least £10 to get in, and they didn't even have bands on - apart from the Bell & Buck. I didn't much fancy the one-off lineup of the band playing there that night - I wouldn't have been that keen even if it was free to get in. Knowing the people involved I could already guess most the songs they were going to play and it looked like being a very average and predictable night of pub rock. None of my local friends were very interested in going either.  However, something much more interesting looked to be happening in Camden - the Hotter Than Hell New Year Rock Party! 3 bands, DJs, and a bar open til six in the morning - plus it was only £8 in advance! That beat all the local options in every department. The free travel on the tube and the fact that the tube was running all through the night also made this a much more attractive option! And of course, if the bar was going to be open til 6 AM the tube would be running again by then anyway. Staying in Barnet was now looking a very dull option indeed. Jimi got the advance tickets sorted and we were in business! I met most of Honeykill and some of their friends at Big Red on Holloway Road and after wishing each other 'Happy New Year' in advance we headed in different directions - some of us heading for Camden and the Purple Turtle. To be honest, none of the bands appearing at the Hotter Than Hell New Year bash were among my favourites - but it still seemed a much more exciting option than anything going on nearer home. We didn't arrive in time to see Narkan - who I think I found quite entertaining at the Oh Bar in the summer. I expect I'll get a chance to see them again soon though as they seem to play in Camden quite a bit. There was quite a good crowd in the Purple Turtle, although very few of the usual familiar faces I see at these shows - I guess a lot of them are away or involved in family stuff. I'd been looking forward to checking out Nemhain as they'd been recommended to me and I had to miss a chance to see them at the Bull & Gate not long ago. I'd also recently read an interview with their singer Morrigan Hel in the excellent Bubblegum Slut fanzine. After finally seeing the band I have to admit Hel is a formidable frontwoman and impossible to ignore, but I have to say I found her band's music very average. The band featured ex-Cradle Of Filth drummer Adrian Erlandsson, but to be honest with all the eye candy on display front of stage I didn't really notice the drumming.  Still, were a band worth checking out.  This was the second time in December I'd seen King Lizard at this venue, and I've seen them a few times on other bills as well. They are good musicians - particularly 'sleaze band journeyman' guitarist Niro but I can't really warm to them. Their singer and axeman do the best G'N'R impersonations outside of a tribute band - but there seem to be a hundred other bands on the Camden sleaze circuit all doing exactly the same thing, looking the same, and sounding the same: 'Ego on a stick' singer - check. 'Guy who's had a million guitar lessons and wants to be Slash' - check. 'Standard 80's rock hair and clothes' - check. 'Songs'? Nah - don't bother with them - as long as we look good and throw the right shapes no one will notice. Yeah right. Sorry - I'm off ranting again! That isn't aimed particularly at King Lizard - it applies to a whole load of bands regularly seen in Camden. Yes, 'Appetite For Destruction' was (and remains) one of the best hard rock albums ever - a total classic. Why? Yes, because G'N'R were 'cool', yes they looked good and were dangerous, yes they were great musicians and pulled on great influences, yes - they lived the life - walked the walk and talked the talk - for real. But there was one other thing these bands don't seem to have quite noticed - that album was absolutely full of fucking great songs! Now please go away and learn how to write good songs - it may take a while. Also, please get some vocal coaching. That isn't aimed at the King Lizard guy - he does a good Axl - ego and all. Or that's the impression I got.  He seemed to have a bit of a dig at Nemhain at one point between songs - calling them their "new friends" in a somewhat sarky manner - something happen backstage or at soundcheck guys? The smart bands learn to work together and help each other out - we're all on the same side. Right? [/rant] Still, it was worth travelling into town on New Year's Eve for a change. Three bands for £8 on what is the biggest rip-off night of the year at most places is actually very good value for money and I'm glad to support anyone putting on an alternative event like this.  The Purple Turtle's bar prices are quite reasonable for a music venue as well. The  Wet T-Shirt contest that was supposed to take place didn't happen in the end - something to do with T-shirts not being available or something. It was still a good night all the same, although I wasn't too happy when the bar shut an hour earlier than advertised.  This annoyed me as the bar being open til 6AM was one of the major selling points when this event was being promoted, but on the night it wasn't 'as advertised' so I felt a bit cheated.  When I mentioned this in a comment on the event's MySpace, my comment was deleted and no explanation given...