5/3/2007 Zen Motel @ The Old King's Head

Subject	Zen Motel @ The Old King's Head
PostedDate	3/5/2007
	I hadn't seen Zen Motel for a while so I was looking forward to seeing them again. At only £3 for three bands it's hard to beat this bill for value for money. With new man Joe now booking the bands at the Old King's Head the bills are taking on a similar flavour to the much missed Five Miles High promotions at various London venues.  I had wanted to check out Pure Decay but unfortunately as they went on first I missed them. Next were Cato Street Conspiracy who were rather good - some decent tunes although leaning a bit towards emo for my taste, plenty of good riffing, and some nice Thin Lizzy style twin lead guitar. I'd had them recommended to me some time ago and they were certainly worth seeing. I've seen Zen Motel many times now - going back to the old Five Miles High promoted gigs in Kensington. This band formed from the ashes of Essex rock 'n' roll outfit Johnny Zhivago and still play the song 'Rocket 69' from those days. There is a surprise in the set tonight as another old Johnny Zhivago song '21st Century Bitch' has been revived - and also appears on the forthcoming Zen Motel album 'Stations of the Dead'. However, most of the band's set tonight is quite new material with songs like 'Head', 'Dress Code Violence', and 'Last Night Of The English Pigs' being prominently featured as well as songs from the band's first album 'Transform and Escape'. The band say this is the first time they have played live in a while, but you certainly wouldn't know it. They are on their usual dirty sleazy form with songs about sex, violence, and porn. However, this band manage to be a dirty and sleazy rock 'n' roll band without sounding or looking cliched like nearly all the other generic bands on Camden's 'sleaze rock' scene. This is a band who know how to write a catchy singalong chorus, without sounding cheesy - something else a few bands playing the Camden circuit could learn from... This is filthy rock 'n' roll without the 'sleaze-by-numbers' feel that many bands currently have - frontman/bassist Lee Wray spits and snarls out his vocals in a far more convincing way than most the screamers and 'can't sing/won't sing' merchants on the scene and this band definitely have a sound and style of their own that makes them stand out from the crowd. This is the real thing. I'm not sure exactly what it's the 'real thing' of - apart from Zen Motel - but it's good!  Frontman Lee has a bit of the Goth about him and looks at home in this venue. The pub has a nice relaxed atmosphere, but is also very much a ROCK pub - regulars of the old Intrepid Fox in Wardour Street would feel at home - although there is a lot more room in the Old King's Head! The place is already starting to attract a bit of a rocker and Goth clientelle - and if they keep putting on good bands like this then this I can see it becoming a popular haunt in the future...

This venue became The Gaff and was one of London's coolest and best loved venues for a couple of years before closing down and turning into a Costa coffee shop....