9/5/2007 Girlschool & Dirty Rig @ the Underworld

Subject	Girlschool & Dirty Rig @ the Underworld
PostedDate	5/9/2007
	It was the first time I'd seen Dirty Rig. I couldn't make their Bar Monsta show last year, but read a great review of it in Bubblegum Slut. They had also been highly recommended to me so I was looking forward to finally seeing them. They were very good!  This was basic dirty rock 'n' roll stripped right down to the basics - just a single guitar, bass, drums, and vocals. Ex-Warrior Soul singer Kory Clarke is an excellent frontman and keeps your attention all the way through the show. Axeman Chas knows exactly what is required for this style of music and plays mean and dirty - muscular riffing and incendiary but melodic solos - plus plenty of shape throwing. There are some decent songs in there too - this is just what I want from this type of band and I'll certainly be going to see them again.  Girlschool never disappoint - they have a very strong back catalogue, as well as some strong songs from their couple of more recent albums. Plus, they always look like they are having a thoroughly good time rocking out.  There is always plenty happening onstage to keep you watching - as well as the excellent music. Although Girlschool are very experienced musicians and well used to playing together, there always seems to be an element of chaos onstage - things go wrong, but it never seems to detract from the show as the girls take it in their stride and laugh it off. Girlschool seem to have that 'gang' attitude that the best bands seem to have - they don't just meet up to rehearse, record, or play gigs - they are mates and go out on the piss and cause chaos together.  You can tell that they do this because they love it, not for fame or money - that is probably the reason they have lasted so long and are still good live. Apparently Jackie didn't wait until after the show before hammering the rider and was already well away.  It didn't show though - she's a real trooper!  All those shows with Motörhead over the years made sure the girls can really handle their booze like the true pro's they are!  The band certainly seemed on good form and the crowd loved it. There were no surprises in the set, but there is no new album to plug so I don't think anyone was expecting any - just a mixture of old classics and plenty of stuff from the last couple of albums, and that's exactly what we got for over an hour. Kim ended the show by saying how much she had really enjoyed the gig - to which I can only say 'Don't leave it another year before doing it again then!'  It was all over soon after ten o'clock - far too early to go home! Of course the bar was shut by the time the band had finished, and it wasn't long before the security were shoving us all out the door.  They might regularly book a lot of my favourite bands at the Underworld, but on every visit I like the venue less and less. It might be one of the best known venues in London, but in my opinion it's one of the poorest and most badly managed.  I've lost count of how many times have I been there when the place is packed and it takes at least ten minutes to get served at the bar - but they don't even bother to open the other bar!  Surely the considerable extra amount of money they would take by being able to sell a lot more booze with two bars open would easily pay the wages of the extra bar staff? Then they shut the bar really early and throw you out - what's that all about then?