21/11/2008 Dirty Harry @ The Proud Galleries

Subject	Dirty Harry @ The Proud Galleries
PostedDate	11/21/2008
	This is an interesting night. I've only been to one show at the Proud Galleries in Camden before - a show by Towers Of London that got stopped after about three songs when the organisers bottled it as they were scared things were getting out of control.  It was a great show while it lasted, but I felt ripped off by the promoters and wanted my money back afterwards.  I haven't wanted to go back since... The place has been changed round radically since then, and you wouldn't know it was the same venue. Part of it is now in an old stables, with the stalls being turned into seperate themed areas. The bar part was crap though - nothing I really wanted to drink, and they were charging £5 for a bottle of that trendy pear cider!  As they were charging £10 on the door as well I thought it was a right rip off! So, I am here to see Dirty Harry play her first proper electric gig with a full band in about five years. Ironically, two ex-members of Towers Of London are in the band tonight! Harry has recruited The Rev on guitar and Snell on drums as part of her all new band. The Rev seems to be turning up everywhere at the moment. I saw him guest with Imperial Vipers at a recent club show, and he has also been playing with Snell in Sham 69's Jimmy Pursey's new band Day 21 as well as being the current guitarist in The Prodigy. Harry looks confident, and glad to be back playing in London again after such a long break. Harry is now heading back in a 'rock' direction after a misguided and mismanaged attempt to enter the world of the 'pop star'. She was pushed strongly in that direction by her previous record company forced her to make a 'pop' album 'The Trouble With...' under the name if just 'Harry'. The album tanked. Now Harry is back and she's 'Dirty' and rocking again! The Dirty Harry set consists of almost entirely new material to showcase her latest album 'Songs From The Edge' - still awaiting a proper UK release. I think this is the best 'Dirty Harry' band so far, and the new songs are far stronger than the 'pop' stuff from her first album. Harry turns in a polished and professional performance as ever, but she really has her work cut out to turn things around after her pop misadventure. There is no doubting Harry's talent as a vocalist and stage performer, but after her early career was looking promising there was a false start and a venture in the wrong direction that she has yet to put behind her.This isn't going to be easy - music fans (especially the younger ones) have short memories and soon move on when an artist goes quiet for a while. Buggering off to live in L.A. for several years while playing no UK gigs or releasing anything did nothing to help her profile over here - now in spite of her obvious talent and previous work, she is effectively going to have to start building up her career again from scratch. Dirty Harry's set is well performed and well received by the audience. The band look and sound good too, but it's all over in only 20 minutes! This is disappointingly short for an artist with three album's worth of material already in the can. I'm glad I didn't pay the full £10 on the door just for a twenty minute set! More gigs are promised in the New Year... The 'headline' band tonight are indie oiks The Holloways. They don't impress me much to be honest and I think they are average at best. They only have one memorable song in 'Generator' - played quite a bit by Xfm at one point. The crowd seem to like them though. Sadly, the best song in their set isn't one of their own - it's a rather fast and not quite convincing run through the Clash classic 'Bank Robber'. Sort of appropriate in a way as I would have felt robbed at the door (and the bar) if I'd paid to see them as the headline band.  Oh well.