19/4/2010 New York Dolls @ Koko

Subject	New York Dolls @ Koko
PostedDate	4/19/2010
	A bit of a short notice gig in Camden - according to David Johansen they were passing through London, so they thought they might as well play. I'm glad they did!  The previous times I've seen the New York Dolls at The Forum left me disappointed - through no fault of the band - unless they picked the guy mixing the sound themselves? The more recent Forum show wasn't quite as bad sound wise, but the previous one was awful!  Tonight we get the rare chance to see this legendary and highly influential band in a much more intimate venue. This is a great improvement, both in atmosphere and sound quality. The sound mix isn't great, but its good enough to make this show much more enjoyable. The setlist doesn't feature the (disappointing) latest album too heavilly, although we get the title track (easily the best song on the album) and the reggae version of 'Trash' slotted into the middle of the original rockin' version. What is particularly apparent is how much the band seem to be enjoying themselves. A touching tribute is made to the late Johnny Thunders when they play his 'Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory'. The band appear very relaxed in this much more intimate setting, and maybe also because this is quite a low profile gig. Koko certainly doesn't appear to be sold out and I'm sure a lot of people didn't even know about this short notice barely advertised gig - although the ticket price was high for this venue at £25. It was worth the money to see such a legendary band in such a small venue though, and so much more enjoyable than the Forum shows.