27/6/2011 Teenage Casket Company @ The Purple Turtle

Subject	Teenage Casket Company @ The Purple Turtle.
DateCreated	7/6/2011 3:53:00 PM
PostedDate	7/8/2011 6:53:00 AM
	A bargain night at the Purple Turtle - three bands for a fiver!  I'm pleased to report that they had got ample supplies of Newcastle Brown in this time, and also that's it's still not too outrageously priced. For London.  The first band was Lionsex. I think they have changed a guitarist since I saw them at the Borderline and the bloke who so desperately wanted to be Slash has gone.  They are still dreadful though - even by Camden sleaze rock band standards they can only aspire to one day reach the level of 'average'. I guess where they come from in Milton Keynes is about 8 years behind the London scene, and I dare say out there in the sticks their sub Towers Of London/Mütley Crüe stylings seem pretty wild and original. Fortunately, we knew they were on first and therefore were in the pub over the road while they were playing - apart from their last song. The main (in fact, only) reason for our presence in Camden tonight is to see the welcome return to London of Teenage Casket Company. There was a change to the lineup of this band around two years ago and they haven't visited 'the smoke' since. There was a lot of tension building up in the ranks - leading to guitarist Jamie Derelict deciding to leave the band - not before wearing THAT infamous T-shirt last time I saw them at the wonderful and much missed Trash-Fest in Nottingham. But that's another story...  So the band have now slimmed down to a 3 piece and have been working on new material like the hook laden 'Best Friend Is My Radio'. Some of this is showcased tonight, along with many old favourites from their previous two albums. Sadly my favourite 'Dial It Up' is no longer in the set.  One noticeable change is that singer Rob has toned down his previous Glam image in favour of a more punk look now - his choice of a Misfits T-shirt being particularly ironic.  I wonder if it was deliberate? Teenage Casket Company are good tonight, but unfortunately not many people are here to see them - the price to be paid for being away for two years.  I enjoy their show and their catchy 'Punk rock Bon Jovi' tunes, but the band seem more one-dimensional tonight and there is definitely something missing from the Teenage Casket Company of old. I don't know if they found Jamie difficult to replace or if they chose to stay as a 3 piece anyway? Maybe it's the tension between certain band members that kept things on edge and exciting. Ultimately it was self destructive in this case, but is has worked well (if not deliberately) for bands like The Who in the past. Frontman Rob Wylde carries of both lead/rhythm guitar and lead vocal duties well enough and 'The Human Air Conditioner' Laney 74 is throwing shapes as well as picks on bass so there is always stuff to watch. And so to the 'headliners'. There's not a massive crowd to see any of the bands this Monday night - not even Gypsy Pistoleros. I didn't deliberately not take any pictures of them - my camera batteries packed up. Honest. They haven't changed much since I last saw them at Bar Monsta several years ago. They have made an effort to give themselves a different image to all the other sleaze rock bands on the scene, but the 'Spaghetti Western' vibe doesn't cover up the fact that they haven't much in the way of good songs, and although their singer is quite a decent frontman he seems like a poor-man's Phil Lewis. Still, can't complain for three bands in Camden for a fiver. I've paid a lot more money for a far worse night out in the past. It was worth the trip and I'm lucky with the trains and home in an hour.