23/7/2022 The Soap Girls, Fly High Michelle & PollyPikPocketz @ The Fiddler's Elbow

The event is a Camden Rocks All-dayer featuring eleven bands for only a tenner - and I think most of them are pretty good. It's certainly great value for money! I only arrive in time for the last four bands but it's still well worth ten quid.

PollyPikPocketz are the first band I see. I've seen them at The Unicorn in Camden in the past when they had two singers and they have always been good fun. The current slimmed down version of the band is more distilled and rock - definitely heavier, but with a noticeable punk edge. There are other influences from around the world too and singer Myura adds some more tribal rhythms when she brings a drum onto the stage.

There is a slightly anarchic vibe to the band's performance and a spontaneous feeling that anything might happen.

I thoroughly enjoyed PollyPikPocketz lively and energetic set and look forward to seeing them again soon.

Have you ever seen a band who really think they are the shit, but actually you just need to remove the 'the'? TPI is one such band. They seem to have fans so must have some level of popularity - but 'Eat shit - 50 million flies can't be wrong' etc... Their fans present at this gig obviously think they are the shit, so I guess they must be doing something right, but I can't see what it actually is.

They can play their instruments perfectly well and I'm sure have had plenty of guitar/bass lessons, but don't seem to have much in the way of actual songs. I get a feeling they might be 'trust fund kids' messing about and playing at being 'outrageous' to entertain their well heeled pals - or maybe just their mates from college? If I never see this band again, it will still be too soon.

Next up is a far better band - sadly playing their last ever show. Fortunately it's a bloody good one!

Fly High Michelle are apparently named after a song by Enuff Z' Nuff. The band rose from the ashes of the infamous Drugdealer*Cheerleader and feature singer Hilda and guitarist Jay from that outfit.

The music is full on ROCK - more of the classic kind than the sleazier trashier style of Drugdealer*Cheerleader.

Hilda is a non-stop bundle of energy for the entirety of the band's set - pulling out all the stops for their final show. They certainly went out on a high.

With the infamous Soap Girls headlining this show was always going to be full! They have been going for a few years now, but until seeing them play at the main Camden Rocks Festival I had always resisted the hype.

I had originally assumed they were all image and no substance. But on a few occasions now I have heard songs on the radio that I hadn't heard before, and without having any idea who I was listening to I thought 'Hey - this is good!'  - and was pleasantly surprised to discover it was the Soap Girls.

And yes, in spite of their image and outrageously flirty antics - they can actually play. There are just 3 musicians on stage, and I can tell that everything is played live - this is actually raw and full on punk rock.

It's not just any old punk rock racket - there are actually some good tunes in there and some work has obviously gone into the songwriting.

I don't know whether this is a conscious decision, but the South African sisters seem less scantily dressed than in the past - is this a sign they are getting more serious about their career? Even if that is the case, they certainly don't hold back in their performance.

Soap Girls show are fun. Not just for the audience - you can see the girls are really enjoying themselves as well.

This is certainly not a band just going through the show business motions - they mean it. These girls are doing it for themselves - on their own terms.

Poses are pulled, shapes are thrown - we are entertained. This is what I want from a rock show.

If you were put off seeing a Soap Girls show because of the hype and think they are just a provocative image with no substance - don't be. They are a lot of fun, and provocative too, but not just in the obvious way - they can be challenging too and will take no shit from anyone. And their music is probably better than you think. Well worth seeing - and hearing too.

17/7/2022 Marc Valentine, Carol Hodge, & Dave Renegade @ The Dublin Castle

I'm back in Camden Town for the second night in a row - things seem to be picking up a bit now post-lockdown. Sporting his new Martin guitar Dave Renegade opens up tonight's show with a set of his original songs.

There is a hint of country in his music, but there is more going on if you dig a little deeper.

Next up is Carol Hodge. I'd seen her a few times in the past playing keyboards with Ryan Hamilton & The Harlequin Ghosts. This is the first time I've seen her solo and she is very entertaining!

Her songs are interesting and autobiographical - told with a Northern charm, and she tells some funny stories between songs!

Tonight's headline act is Marc Valentine. Best known for vox/guitar duties in Last Great Dreamers - possibly the best band you've never heard of. Last Great Dreamers apparently haven't split up, but Marc and Slyder are both taking some time out for their solo projects - interestingly I also saw Slyder's band recently - click here. Marc has put a very good band of old hands together - a couple of them were in earlier versions of Last Great Dreamers.

The band are all very good musicians, but it is a bit like going into a 1970's/80's timewarp.

The songs are well crafted and sound like they came straight out of the 1970's Glam era - Glam Rock with added pop hooks and melodies. Towards the end of the set something unusual is added to the mix - a girl with a theremin! 

And then Carol Hodge returns to the stage to add keyboard and backing vocals for the last few songs.

All in all it's been an interesting and varied night of music at the legendary Dublin Castle.

16/7/2022 Eureka Machines @ The Underworld

Even before Covid-19 the brilliant Eureka Machines usually only got down to London from their native Leeds about once a year. So it's been quite a while since these boys hit 'the smoke'. This time there is no new album to promote - just playing for the joy of finally being able to get out and have some fun again and bringing their songs to the masses. But because this band are so good, and they are rarely seen down south it's always an event when they come to town. Consequently The Underworld is pretty full tonight.

However, things don't get off to a smooth start and after the first song things grind to a halt because of technical/computer problems - guitar amps to be precise. In this case I think they are fancy state of the art 'modelling' amps.

There is a delay while things are sorted out - during which the band's frontman Chris Catalyst says that virtually all the technical problems on the current tour have been caused by stuff like this. I bet if they had used good old fashioned Marshall amps none of this would have happened! Eventually, the show restarts.

Fortunately the band are excellent musicians, and with five albums under their belts they have a rich catalogue of great songs to pick from. The music can be heavy at times and there is a definite Wildhearts influence, and even Slayer! But catchy melodic tunes are never far away, as well chunky heavy riffs. They can be a 'pop group' as well as a 'rock band' - even in the same song, but however heavy they get there is always something uplifting about them. Interestingly, main man Chris Catalyst has recently been revealed to be a member of Ghost - a band who's members remain anonymous and are simply referred to a 'nameless ghouls. Chris has only just finished a major tour playing guitar with the band...

This Eureka Machines show seems a little low-key compared to the many previous shows of theirs that I've seen - usually the whole band wear matching suits and look really sharp, but tonight at least one member is wearing jeans and visually the band aren't as arresting as they usually are.

Musically though, the band are on good form - although I think I've seen them better. Chris is a very entertaining frontman with a good line in banter. There is a lot of humour in their songs as well as more serious stuff about relationships and how shit life can be - but there is an underlying thread of determination and optimism reflected in the finely crafted songwriting.

One thing you can be sure about if you go to a Eureka Machines show is that you will be entertained - not just with great music, but also Chris is very funny and self deprecating. The atmosphere at this band's shows is always terrific and you will soon have a smile on your face. It's just a shame we will probably have to wait at least another year before doing all this again...

8/7/2022 Heavy Metal Kids & Continental Lovers @ The Dublin Castle

I've been aware of and meaning to see the Continental Lovers for a while now after liking what I've heard on Hard Rock Hell Radio. Every time I have been hoping to see them there has been a gig clash or their show has been cancelled, or something else has got in the way. Tonight I finally get to see them. This is their first gig with their new bass player as Daisy is taking a (temporary?) hiatus from the band.

My first impression is that here is an act who look like a proper rock 'n' roll band. This is important.

The new guy on bass seems to play well enough, but I feel he is concentrating maybe just a bit too hard on looking the part and pulling shapes to appear 'rock 'n' roll' rather than playing at his best. Sometimes you can try too hard.

A couple of members of the band might look familiar to those who frequent the London rock 'n' roll scene - singer Joe Maddox used to be in sleaze/punk/rock 'n' rollers The DeRellas, and drummer Rik is a member of Last Great Dreamers as well as playing in Slyder Smith's offshoot of that band the Oblivion Kids - see my previous post. Joe is an intriguing frontman - he obviously has all the experience and has 'paid his dues', has all the moves, and throws all the shapes, but somehow still gives an impression of vulnerability and insecurity behind all the rock 'n' roll swagger.

Continental Lovers music is very punk influenced rock 'n' roll with a distinct New York flavour. These are guys that have been around the block and know what they are doing.

Their songs are catchy and tuneful and the energy level is high. I do think they could use a second guitar player to fill things out a bit though. This is a band I definitely want to see again.

I missed the Heavy Metal Kids first time round with original singer the late Gary Holton - all a bit before my time. I did see them in more recent years with John Altman AKA 'Nasty Nick' from Eastenders fronting the band and he did  good job - as he and Gary Holton were mates back in the day he knew what was required, and it helped that both of them were also actors - Holton being best known for his role in comedy/drama Auf Wiedersehen Pet.  During that time they released the song 'Uncontrolable' - which is rather similar to their earlier  song 'Delirious'. After John Altman left to pursue other projects (including recording a Christmas single with JoanOvArc) Phil Lewis of LA Guns and Girl briefly took over frontman duties - I wish I'd seen that version of the band! The Heavy Metal Kids never made it big, but achieved legendary status on the underground rock scene of the mid 1970's and were definitely an influence on the future punk scene - like the infamous Hollywood Brats they were ahead of their time. Drummer Keith Boyce and guitarist Cosmo are the only original members of the band, although both have left the band at separate times only to return later...

Current singer Simon Gordon certainly knows how to front a band and gives a good account of himself - he certainly has all the right moves.

Cosmo plays really well - having a relaxed vibe and looking cool. Unlike the bassist - who although he plays well enough fails miserably in the 'cool' stakes due to wearing shorts on stage while playing in a rock 'n' roll band. Just NO.

The music is gritty rock with a punk (before punk existed) edge and the band have some good tunes - the best known probably being 'Delirious'.

The Heavy Metal Kids are neither 'Heavy Metal' or 'kids', but are certainly worth checking out if to get the chance.

3/7/2022 Pump It Up! Powerpop weekender @ The Lexington

Due due a date clash over the whole weekend between two events I wanted to attend (see previous post) I am having to split my time between both events. Consequently I couldn't make it to yesterday's 'Pump It Up!' and missed The Speedways who I particularly wanted to see - although on past form I'm sure all the other bands were good too. I went to the last of these events before lockdown - this is the UK's only powerpop festival and the quality of the bands is really great!

Unfortunately I miss the first couple of bands on the bill today, but make sure I arrive in time to see Slyder Smith & The Oblivion Kids.

This is the new band from Slyder the lead guitarist and sometimes singer in Last Great Dreamers. This show is touted as being the first ever by this band, but that's not strictly true as one of the first gigs I went to after lockdown ended was this exact same lineup playing at The Black Heart as 'Last Great Dreamers'. This was while LGD singer Marc Valentine was having to take some time out from the band for health reasons - so Slyder took over vocal duties briefly - and did a very creditable job. Although they played mainly LGD songs and it was effectively LGD without Marc the band took on a less 'pop' and harder heavier edge.

Marc has since returned to Last Great Dreamers and the band have toured again. Since then, Marc and Slyder have both announced solo projects. LGD haven't split up, but both guys are taking time out from the band to concentrate on doing their own thing for a while - with both of them having album's and tours coming up.

As might be expected by anyone who saw the Slyder fronted version of LGD a year or so ago his 'new' band (virtually LGD without Marc) is a harder heavier more gritty proposition. This is effectively a completely different band - even though they share nearly all the same members. The 'pop' sheen is now gone and we are faced with a full on ROCK band - and a very good one too. Slyder's twist on things is more 'in-your-face', but without being punk or heavy metal - just full-on hard rock. The tunes and melodies are still there, but with a harder edge. There are one or two surprises along the way though; As you might expect, there were one or two Last Great Dreamers songs in the set - the band are named after a LGD song after all, but I don't think anyone was expecting a Hanoi Rocks cover! 😮 It probably went over the heads of many in the room, but 'Malibu Beach Nightmare' went down an absolute storm with a certain section of the crowd!

Next up was a band I knew nothing about. Smalltown Tigers are 3 girls from Italy playing tuneful pop punk, and they are a lot of fun!

They look and sound great while playing with massive enthusiasm and an obvious love for the music they are playing - and their enthusiasm is infectious!

They just seemed to get better and better as they played through their set - culminating in a song that reminded me strongly of the Ramones but wasn't a cover - followed by launching into an actual cover of Motörhead's 'R.A.M.O.N.E.S' - by which point I was totally in love with them! I had a chat with them later and found that they are very nice girls, and also that they are supporting on The Damned original lineup reunion tour later this year!

After the Oblivion Kids, the other band on the bill that I particularly wanted to see was Duncan Reid and the Big Heads.

This is a band that never disappoints, and this show was no exception. Duncan learned a thing or two about songwriting during his time playing in The Boys. He has been putting this to very good use since he formed this band and they have now released four albums of catchy pop/punk tunes - with another one on the way.

As well as being very prolific, this is also a very good live band - there is always plenty happening on stage.

In the live situation the songs sound less pop and more punk compared to the albums - which is fine with me.

The energy level remains high throughout the show.

Guitarist Nick Hughes also has his own band The Middlenight Men who have been creating a bit of a stir, while the human dynamo that is guitarist Sophie K. Powers also has another band on the side.

Not content with blasting out their own top quality tunes, the band also pay tribute to Duncan's punk roots in The Boys by finishing with the ever popular 'Soda Pressing' and 'First Time', although not playing 'Sick On You' (actually a Hollywoods Brats song covered on the first Boys album) as they often do.

Finishing off this weekend's mini-festival was Baby Shakes - all the way from New York. This is another band who were new to me, but as usual the boys from Some Weird Sin have booked yet another really top quality band!

Less punk and more straightforward rock 'n' roll these girls and boy are really great - catchy tuneful songs very tightly played.

Towards the end of their set two 'special guests' who I didn't actually recognise joined the band and they launched into a cover of the Undertones classic 'Teenage Kicks' - then I found out the 'special guests' were actually two members of the Undertones! That made this show pretty special.

Once again the Some Weird Sin guys have pulled something special out of the bag this weekend for their Powerpop Weekender - all the bands I saw today are well worth seeing again.