20/4/2006 Danko Jones & Tokyo Dragons @ The Garage

Subject	Danko Jones & Tokyo Dragons @ The Garage
PostedDate	4/20/2006 8:22:00 AM
	Wow! That was the hardest rocking gig I've been to in a long time!  I arrived as Tokyo Dragons were playing. I've seen them a few times now - aways as a support act. I've always liked the band and this was the best show I've seen them deliver to date. Unusually for a support at at the Garage, the sound was pretty good - apart from the bass being virtually inaudible. The guys put on a good show, with much dual lead work featuring a Gibson Firebird and Les Paul Goldtop - very cool!  I was reminded a lot of Lynyrd Skynyrd - I'll have to check this lot out headlining. I first discovered Danko Jones a few years ago supporting Backyard Babies at the Mean Fiddler. I'd never heard of the support act before... Onto the stage walked some guy in a suit - "This can't be 'rock 'n' roll!" I thought. "Look - he's got a Telecaster - what kind of lightweight crap is this? This isn't going to rock!" How wrong I was! I was amazed how hard the guy in the suit rocked and how much energy he put into his performance - I've been a fan ever since and have seen Danko Jones quite a few times now as well as buying all the albums. I was really looking forward to this gig - I knew Danko Jones always delivered. From the back of the room I saw Danko's guitar being placed on the stage - not his usual Telecaster or Strat - this looked like some kind of 'metal' guitar. This was looking interesting! The venue was pretty full by then - sold out I would imagine. The band took to the stage and things really kicked off the moment they started playing. Right from the first note being struck the energy level was sky high. Danko did indeed have a new 'metal' guitar - closer inspection revealed he has beefed up the sound with a Gibson Explorer - the ultimate metal guitar as far as I'm concerned!  The set consisted of a good mix of songs from the first three albums, and a few from the new one 'Sleep Is The Enemy'. The sweat was literally flying off the band from the first song - Danko must shed pounds at every gig as the sweat flys off his shaven head in all directions! This was a real high-powered show - it's a long time since I've seen anyone ROCK this hard! There might be only three people in the band, but that's all they need - put these three people on a stage together and they are dynamite! The energy was intense - the pace fast and furious. Never has the blues been played with such power and sheer agression. I've never seen a full-on mosh pit at a Danko Jones gig before - but there was one at the Garage! Danko's outrageous banter and larger than life stage presence dominated the show, but this isn't just one man - this is an incredibly tight and powerful three piece band. This power-trio features probably the tightest rhythm section I have ever seen. They groove, they get funky, and the ROCK like bastards! This is a mean machine - a lot of so called 'metal' acts should check this band out and find out what it's really all about. There is a lot more to a powerful and hard-hitting show than how loud you are and how fast you can play - this band leave most for dead! AC/DC rhythms, blues lyrics, and metal power make a fearsome combination - this is a band that walks the walk and talks the talk. And then some. They play for well over an hour before finishing with their show stopping epic 'Everybody's Sexy In Heaven' (dunno if that the right title as it isn't on any of the albums) in which Danko namechecks his late heroes - including Bon Scot, Marvin Gaye, Phil Lynott, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Joey Ramone, Johnny Cash, and Cliff Burton. I'll be surprised if I see another show which rocks as hard as this all year.