15/9/2007 Girls On Top & Bubblegum Screw @ the Dublin Castle

Subject	Girls On Top & Bubblegum Screw @ the Dublin Castle
PostedDate	9/15/2007
	A mixed bag at the Dublin Castle tonight - glam, punk, and sleazy rock 'n' roll. Hey - it's not as bad as it sounds! Honest.  Rapid Fire Radio (formerly the Gift Whores) open the show. I'm not too impressed with their sloppy 80's style rock 'n' roll to start start with, but towards the end of their set they seem to pull things together and I start to enjoy them a bit. Or maybe it was the beer kicking in?  Worth a look in future I think... Bubblegum Screw churn out some heavily New York Dolls influenced sounds and play tightly. In Mark they have one of the Camden scene's best Jagger/Johansen style frontmen - he has all the moves down. 'Rock 'N' Roll Loser' is probably their best song at the moment and gets saved until last. Girls On Top must have played at the Dublin Castle countless times and have built up a regular and loyal following over the years. The guitarist's name is Neil Downe - which might explain what he's doing down there... Yes, the more observant of you will have noticed that the band aren't actually all girls - although most of them are. Over their three albums to date they have some catchy (if derivative) tunes and always seem to get the crowd going. They are basically a tuneful punk band with a 50's/60's pop influence - and are actually a lot sleazier than than most the current crowd of 'sleaze rock' bands doing the rounds in Camden, and more entertaining too. Not to everyone's taste, but I find they are always good fun.