14/2/2009 Dirty Harry & Soho Dolls @ The Barfly

Subject	Dirty Harry & Soho Dolls @ The Barfly
PostedDate	2/14/2009
	Being somewhat in need of cheering up this weekend after the worst week of my life, I decide another night out is in order. I head back down to Camden. There is a sort of Anti-Valentines event at the Barfly - it's seems a common theme tonight as the pub down the road is doing something similar. The Barfly show is Filter magazine's 'Valentines Vendetta'. I miss the first few acts and arrive while Doll & The Kicks are playing. Her voice seems weak and the band a bit too indie-pop for my liking so after one song I head back to the bar downstairs.  It's several years since I last saw Dirty Harry at The Barfly and much has changed since then - including Harry's entire band! However, although this isn't a headline show they get to play to a full venue. As Harry proclaims herself, this is her best ever band. With Adam Hammond on bass, and ex-Towers Of London guys Rev and Snell on guitar and drums it's certainly the most rocking Dirty Harry band yet.  There are some good songs in the set, and Harry's songwriting has improved noticeably since her debut album - along with a very welcome return to a more in your face rock sound instead of the ill advised 'pop' sound her old record company foisted on her. Soho Dolls are the 'headline' act. I've not seen them before, although they seem to have a bit of a cult (ie; not very big) following. If I had to pigeonhole them I'd call them 'cyber-emo' - in which case they do exactly what it says on the tin. It's a very pretty looking tin, but when rattled it doesn't sound as good as it looks. A drummer wearing headphones is not usually a sign that a band is going to rock. I don't know if the keyboard player writes all the songs, or owns the band's van and/or PA (maybe all 3?) but if so that might explain why he is far louder than anyone else. The guitarist manages to get though at least 3 different guitars in the first half of the set, but as I haven't actually been able to hear a single note he's played there doesn't seem much point him even being there - unless he's just meant to look good rather than contribute to the sound?  The girl vocalist is quite engaging, and good at fronting the band - she's a better singer than Doll who we saw earlier fronting The Kicks as well. Overall, the impression is very much image over content...  We don't bother hanging around until the end of the Soho Dolls set - we head off to Big Red for some finer quality and more reasonably priced beverages...