10/7/2010 - Part 2. Urban Voodoo Machine @ The Lexington

Subject	Urban Voodoo Machine @ The Lexington
PostedDate	7/10/2010
	...So I arrive at the Lexington hotfoot from the Hope & Anchor hoping to catch at least some of the Urban Voodoo Machine's set. This is the first time the band have used this venue for their Gypsy Hotel club as they have had to vacate their former home in Dalston. This is actually a much more accessable venue for me and if it stayed here I would be attending much more regularly - however, tonight's show is just a one off and the club seaches for a suitable new home... This venue now serves real ales downstairs and is walking distance from Angel or Kings Cross tubes so I'd like it to stay here - I prefer the actual venue itself as well the location. The club itself is situated upstairs at The Lexington (formerly Clockwork) in Pentonville Road, and fortunately I arrive in time to find the Urban Voodoo Machine still playing. In fact, the band actually play for quite a long time after my late arrival - so either they went on later than I expected, or they are just playing a very long set. However, it's their own club night and they are headlining so they can do what they want. This is a band (or act) unlike anything else I've ever seen. An Urban Voodoo Machine show is an experience as much as a rock 'n' roll show. There is always so much happening on stage. One unexpected highlight (given the bands distinctive brand of 50's style blues/swing/R&B/punk/rock 'n roll) was an AC/DC cover! Their version of 'Hells Bells' worked really well.  There are around nine musicians in the band at most gigs so there is always plenty going on, with band members often swapping intruments. You may never know exactly what's going to happen at an Urban Voodoo Machine gig, but one thing is for sure - you will be well entertained and will remember the show for a long time. The band contains a wide variety of characters from different musical backgrounds, from jazz and classically trained musicians, to ex-members of punk bands like Plan A and Goth acts like Flesh For Lulu - an unlikely sounding combination on paper that actually works out really well and gives us a unique band with a sound and style of it's own.