21/10/2010 The Cut Outs @ Peter Parker's Rock & Roll Club

Subject	The Cut Outs @ Peter Parker's Rock & Roll Club
PostedDate	10/21/2010
	Although you'd never know it, this tiny basement venue in Tin Pan Alley used to be the famous Regent Sound studio - where the Rolling Stones recorded their first album. These days it's a dive bar called Zen, but it's also a rather cool little music venue - apart from the bar selection which is shit unless you want nothing but little bottles of lager or watery Magners at £3.50 a pop.  At effectively £7 a pint they can stick that up their arse.  The mirrored wall down one side of this long room would no doubt appeal to the Camden sleaze rock crowd.  No pictures from this gig - I did take my camera, but after getting a drink at the bar (my last) I found myself right up by the stage and a bit too in the band's faces and there wasn't really room to move back. Still, that gave me more opportunity to enjoy the band's performance - which was very good. The twin vocal attack from the two girls fronting the band is very effective. The Cut Outs have better songs than most bands, and they deliver them with gusto. This power trio are lively and have charisma to back up their bouncy pop/rock material. Now and again you see a band with something a bit different and you think 'Wow - this lot could actually make it'. This is one of those bands. Of course, actual performing talent and songwriting ability aren't usually enough to make it it the music business - there is often a lot of luck and 'being in the right place at the right time' involved. And also being well connected and knowing the right people - without that it is unlikely to make much difference however good you are. Those things aside, I think the Cut Outs have really got what it takes - who knows, they might just get lucky and get noticed if they keep at it. Between bands I decide to nip up the road to the Intrepid Fox for a quick Newcastle Brown at half the price of the venue's beer. I love the smoking ban and the pass-outs it enables!  On my return the headliners are playing. They come from Denmark are are called The Good The Bad. I find they average out and are neither good nor bad. I'm soon bored and wished I'd had another drink at the Fox. Oh well, it was worth the trip just to see the Cut Outs. I take my leave and am lucky with the trains - home in about 45 minutes.

PS: This historic dive bar and former recording studio (the first two Black Sabbath albums were made here) has gone though a few names since this was originally posted - it's currently known as The Alleycat.