26/1/2012 Cats & Dogs @ the Water Rats

Subject	Cats & Dogs @ the Water Rats
PostedDate	1/27/2012 9:47:00 AM
	One of those days where things go wrong right from the very start - in fact before I've even woken up. Alarm clock failure - not the best way to begin the day. This leads to me being late for work, which leads to me being late home - later than I was already going to be because of having to make have diversions on the way home to buy milk and go to the the cashpoint. Any other day this week and it wouldn't have mattered that much - it has to happen on the day I'm going to a gig. I manage to claw back quite a bit of time before leaving for the train. Still later than originally planned but should be able to catch the last two of the four bands playing at the Water Rats. Get to the station with seconds to spare. Needn't have rushed as the train is late anyway. Get to Kings Cross eventually then can't find the right exit from the tube so spend an extra five minutes or so getting out of the station the long way. Kings Cross used to be a decent underground station to get off or change trains at but it's shit now - everything seems to involve walking through miles of subway, which it didn't before. The Water Rats is only a few minutes walk away from the station, but in spite of getting off the train with a few minutes to spare I still don't quite catch the beginning of the first band I want to see. Fortunately from this point on things improve. The Water Rats used to be a half decent venue but has gone downhill a bit in the last couple of years or so. The toilets stink, and the real ale pumps are hardly ever in use. The good news is; tonight the toilets don't stink, but due to recent building work it's like going though a maze to get to them. What's all that about? More good news; tonight they actually have real ale again! It's only Flowers IPA and it's not that great, but it's a definite improvement on the poor selection of pints the venue has been offering recently. Not too outrageous for a London music venue at £3.80 a pint either. Things are looking up. By the time I've made room for some beer (fairly urgent after my delayed train journey) and purchased said beer Pussycat and the Dirty Johnsons have just started their set. This band have some memorable songs and are always a lot of fun. It's good to see this band playing to a fairly full venue after travelling from their hometown of Basingstoke. The band are obviously enjoying themselves, and the audience seem to appreciate their energetic and entertaining performance. The band members themselves seem a bit of an odd mixture, with a rockabilly guitarist playing through a heavy metal amplifier, a bassist who looks like he could be in an American alt-rock band, and a drummer who looks like a timewarping refugee from a NWOBHM band with a perm and a porn star 'tache and who also throws in disco beats! Then of course you have the band's Tank Girl meets Catwoman singer leaping about all over the shop howling and going on about The Devil, vampires, zombies etc! The thing is, this unlikely mixture works. What you end up with is an entertaining and memorable performance from a band with a strong identity of their own. I think it's safe to say there is no other band like them. This band's shows can be quite unpredictable affairs, with band members often ending up in the crowd at some point - in this case ending the show with a Pussycat perched on the drum kit ready to pounce All too soon Pussycat and the Dirty Johnsons end their set and it's time to take advantage of tonight's improved bar selection.... Headliners tonight are The Dogbones. It must be over a year now since I've been able to catch a show by this band. There have been one of two changes since then - some new songs, a change of one of the band's two drummers, and Nomi is now singing more instead of screaming. This I like. Crispin swaps roles with Nomi and sings some songs himself as well . The band are an unusual mixture of glam, punk, and grunge. Featuring two ex-members of the much missed Queen Adreena their former band is an influence, but I think less so than when this band first started. Like the previous band, this lot have a strong identity of their own and are unpredictable performers. But the thing is, when you watch this lot you are concious that you are getting a real 'performance' rather than just a band standing there playing a few songs The Dogbones are fun, but there is also an element of danger to their performances. The band have a distinct personality of their own, and with their twin drummer attack they sound as well as look different. In spite of all my problems earlier this has turned out to be a pretty good night - I'd have come to see either of these bands on their own so to see them both on the same bill is a win/win situation. This is the third gig I've been to this year and has been the most enjoyable one so far. And for the first time this year I've been able to enjoy some reasonable quality ale in a music venue - it was even served in proper glass glasses! After the delays getting to the gig I actually get home quickly and easily for a change - just as well as it's a Thursday night and I have to be up at six in the morning - assuming my alarm actually goes off....