2/12/2018 The WiLDHEARTS & The Amorettes @Koko

So after the events of yesterday, what I really need is a good night out so I can put everything out of my mind for a while.....

Enter the WiLDHEARTS.

It's not often these days that I get the chance to see the Wildhearts twice in London in one year. Also, for the second time this year I get to see The Amorettes. So down to Camden I go. The show is at Koko. Normally I'd have gone to the Hope & Anchor pub opposite the Purple Turtle for a drink or two beforehand, but both those places have closed now. I figure I might just have time for a quick pint in the pub opposite the venue instead. I enter the Lyttelton Arms to find the people running the place are obviously on the ball - Therapy? are blaring out the speakers and the place is full of people in Wildhearts T-shirts. However, the pub is so full they are three deep at the bar and it will obviously take ages to get served. I abandon the idea of a drink before the show and head back over the road to the venue with a few minutes to spare before The Amorettes hit the stage.

The original plan for tonight's show was for the Wildhearts to be supported by.... themselves as 'The Mood Swingers' playing a set of covers. This looked like being enormous fun, but Ginger has been having some problems with his voice recently and his doctor advised him strongly against performing twice in one night. So we get the Amorettes instead - which is absolutely fine with me!

Well - it's The Amorettes Jim, but not as we know them. Well not quite anyway.

There is no sign of bassist Heather McKay. Her place is filled by Morgan Pearce who does a perfectly competent job of standing in for drummer Hanna's sister.  (it emerges later that Heather is absent due to a family bereavement)

In spite of the altered lineup the Amorettes turn in a great performance as usual and vox/guitarist Gill Montgomery is on fine form.

It's good to see this band making making steady progress over the last couple of years, with ever better live performances and strong materiel on their latest album Born To Break. They are certainly moving on and breaking away from their older 'female Airbourne' tag. Although not at their best tonight due to the temporary lineup change, I am already looking forward to seeing them back firing on all cylinders in 2019....

Next we get Ferocious Dog. I'd never heard of them before, but apparently they feature Fruitbat formerly of Carter USM. All their folk/punk songs sound pretty much the same to me as I feel I've seen all this done before, but better - although it wasn't my sort of thing then or now.

Although some people are obviously getting into it, Ferocious Dog fail to hold my attention at all. I soon find myself wandering off around the venue looking for possible vantage point for taking some half decent pictures of the headliners. I fail.

So, here we have the Wildhearts playing their classic debut album in full. Again. I have the T-shirt from last time. This time it's the album's 25th anniversary. Still, 'Earth Vs The Wildhearts' remains the band's 'Appetite For Destruction' or 'Led Zep 1' and I never get tired of hearing these songs. In fact, most of the album has remained in the band's setlist for virtually their whole career, and if you put together a 'Wildhearts Greatest Hits' set then most of the songs on this album would surely feature on it.

This looks like a sold out show, and as usual at a Wildhearts gig the atmosphere is amazing - if anything it's more so than usual as the anticipation for hearing those songs again is electric! Also, Danny McCormack is back in the band - something that seemed highly unlikely to ever happen. The bass player from the 'classic' lineup remains a very popular figure with the fans, although due to his ongoing problems with his 'new' leg he can only manage to stand unaided for the first song or two - something which is hopefully only a short term problem. Predictably, the place goes wild for the opening song 'Greetings From Shitsville', and the pace doesn't let up for the following 11 songs as the band tear ferociously through the first album - also including 'Caffeine Bomb' which wasn't only the original album release and only appeared later as a single before being included on later album pressings. The band are really on fire tonight and this is one of the best Wildhearts shows I have ever seen!

After the band have charged enthusiastically through the whole album they leave the stage briefly for a short break - before returning for a seven song 'encore' containing a fairly predicable but highly popular list of fan favourites/'Greatest hits - including Danny taking lead vocals for 'Anthem'. The ever popular '29 x The Pain' and 'I Wanna Go Where The People Go' bring the show to a close - and we've all got sore throats by now from singing along! Full setlist here.

Expect to see more from The Wildhearts in 2019, with a tour and festival appearances - plus a brand new album!