Apart from the 100 Club, Soho and the West End have lost virtually
all their music venues in recent years, but Islington still seems relatively unscathed - for now. Like The Borderline the
Hope & Anchor has been refurbished downstairs quite radically, but unlike the West End venue this pub venue in Islington
hasn't been ruined - well not completely anyway. And the toilets are still some of the worst in town. Fortunately the ground level bar has remained virtually unchanged. But I'm not here to admire the surroundings - I'm here to see one of the best new bands I have discovered in recent years. That band is
Porcelain Hill. But first I get to see
Unorfadox.
They are a long standing alt/rock band from Bromley with a punky edge. They sound good and are fairly entertaining with some decent tunes.
I knew the headliners wouldn't disappoint, although the turnout was lower than expected for a Saturday night.
Porcelain Hill don't seem to
do bad shows - every gig is tight and well rehearsed, or it certainly seems that way - but I suspect it's because the band simply spend so much time out on the road playing rather than rehearsing. There doesn't appear to be a setlist - they just play whatever songs they feel like playing on the night.
Hendrix would appear to be an obvious influence, although they don't try to copy his sound. Maybe Cream too - this is a 'power trio' with the emphasis very much on POWER. They rock pretty hard and kick out some chunky riffs. They can be heavy, but also bluesy and soulful - it's a rich and intoxicating mixture.
It's a shame not so many people turned up to see Porcelain Hill as at their gigs south of the river - I guess the word hasn't spread to North London quite yet - but I'm sure it will...
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