23/2/2023 Electrics @ The Good Mixer

 Thursday night is the new 'Friday Night' - Part 3.

The problem with Thursday nights is it's a struggle after a full day at work to get home, grab something to eat, shit/shave/shower and then travel to gigs in town early enough to catch the first band on the bill. 

Consequently tonight I arrive in Camden just as Feed The Wolf are finishing their set - so I can't really tell you anything about them. 😐

Fortunately I am in plenty of time to see ⚡Electrics⚡. However, tonight it's 'Electrics, but not as we know them Jim'  as for reasons unknown bassist Jenny couldn't make the gig and instead we have Dale on bass. He's a good bass player, but not as easy on the eye as Jenny. 😉

But this is a town with more than one Lane in it and tonight instead of Jenny Lane we have Nat Lane - on sax instead of bass. That's two personnel changes from last time I saw the band so the lineup appears to be fairly fluid depending on which musicians are available.

So the band sound as well as look a little different tonight - it's all good though and frontman Al is still cranking out the dirty riffs and cheeky sarcastic charm.

There is a certain punk 'don't give a fuck' attitude here. This is what you need to play rock 'n' roll - I see a lot of bands who can play rock & roll songs, but still can't play rock 'n' roll. It's not about playing the right notes - it's about playing with the right spirit - and not many bands can. Or can even understand that.

And a definite stage presence. Some people look like they belong on a stage, while others who can play really well look like they still belong playing in their bedroom. This lot have earned their place on the stage and are deserving of your attention.

And they play "Dirty jagged rock 'n' roll". ©

11/2/2023 Girlschool @ The Underworld

Daffodils in early Febuary WTF? Actually they have been out for weeks...🙈😟

Stopped for a livener or two at BrewDog before the show. I like the transparency shown in the big information board. It's an expensive bar (but where isn't in Camden?) but if you choose carefully you can get a lot of 'bang for your buck' - especially if you are in a hurry 'cos you are on your way to a show where you know the bar will be shit and overpriced for pissy beer.

Thanks to BrewDog I missed Alcatraz. I'm sure they were good, but to be honest the Underworld isn't a venue I like to spend any more time in than I have to these days. How times have changed...

Girlschool shows are always fun, and this one is no exception. However, there is a bit of a change for tonight's gig. Kim hasn't been well on this current tour, and as a backup reserve the band have brought in Niky from Czech hard rock band The Agony. She fits in perfectly and looks totally at home taking on lead vocals and rhythm guitar duties on some songs.

But we needn't have worried - Kim is still here too and seems to be getting over her recent health issues. The band are on good form and tear though a load of the old classics like 'Demolition Boys', 'Hit And Run', and 'C'mon Let's Go'  - mixed in with more recent material from the last few albums like 'Guilty As Sin' and 'Take It Like A Band' (with Niky on lead vocals). Then it's back to the older stuff like 'Nothing To Lose' and 'Kick It Down' - featuring one of my favourite guitar riffs!

Girlschool throw in a cover of 'Bomber' in tribute to their friends Lemmy and Motörhead, as well as their well known cover of 'Race With The Devil'. The band look like they are thoroughly enjoying themselves, and returning ex-Rock Godess bassist Tracey Lamb seems well at home.

The band aren't content to sit back and rely on past glories to keep them going - they are now also playing some brand new songs from their forthcoming album entitled 'WTForty Five?'. New songs 'It Is What It Is' and 'Are You Ready' show Girlschool have lost none of their energy  and raw punky edge.

The set finishes with 'Emergency', and then the well deserved encore of 'Take It All Away' and ZZ Top's 'Tush'. Even at '45WTF?' 😉 Girlschool are still a force to be reckoned with!

I don't hang around in the less than hospitable confines of The Underworld after the band finish - security and management's attitude of 'We've got your ticket and beer money now fuck off' discourages me from buying that last overpriced beer I would have once enjoyed in this venue and makes it harder for bands to make some much needed money at the merch stall. So BrewDog get my beer money instead.

19/1/2023 Big Boy Bloater & The Limits @ The 100 Club

It was kind of appropriate but a complete coincidence that on my way to an evening of 'the Devil's music' (ie; The Blues) I arrived at the station to find this carriage awaiting me. Not for the first time I may add...

A good omen for the night I think. 😈

I arrive at the 100 Club in time to see Laura B & Her Band. Closer to swing, jazz, and jive to pure blues, but still very entertaining. Laura has great stage presence and a terrific voice!

And on to tonight's headliner. Since moving to France Big Boy Bloater has only been able to make around one trip a year back to the UK. This January sees him back in his old home country for a short tour with his band The Limits.

The world famous 100 Club is pretty much the perfect London venue for this guy.

Bloater isn't yer normal generic bluesman - he puts a different twist on things with the subjects he covers in his songs. And he also likes to tell a good story.

He's a pretty good guitarist too, and has backed up some well known figures on the blues scene as well as performing original material with his own band as seen tonight.

As well as social comment and observation there is a lot of humour in his songs, but much of his humour is very dark: Failed relationships (Oops Sorry) and serial killers (Insanely Happy) seem to crop up quite a bit, as do robots (Robot Girlfriend) and 1950's B-movie style monsters (It Came Outta The Swamp). And booze (Friday Night's Alright For Drinking).

This might be 'the blues', but it is also fun - it's not all doom and gloom and there is some lively full-on old school rock 'n' roll as well like 'Devils Not Angels' - if you want to dance - there are songs for that too! There is stuff going on in the songs on different levels and different vibes, but you will be entertained!

14/1/2023 Electrics @ The Spice Of Life

It's years since I've been to The Spice of Life to see a band - this place is virtually a secret music venue in the heart of the West End. As you walk in at ground level it's largish bar with all the old pub character stripped out of it, but downstairs is an intimate bar and music venue. It's cheap to get in to see three or four bands, and the bar has real ales at surprisingly reasonable prices for the West End and it's tourist traps. It's only McMullens so the ale isn't up to much, but compared to what else is on offer in the area I'm not complaining.

It's only the second time time seen ⚡Electrics⚡, although I think they have been going for several years. I saw them supporting Dirty Strangers at the Dublin Castle last year, and I think just missed their set when they previously supported the same band at the Mau Mau Bar a while back - it's a shame it's taken me so long to discover them. There is no sax player at tonight's show unlike the first time I saw them, but it's still an enjoyable show.

It's dirty rock 'n' roll with a bit of a New York influence - via Portobello Road and Stonebridge Park. There is a distinct punk edge and attitude - with song titles like 'No Shit'.

Electrics are good musicians with some catchy and memorable songs - I shall definitely be going to see them again...

Next up are Pseudonym. A band with a decent frontman playing generic indie rock. Decent enough musicians, but not much in the way of memorable songs.

Final band of the night is Alphawaves. The frontman appears to be trying to be a more rock 'n' roll version of Van Morrison - and like 'Van the man' seems to maybe take himself a little too seriously. He's a good guitarist and makes an effort to 'perform', but the music isn't in the same class as the pop/rock classics of the 1960's onward that he seems to be trying to emulate.

I give Alphawaves a chance and watch them for a few songs, but don't stay to the end and wander back upstairs with my drink. Soon afterwards I ironically find myself up the road in another pub that used to be the Marquee Club.

7/1/2023 The Boys, The Vulz, & Continental Lovers @ The 100 Club

Saturday night finds me back at the 100 Club for a pretty good bill. First up are the Continental Lovers - a band I finally saw for the first time at the Dublin Castle last summer. I thought they were pretty good and had a cool New York/punk/rock 'n' roll vibe going on, but could really use a second guitarist. They have since addressed that, and are definitely a better band as a result. Unfortunately the new guy is on the far side of the stage and can't be seen in my pictures, but he does bring some added depth to the sound..

Continental Lovers are finally the full package now with their expanded lineup - good songs and sound, plus image and stage presence.

The opening band are from Nottingham, but the second act hail from closer to home...

In fact The Vulz lead guitarist Gary Pearce actually resides in Barnet.

The Vulz are straightforward UK style old school punk and very entertaining.

Headliners The Boys are genuine punk originals from the first wave of UK punk, and one of the very first to release an album - their self titled debut had some great tunes and earned them the well deserved title 'the Beatles of punk'.

Although currently only featuring two original members they are still a good live band with a great back catalogue. At first glance it appeared they had comedian Bill Bailey on lead guitar - again on the far side of the stage so not really visible in my pictures...

Can you spot a member of the infamous Hollywood Brats and later the legendary London SS excitedly pointing at his former Brats bandmate keyboard player Casino Steel?

All in all another pretty good night out for a reasonable price at one of London's best music venues. 😊

Sorry about the even worse quality of my pictures than normal - my PC is currently refusing to load pictures into my usual software for editing for reasons unknown.😠

15/12/2022 The Quireboys @ Islington Academy

It's been an interesting year for The Quireboys - in fact, it's been so interesting that we now have two bands called 'The Quireboys'. In a shock move early in the year the band announced that they had fired their charismatic singer Spike! They then announced their intention to carry on - with no original members left, and guitarist Guy Griffin taking over vocal duties. When they booked a big show at The Forum in Kentish Town it was not only without Spike, but also  announced as 'Quireboys Orchestral' - in other words the band playing with an orchestra. This wasn't my idea of rock 'n' roll so I decided to vote with my feet. Apparently a lot of other people thought the same as the gig was not well attended - in spite of a lot of tickets being virtually given away in a desperate attempt to boost audience figures. According to phone video footage the show was noticeably lacking in atmosphere as well as crowd numbers....

Spike responded to his sacking by announcing that he was going to put his own 'Quireboys' together - including several former members - three of whom played on the band's classic debut album 'A Bit Of What You Fancy'. That album is widely considered to be their best, so Spike now appeared to be holding all the aces. Not only did he put together a whole new band consisting of actual ex-recording and touring members of the Quireboys, but he also announced they will be recording a new album and work has already started on writing the songs with original guitarist Guy Bailey. This news has been very enthusiastically received by the fans!

The other 'Quireboys' are still a good band I'm sure, but the Quireboys without Spike is like Motörhead without Lemmy or the Wildhearts without Ginger (another ex-Quireboy) or Whitesnake without David Coverdale. I'm sure most people buy Quireboys tickets because they want to see Spike do his thing - I know I do.

So, the venue is full - there are obviously a lot more people here than at the other 'Quireboys' gig in Kentish Town a few months ago. It seems nearly everyone is here. There is much anticipation from the crowd and the atmosphere is electric, but what will the night hold? It turns out things aren't quite as expected...

The fans are looking forward to seeing the return of original Quireboy Guy Bailey, but when the band take to the stage he is nowhere to be seen... This is ominous as Guy's health has not been great for a while. Spike is joined on stage by original Quireboy's bassist Nigel Mogg - who appeared on the band's first three albums. Also in Spike's new/old version of the Quireboys are original keyboard player Chris Johnstone and Rudy Richman on drums. However - neither of the guitarists on stage have ever played with the Quireboys before - although they will be familiar to some people...

Yes - that's Chris McCormack - Danny Wildheart's brother and ex-3 Colours Red guitarist. These days a music promoter and the man behind Camden Rocks Festival. He seemed to have retired as a musician a few years ago, so seeing him pop up tonight was certainly a surprise! On the other hand the Quireboys are known for originally being a Geordie band, and Chris is from that area so there is a certain serendipity here... It seems that he was actually as surprised as I was at being drafted in at the last minute. It was hoped that Guy Bailey would be playing in the band tonight, but it appears his health sadly wasn't up to it. 😟 The other guitarist in the band tonight is Alan MP from original Quireboys bassist Nigel Mogg's LA based band Juvenile Wrecks - also drafted in late in the day and having to learn the set from scratch in very little time!

However, with four actual Quireboys from the band's first couple of albums on stage together the sound isn't much different to how it was in those early days.

The setlist wasn't much (if any) different to how it was back when the band had only released two albums either, but to be honest it's the songs from the band's classic debut album A Bit Of What You Fancy that the fans want to hear the most. Most people would agree that it's their best collection of songs, although it's follow up Bitter Sweet & Twisted is good too. Tonight's set consists virtually entirely of songs from the band's first two albums, with the addition of the ever popular debut single 'Mayfair'.

Although original Quireboys guitarist and songwriter Guy Bailey isn't well enough to perform with the band tonight he is actually present. He has often popped up as a guest guitarist at shows since leaving the band - with Spike saying Guy "will always be a Quireboy". Tonight he is just brought onto the stage to make an appearance but not play - he has always remained a popular figure and is very warmly received by the crowd tonight. He doesn't look well to be honest, but then I don't think he ever did...

The pace does slacken a bit on occasion when the band are joined by a female vocalist who duets with Spike as well as providing backing vocals on some songs - no one seems to know who she is, and although I think Spike introduced her at some point I can't remember her name.

As ever with the Quireboys - it's party time! A bagpiper is brought on stage towards the end of the set - maybe because it's nearly Christmas? 

Islington Academy is pretty full tonight - I would think it's sold out. The venue is full of familiar faces and the atmosphere is terrific! Spike's new Quireboys definitely give the crowd what they want and apart from not getting to see Guy Bailey perform I doubt anyone goes home disappointed. A brand new single 'Jeez Louise' is set to be released in the New Year, and a new album is set to follow later in the year. According to Spike it will be a proper 'rock 'n' roll Quireboys album' with "no chords with numbers in!" and all the songs have already been written with Guy Bailey.  It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Spike and the boys...

9/12/2022 M.O.S.E.S & Healthy Junkies @ The Old Blue Last

This week Friday night is an actual 'Friday Night' again instead of Thursday - see my previous couple of posts. 😉 And this one finds me heading down to Shoreditch instead of Islington for a change.

After a shiny state-of-the-art modern venue last week I now find myself in an old school pub 'toilet' venue. It's fairly well known on the indie scene, but not to put too fine a point on it - the Old Blue Last is a bit of a dump. Reputedly 'haunted by Shakespeare' although the building is very obviously not old enough for him to have ever been in it. It's just another run-down East End boozer clinging on somehow by trying to be 'cool' to less discriminating hipsters. I don't have a beard, but somehow I managed to sneak in anyway. Upon reaching the bar after braving the indie disco and associated 1990's rose tinted spectacled hipsters I wondered why I had bothered? Another venue where regardless of price there is nothing I actually want to drink! No real ales on tap, but that was no surprise - and my request for a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale was met with a blank look from the obviously inexperienced barman.

I made my way upstairs to the room where the bands play. I had bought a ticket on the Dice app on my phone - which I showed to the guy doing the door - and was met with another blank look but he let me in anyway as he recognised me. There was another bar in the room upstairs, but I already knew it wasn't worth bothering with so I didn't. The actual room the bands were playing in was OK actually.

I was only there to see one of the support bands and had never heard of the headliners. I had never heard of the first 3 bands either, and to be honest because of the bar it wasn't the sort of place I wanted to hang around in any longer than I needed to. So I arrived just in time to see Healthy Junkies - a band I have seen countless times and have never left me disappointed.

Phil and Nina have kept the band going for a few years now after a few lineup changes, but the core sound and attitude of the band remains - a punk inspired mix of glam, grunge, and pop tunes.

Healthy Junkies always put on a high energy and impassioned show. It makes a change seeing them somewhere other than Camden, but a few familiar faces have made their way to East London to see them.

I'd never heard of the headliners M.O.S.ES. but a bunch of indie kids obviously had as they had a decent crowd watching them - although the small venue was by no means full.

There are a good band and can obviously play well, but to be honest it was pretty standard indie fare. The band had absolutely nothing to make you remember them from countless other indie bands that you might see in the usual Camden and Hoxton hipster hangouts - the only thing that stood out was the singer. Not because he had a great voice or anything, although he was perfectly good enough, but because he had that 'it' thing - that star quality. Probably a bit in love with himself like many frontmen are, but he knew he was good at being on stage and making himself the centre of attention.

None of their songs were particularly memorable, although they weren't crap. M.OS.E.S are probably a band who will vanish never to be heard of again, but I wouldn't be surprised if the singer doesn't pop up again somewhere in the future - either solo or with another band. He might have been a bit full of himself and his band very forgettable, but at least it was worth going down to Shoreditch to see Healthy Junkies.