This show at The Troubadour was the second sold out London show as part of The Dirty Strangers current European tour playing Pre 60 Parties the night before The Rolling Stones play slightly bigger venues than The Troubadour, that's had a makeover during lockdown and amazingly is now smaller than it was before, making this show a proper game of sardines.
By the time we arrived we'd sadly missed the first three songs of Dead Hombres set, they are still performing as a three piece of Traci and Nigel Heaslewood and Jeff Emsley. We got in just as they launched into the bands theme tune Hombre that had a good dark psychobilly rumble to it.
Heart In Flames was a great urgent rush of heartbreak and despair as Traci's bass kept it nice and steady while Nigel's guitar fired of the despair inflected riff. Crazy People could have been used to describe half the audience and it went down a treat as a straight ahead rocker.
Under Your Skin kept the pace up nicely and had a pretty nifty guitar solo in it. They then had fun introducing Hellbound Ghost Train, so that we all knew its destination wasn't Earls Court, then as Jeff told us about its train rhythm they pulled out of the station and were off trying not to overtake that Intercity 125 as it picked up the pace.
Nigel apologized before they played a new song as he hadn't wanted to write a Covid related song, but like most other artists, ended up with the Covid song Killing Machine, that had a good nasty scowl to it and is frantic enough to feel like they are trying to escape its clutches by running away. They closed there set with El Mental that had there been enough room would have been perfect for a good wrecking pit to get going, but just let us all go mental with them.
After the break and with original guitarist John Rollason back in the band, who they originally borrowed from We're Only Human and The Kidda Band, along with Cliff Wright on Bass, Lol Fox on Drums and Guy Griffin on Guitar and last but not least Alan Clayton on vocals and guitar.
They opened with Who Blew The Whistle as Guy Griffin made a grand entrance and got on stage just after they started, but was soon up and running as they really blasted through it and John Rollason seemed to add a more Stones style sensibility to the band's sound.
R U Satisfied is the sort of question best left for the end of the evening, but almost everyone in the room would have replied yes, as they heard how well the three guitars worked together, even if John, Guy and Cliff were exchanging glances at the end, as it hadn't gone totally to plan but sounded great none the less.
Alan made sure we knew just how cheeky he could be on Liberty Smile that had loads of swagger and well they were all ready for some fun on Here She Comes and of course they would then have to tell us that she was Easy To Please, yes make sure she hears some great guitar with pin sharp drumming and she's all yours.
One thing this lot all know about is how to be a Troublemaker and they make it sound like so much fun as those guitars meshed and John and Guy played against each other perfectly.
Alan told stories all night about how the first album was recorded with Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood and how hard it was for John having to add his parts after Keith had done his stuff, as they got down to tell us all about Baby, a good tale and played with a cheeky grin on its face.
Alan then told us about watching a documentary with Keith Richards at Redlands while cooking potatoes and peas and hearing one phrase and both of them saying it had to be a song title so they wrote Real Botticelli then and there and well it still sounds cracking when played like this.
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Alan thought it funny that on a night when the sweat was dripping off the walls, they were going to play a song called Cold Night, that might have sent shivers down us if we weren't all boiling hot by this point, much like the band who all looked rather warm.
Alan thanked anyone who had travelled to get to this gig including a large contingent from Argentina and a good few from the USA before they played a new song from the bands next album. Hunters Moon really sounds like a typical Dirty Strangers song and I want to hear it a few more times to get everything going on in the lyrics.
As ever Al was looking for that Special Girl, the one that had that certain look and well everyone was singing along for the chorus. Al explained how in London everyone was either from Sarf or Norf of the Thames, he asked all the band members which camp they fell into, before playing South Of The River like they were all North Londoners, which they aren't the heathens.
They slowed things right down for Diamonds that's easily the bands most sensitive love song and sounded magnificent with a great slow build and most of us singing along.
They then went totally cheeky chappie and went down to the seaside for Bathing Belles for some old school seaside fun and games and a false ending with all sorts of onstage shenanigans before they all came in for a rousing conclusion.
Hands Up felt like a rallying call for anyone caught up to no good, to just admit they've done the deed and been caught out, to hold their Hands Up, in the current climate this song feels pretty political even though I'm sure it wasn't meant to be.
Al then asked if there were any Bad Girls in the audience, well most of them really, as Bad girls all love The Dirty Strangers, they played a great rave up version of this classic tune. As ever they sung the praises of West 12 on Shepherds Bush City Limits that was a few hundred yards from The Troubadour and now sounds almost grittier than the Bush is these days.
Al then asked the Americans and Argentinians what would be considered a working-class car back home, by way of introducing Gold Cortina, there tribute to a certain kind of Geezer's car of choice, the song had a long middle breakdown for band introductions before revving up and getting back to fourth gear for a proper race down the Westway.
They then re-enforced that this show was really just a House Party and we were all having a ball at a proper rave up and Al made sure we knew how much fun we were all having. They then closed with Good Good Lovin' that was milked for all the emotion they could get out of it, as John and Guy traded solos and they made sure we all left with smiles on our faces at the end of a truly brilliant evening.
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