This was Xmas Reinvented with both Wasted Youth and The DeRellas preaching the gospel truth of Rock & Roll salvation, to the assembled and most humble disciples gathered in Angel to hear the good word.
The DeRellas opened by stating their Glam rock credo to Gimme Gimme Your Love with Timmy DeRella driving home that there was no room for anything else at this show. Timmy made clear we should all Fake it Till We Make It with Luca's glitzy guitar driving it on, they bounced all over the stage. Timmy then began his main sermon that began with a Welcome To The Freak Show a place everyone felt very happy to be, Jez Miller was playing a rather snazzy looking guitar that really got to the heart of the freak Show Rhythm.
The cautionary parable of Pressure's Gonna Get You flew by, driven along by Timmy's brooding bassline and ended with Timmy letting us know exactly what he thought of Trump, almost an intro to Just Because I Smile Doesn't Mean I Like You that is full of sardonic lyrics and brilliantly trashy guitars. They brought the joy of the season to the fore on Loveless Landslide Of Love they really only wanted us all to share the love they have for Rock & Roll, having a good time, being nice to each other, this was a glorious stomp. They went back to Hi Rise Supersize that got lots of the audience singing along to this staple.
Timmy then made a plea that it should be Our World Tomorrow, IE all the cool freaks should take over, let us have a world based on Love, Peace and respect for each other, banish the greed and let the glam guitars go wild. Empire Vultures was a clear message to the money changers and others in the billionaire class, we need to change and make the world a better place and bouncy glam punk is really the way forwards. They closed this set with a great version of Night Time (Is The Right Time) the Richard Gotterher classic that gave us one more chance to dance and sing along with them.
After the break the most Christmassy of bands came on, all wearing Christmas hats and full of Christmas Spirit as Wasted Youth opened with Paris, France telling us the parable of the poor little French boys with delicious dark tones and Ken Scott's synth a key part. Little Jack hadn't been hidden in a manger this year but instead had Rocco Barker, having removed his Christmas headgear, letting rip on his Gretsch White Falcon. Fissures the first of the new songs from Neo Noir the recent comeback album, sounded cool and disturbed at the Fissures opening up in society.
Ken then led the lament My Friends Are Dead that had some great breaks and Josef Rosam's guitar solo adding to the intensity of the feelings of sadness and regret, so many friends have gone too soon. Maybe We'll Die With Them kept the fatalism upfront, despite the joy they always bring to playing and Ken gave everything to make certain we knew how much he meant every word.
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They dipped back into Neo Noir for I'm In Love Again a sweet song with Alan Temple driving it on. The only song that could follow that was of course Jealousy those feelings that can't banish once they are deeply in love again, this was Wasted Youth at its most dark and majestic. Ken had some fun with his Microphone stand before This Is Your Day as he made sure his wood black was ready to be attacked during this song for Jesus on his birthday or so this re-imagining might have had it. I think Ken threw his Christmas hat into the audience at the end of the song and Jo caught it, so it is now on display as our first Christmas decoration this year.
As soon as Alan Temple's drums and Sabrina Amade's bass started the main beat of Maybe We'll Die With Them it was like we were in this cocoon enveloped by that deeply percussive rhythm that Rocco and Josef then just decorated to allow Ken to passionately deliver the stark message of sacrifice within it was stunning. If Tomorrow really shouldn't feel like it is a song for our times in the ways that it currently does, but we can still hope that things will be better in the future. They closed with a great version of Survivors Pt 2 or Charlie & Harry if you prefer its alternate name, either way this was a brilliant sing along version of this stark tale of decadent consequences.
They came back for an encore after we had all gone a little nuts and started with the Mistletoe classic I Wish I Was A Girl(Never Kissed A Girl) that let everyone sing along especially during the break down before Ken claimed I'm Bored no really he isn't the chairman of the bored. They were running out of time so stormed through a great version of Wire's 12XU that had some rough edges and plenty of cheeky charm, that only left time to Do The Caveman on the wrong side of curfew, it is always a pleasure to Do The Caveman with Wasted Youth like bedrock garage rock incarnate, Xmas had been totally reinvented.
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