This was a great Xmas triple treat at the Camden Underworld that started unfeasibly early, with Electrics going on at 6.30 and doing everything they could to let us all know they were Alright with Robert Jones glammy guitar driving it on, R U Deceiving Me went by in a blur of Heartbreakers style guitars and ALan Blizzards raw emotive vocals. By the time they got to Witness Suspect AL had started introducing the band by a variety of names I think they were the Elastics at this point in the set, Jenny Lane's bass lines getting heavier.
The main thing AL was trying to Remember was the band's name the Emetics souped things up with AL and Roberts guitars getting good and greasy, for a bunch of cheeky scamps of course the Ecstatics are all about Cold Sin of the sort that happens just after Nite Falls and the mean streets need negotiating with speedy Stooge like riffs that the Entropics then claimed meant they were looking Like A One Eyed Beast again, with Al giving it his best throaty vocal. The bands classic Natural Born Killer had a great sing along swagger and Jenny's heaviest bass line, before the Elastics claimed You Don't Know Me No More while re-working the Night Time riff into a full on stomp, before they closed this short sharp set with My City that AL claimed was still light outside, as if we would be that lucky.
After a short break it was time for the Dirty Strangers who opened with Slap Bang In The Middle to making sure we knew they were middle band tonight, ALan Clayton flashed us a cheeky grin for all the trouble he was in once more. For the title track from recent album Hunters Moon John Rollason played some very cool slide guitar. They were on the pull for Baby that has super crisp drumming from Lol Fox and John Proctor was holding his Hands Up on bass rumbling through that classic. Pirates Don't Get Pensions went down a storm with John and AL's guitars meshing perfectly.
AL didn't even have time to find Jackie for her normal dedication before My Girl's A Getaway Driver, that was played like she had the back tyres spinning ready to roar away up Camden High Street, like you could still drive up it. They then threw in a cover of Brian James Gangs Slow It Down that AL would have sung with Brian, it was full of emotion in remembrance of one of many friends no longer with us. AL got everyone singing along for La La La I Couldn't Care Less a song that is super easy to learn for anyone who wasn't familiar with it.
Diamonds was certainly the slowest song of the night and we all wiped away a Diamond or two, This was the first time we had heard South Of The River since the Fab girlfriend started working South Of The River, so she was singing along even more than usual, she makes sure to get back to safety each day. The hits kept coming as they blew through Shepherds Bush City Limits with just enough time for AL to tell us he had a chat with Ike about the song. Bad Girls are of course still the only kind of girls the Dirty Strangers like, before they closed with Gold Cortina that slowed down just enough for some band intros before they put the bands feet down for a revved up finish to a proper ram raid of a set.
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After the break it was time for Black Eyed Sons who, for anyone who didn't keep up with The Quireboys melodrama of the last couple of years, are the members of that band who tried to sack Spike, well now all the dust has settled, they are back as a new band with mainly new material, unlike Spike last week, they are sober, focussed and super tight throughout from the opening Louder a less played Quireboys classic, that allowed the 7 piece band to really get going, with the bands demon harmonica player Lee Vernon letting rip playing almost totally in sync with Keith Weir's keyboards.
Lie To Me may have gained some new meaning for Guy Griffin since all the hoo ha happened, but it doesn't stop them from blasting though this with Paul Guerrin unleashing a magnificent guitar solo that Guy underpinned nicely. Guy told us that Cowboys In Pin Striped suits was written with Joe Elliot and Chips Enuff before this full-on blues rock song took them up a notch, held together by the "Malling brothers" Pip and Nick on Drums and bass. Guy told us that the lyrics to Medicine have taken on new meaning for him recently, he needs to sooth away some of the pain of living in the 2020's.
This Is How We Roll was again all about Lee and Keith's harmonica and keyboards, that started to be a main focus, despite everything Paul was doing on Guitar. Your True Colours was a little pointed and had cool backing vocals from Ria Hall. Guy then thanked Chips Enuff for his contribution to the album version of Don't Throw Me In The Corner before they blew through it a cracking place. Dig Me Out Of This Hole had a name check for Skid Rows prettiest member Scotti Hill and some truly amazing jousting between Paul Guerrin and Lee Vernon that harmonica damn near stole the show.
Autumn Reigns was deeply blues centric with just a hint of that blackberry smoke Guy was on about before the song. They brought Alan Clayton back on for a great cover of the Mink DeVille classic Savoir Faire and the Black Eyed Sons had loads of Savoir Faire this was a brilliant version. They then closed by playing Company of Wolves song Foolin' Yourself like it was one of their own this had some great keys from Keith Weir.
They came back for an encore and paid tribute to the band's glam gods Mott The Hoople with a brash version of Rock & Roll Queen driven on by Nick's bassline, making sure we all had a great time, Black Eyed Sons really need to be seen live, especially when Lee is playing harmonica with them.
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