This show was the third date on Daily Thompsons European tour to promote Glue the bands seventh album, that came out in August. It has been quite a while since I intentionally went to see a band playing at The Dev or Devonshire Arms, one of London's legendarily scuzzy, goth metal hangouts for the last few decades.
First on were Della Nova who from the opening Wasted Days played long form bass rumblings with down tuned guitar in a Soundgarden style, but with squeakier vocals, letting them get into the bands groove, Alex was moaning he was Alone Again possibly due to his endlessly riffing all day and night. He was begging for a second chance to prove Della Nova could be as low slung as Down while screaming You Know at us. I See seemed to rework the same bassline to ever more crushing effect, with the powerhouse drumming making clear that What You Say was a plea for understanding, for a conversation held in the maelstrom of 90's hard riffing grunge they were playing.
Rise With The Wind was nowhere near as lighters in the air as the title suggests, before the sadly obvious statement The World Is Coming Down On Me did its best to raise the intensity levels, before they closed with New Strain that sounded like most of Della Nova's other songs, they were good and tight, but with little to make them stand out.
After the break once I'd finished swatting the fleas from my beer glass and we'd watched Daily Thompson go through there warmups, it was time for them to do the 100 Metres through Love Bugs like they were trying to be on the soundtrack to a sequel to Singles, it had that Seattle grunge sound. They wanted to take a long jump to be forever in the arms of A Girl Like You who clearly works out in a plaid shirt to Danny Zaremba's angsty guitar mangling. It obviously worked as she caught his Shot Put while having a Siam style grin on his face, Mercedes Lalakakis-Bee insistent bass rumbling darkly beneath the strangled guitar.
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They joked before Work Out that a band called Daily Thompson had to have a Work Out song, or it will be the high jump for them, it was a real highlight with Goo era Sonic Youth style dynamics and Thorsten Stratmann's finest Zumba beat, with the first signs of anyone in the audience singing along. Here I Stand ready for the 400 Metres and in no way similar to Gimp Fists anthem of the same name, while they got lost in the Mr Bungle grunginess they were creating. They Faked A Smile for the pain of hitting most of the hurdles in the 110 metre hurdles while still finishing well, with intense squalls of guitar and Mercedes happiness to be playing in Camden while wanting to sound like The Slags.
I'm Choosing Me had a great circular riff like they were rotating ready to let that discus rip, with enough distain for anyone trying to stop them doing what they want too. BTK was the darkest song of the set, about Denis Rader who preferred to Bind Torture and Kill rather than pole vault, this had an Alice In Chains intensity. At least one of the Heart Of Bones had been shaped into a javelin as Mercedes vocals made clear just how heartless you were. Their time for the 1500 metres was slightly hampered by the Chains they were bound up in, with a low-slung riff and intensity. Before they took a lap of honour with I'm Free Tonight, that sadly didn't feature any John Inman impersonations, but was hoping for a hook up with some grunge enthusiasts, it was a fun end to a darkly intense set.
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