On Friday night we went to the long-awaited New York Dolls gig at the Forum in Kentish Town - it seems like an age since I bought the tickets and got the new album. We got there in good time and grabbed good seats in the centre of the balcony with a guaranteed view of the stage. Then on they came, all rock swagger, picking up guitars and then on came David Johansen, said something into the mic and off they went with 'Looking For A Kiss' in guitar thrash-a-go-go style.
Now, much as I love that song, it started a trend for the rest of the evening with poor sound quality, guitars too loud and David's vocals too low in the mix. A twiddle of a knob would've sorted that. But, you know what? I didn't really mind at all. The sound was awful but it left my ears ringing, and it's a long time since that's happened! That's a good thing. After seeing and hearing folk music, pop and disco music, Motown classics and all manner of other music over the last six months or so, here was some down and dirty swaggering rock music, guitarists pulling poses and thrashing away, and I loved it. Does that make me a bad person? It's the Dolls - what's not to like?
There was a goodly selection from the last two albums and their mid-70s albums, enough to keep anyone happy. 'Personality Crisis', 'Trash' (pronounced 'tray-ash', both the rock version and the nod towards reggae version), 'Pills', 'Subway Train' , they were all there, mainly towards the second half of the set, with the marvellous 'Jet Boy' as part of the encore. From the previous album we had the great 'Dance Like A Monkey' (with Syl on monkey sounds), 'Gotta Get Away From Tommy' and 'We're All In Love'. From the latest album we got 'Nobody Got No Bizness', 'Exorcism of Despair' and 'Cause I Sez So'. Syl started singing a version of 'You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory' which morphed into 'Lonely Planet Boy'.They were gloriously rock'n'roll, pulling poses and striking power chords, Sylvain Sylvain and Steve Conte vying for the rock god crown while David just oozed cool and ignored their vainglorious attempts to usurp his crown. It's not gonna happen, guys, give up while you can.
My gripes are the awful sound (which, perversely, I also loved), the fact that Syl has lost weight and David is still a stick insect and that the lights were behind the band and shining into the audience rather than on the band. Other than that, they were perfect! Come back soon guys!
For a complete change we went to see Alison Moyet on Sunday at the Royal Festival Hall (Chris gritted his teeth so hard I had to nudge him a couple of times since it was interfering with the sound and the flight-path of low flying aeroplanes). Something has happened to Alison in the last year or so and she has lost an amazing amount of flesh and she revelled in it on Sunday night, in a slinky full length black frock with sandals. Good on you, is all I have to say. It hasn't affected her voice or presence, and that's the main thing.
I've had a soft spot for Alison since her time with Yazoo in the early '80s (I missed the reunion gig last year, unfortunately) with her powerful voice and skill at interpreting songs. With a stripped-down band of four musicians plus one backing singer, Alison presented us with a selection from the last 25 years of her solo career plus Yazoo classics and I was well satisfied. She's developed some new versions of old classics, bluesy and basic, that are on the extra disc of her new 'best of' so I think I need to get them.
She seemed to be having fun up there on the stage in front of her 'home crowd', with her mother and daughters in the audience - I couldn't help but wonder what her daughters must think seeing mum up there on stage with a worshipping crowd? I loved every second of the show (except for 'Love Letters', a song I've never liked by anyone) and it was great that she got a standing ovation at the end of the main show and after the encore. She'd earned it!
So, what were the highlights? 'Only You', 'Love Resurrection', 'Ode To Boy', 'Whispering Your Name' and 'That Ole Devil Called Love'. I'd single out for special praise her harrowing and cold version of 'This House' with it's dramatic ending sending shivers down my back.
It was great seeing her, seeing her enjoy herself in front of us (including starting a song again because it didn't go quite right), playing her harmonica solo, chatting and joking with us. She really had the audience in the palm of her hand and it'll be great to see her again in the near future. After 25+ years she's got a back catalogue to be envious of and I was sort of thinking that a gig at somewhere like Ronnie Scott's would be good. I'd go.
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