Ladies and Gentlemen... The New York Dolls!

Last night saw an epic journey up to Kentish Town to see The New York Dolls with Chris and Dawn. But first we had to survive The Towers Of London, a band who can best be described as having spent their early teenage years watching heavy metal DVDs - well, they must have, they had mastered all the cliche poses of guitar thrash, it was almost like masturbation on stage (they certainly weren't playing for the audience). Under their hair they looked so young that you can bet their parents are, by turn, worried that they're so young and (possibly) on drugs and on the other hand, proud of them up there on the stage. But can you turn it down a notch lads? I thought the lead singer looked like Limahl.

Then a long interlude with the oddest selection of music, most of which was from before even I was born. The only one I could sing along to was 'Waterloo Sunset'. And then the Dolls were hurrying on stage as if they were late (which they probably were). But there they were - David and Sylvain, original Dolls, and the others to make some glorious noise.

Well there was a lot of noise - we were too near a bank of speakers, I think, so it was a bit distorted. They sounded much better more centrally in the hall where we went later. But it didn't really matter - it was them, trailing all their mystique and mythos and dropping cultural references like glitter from a night at VauxhallVille. Just having them on stage a few yards away was sufficient to be entrancing. I'd never seen them live before so it was a great thrill to have them there in front of me.

Particular favourites were 'Personality Crisis', 'Private World' (for Arthur), 'You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory' (for Johnny), 'Jet Boy', 'Fishnets and Cigarettes', 'Gotta Get Away From Tommy' and (of course) 'Dance Like A Monkey'. It was great to howl at the moon with them during the enchore. They played for about 1 hour 20 minutes and thoroughly enjoyable it was.

I was mightily impressed with all the bangles and rings David wore - given how skinny his arms are I'm surprised he could raise his hands to the microphone and harmonica. And I loved Syl's little belly! Wearing a tight red shirt and not caring that it displayed his pot belly to perfection. Could anyone else get away with that?

I thoroughly enjoyed the show despite the (chemically enhanced) bouncing gonk beside me at one point and having half a pint of (my own) beer splashed on me at the bar. But who cares? I've seen the Dolls and they rocked!