I’ve already reviewed the Gasoline Queens in these pages fairly recently so I’ll keep this one short and sweet and say that this gig was up to their usual high standards. Of course, given that there’s more than a passing resemblance between the GQ’s and tonight’s headliners they’re pretty much a natural fit for tonight’s gig and get a good reception as the venue very quickly fills up.
Which unfortunately is not something I can say about the second band on tonight the Lucky Strikes who bear very little resemblance to the rest of the bill and, quite frankly, are really not my sort of thing at all. This is rock music for the sort of people who think dross like Kings of Leon = rock and … well, it’s probably best glossed over to be honest.
Anyway, on to tonight’s headliners, Tyla’s latest incarnation of the Dogs D’Amour. I’m really not sure what to expect going in here as there’s been lord only knows how many Tyla-led line-ups touring and/or releasing material under the Dogs name in recent years and the quality has been suitably variable. However, I’m pleased to say that he may just have struck gold here as the current Dogs line-up definitely has a decent pedigree (if you’ll pardon the awful pun). Joining T tonight are former Cherry Bombz guitarist Timo Kaitio, ex-Lords of the New Church bass wizard Dave Tregunna and Tregunna’s former Lords/Kill City Dragons bandmate Danny Fury on drums. In terms of image there’s no denying they look seriously cool, all black leather, bolero hats and Harley boots. In terms of the tunes, it’s a case of the band getting better as the set goes on and I suspect that this may be because this line-up has only come together recently. After kicking in with “Supreme Creator” from 2010′s “Bloody Hellfire” album, the versions of “Last Bandit” and “What You Do” are a bit on the slow side but after a bit more warming up with some newies the Dogs begin to hit their stride and show what they can do. “How Come It Never Rains?” still sounds fantastic, ditto “Errol Flynn” and “Sometimes” while the dark and reflective “All Of Them Great” shows that Tyla can still write a damn fine tune these days but the highlight is a storming “Billy Two Rivers” which Tyla touchingly dedicates to long-time Dogs fan Trace who passed away from breast cancer a few years ago and who the Dogs charity tribute album “Their Hearts Caught Fire” was set up to commemorate.
Overall, this was actually a pretty good gig and it definitely leaves you with the feeling that this Dogs line-up has a lot of potential (both on stage and in the studio) if Tyla can just keep ‘em together. Fingers crossed…
Words by Andy James Close, photo by Trudi Knight (taken at HRH V) www.bandsonstage.co.uk
Could have killed to be at that gig! Why do all the good bands have to play as soon as you leave London