aaamusic | On 08, Apr 2012

London, 23rd March

The Howling sound great acoustic blending a Dogs D’Amour croacking vocals with clean and accurate guitars and melodies and are a band you want to be listening to with a pint in your hand. They defiantly have taken their influences from the sleazy rock elements like the Wildhearts but it’s nice to see it done so well by a new band. There is a place for this kind of sound with loads of bands reforming and coming back and it’s nice to see it done so well and is a great way to bring you into the night.

Carl Barat is back at the top of his game and swaggers onto the stage like he is still at the heights that the Libertines had hit a few years ago and if it’s anything like tonights performance he will be back their again. The set has something for everyone in it and the pack London Barfly are going mental to hear it. I think more beer ends up on the floor of the venue than in peoples mouths tonight and security are perched at the side of the stage to stop the crush at the front as we are treated to Libertines favourites ‘Time for Heroes’ and ‘Don’t look back to the Sun’ which sound as good as when the whole band had played them. Carl Barat is turning until quite an icon and looks the part tonight he is joined by two beautiful girls from his solo band to play songs ‘Grimaldi’ and ‘Song long my Lover’ which sound great with harmonies on them before he is joined by former Dirty pretty Things band mates Didz Hammond who has forgotten to bring his bass tonight and Anthony Rossomando. Didz doesn’t really know what his is doing and spends most of the set just looking cool hanging in corners singing some backing vocals and playing with balloons as Carl and Anthony run through a few old Pretty Things hits like ‘Deadwood’ and set closer ‘Bang, Bang your Dead’ this is a great comeback to form by Carl and I can’t wait to see what he will do next, because if it’s more shows like this I will be there early and down the front cause it is one not to miss especially when the whole venue is full of the coolist of people including Gary from Snow Patrol who ran from sports relief just to be there tonight.

Carl Barat – Setlist (Maybe slightly mixed up was 1 am and everyone was going mad!!!)
Time for Heroes
Grimaldi
So Long, My Lover
Don’t look back into the Sun
Gin and Milk
Deadwood
Bloodthirsty Bastards
What a Waster
Bang, Bang your Dead
The Jude pull out all the stops to impress tonight which is a hard thing to do when you go on after one am and after one of the most iconic people in the music scene. The Jude have been hotly tipped by Radio 1 and I can see why they mix up old 50’s Rock ‘N’ Roll with punk and new brand of art-rock which bands like Vampire Weekend are famous for now. They might have a bass player that looks like Prince Harry but they can sure rock it up and they don’t care that the room isn’t packed. The songs sound great acoustic and it has given a new life to them. And the reggae type shouty vocals are pumping out like a bicycle pump in a rhythmic chain and great off beat drumming that can only be compared to Ringo Star with twiddly guitar melody lines over the top. This band are going to be huge and would go down so well with the festival crowd especially at the Reading Festival they were born to play the main stage there. I love how they can quickly go from quiet to a speedy number with great shouting and Irish fist fight manor this band know how to party so I would recommend you join in with the Jude’s year long drinking session. They end with the Crystals hit ‘Then she kissed Me’ and it’s a great version that really gets the people who in the crowd moving about on the floor. The Jude are one to watch.

The Jude – Setlist
Ha, Ha Goodbye
Heartbreaker
Have Mercy
Les filles Francaises
Then she kissed Me

 

Daniel Cairns