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| LOOKIN FOR A KISS!!! New York Dolls James Maker With NOKO 440 Royal Festival Hall London Friday 18th June 2004 "When I say I'm in love, you best believe I'm in love L.U.V", these are the lyrics that kicked off one of the gigs of this year or any other year for that matter. The New York Dolls took London by storm on Friday night! I've been a massive Dolls fan for more years than I care to remember. I made the pilgrimage to downtown trash city from sunny Belfast with my 10 year old son Steven, a proto guitar hero himself (he knows his glam/punk riffs already). For this once in a lifetime chance (or so I thought) to further his r'n'r education by watching one of the greatest and most influential bands of all time. Needless to say he fell asleep 2/3rds of the way through the show after a long day travelling, but he was singingalongadolls for most of the show and thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. I got a peek of what they looked like these days earlier in the evening on a TV show called London Today or something? The Dolls were filmed at an awards ceremony with that misserable sod Morrissey. Though credit where credits due, he did persuade the surviving Dolls to reform for the Meltdown festival which he's curating this year. |
| Lookin for a kiss Puss in boots Subway train Its too late Piece of my heart Bad girl Memory / Planet boy Private world My girlish days Vietnamese baby Pills (Gene Pitney song, "just for the fuck of it") Mystery girls Frankenstein (Shangri La's song) Trash Jet boy Personality crisis (Encore) Human being |
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| Going on first impressions I thought they looked well past their prime, especially the original bride of Frankenstien Arthur 'Killer' Kane. Sylvain Sylvain still had that impish charm wearing his dead End kids flat cap over his bunch of curls? David Johansen had morphed into a slightly younger looking Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) from his recent beardy blues Harry Smiths alter ego, which is ironic as Tyler who was also a friend of Johansens and the other Dolls way back when they were both accussed of being second rate yank Mick Jagger clones in the early 70's. After the years of rock'n'roll excess and living on the razors edge, what did I expect...a gang of middle aged glamour puss fag hags?. No not really but wouldn't that have been a brilliant scary sight. Pre-show there was a photo exhibition of excellent very high quality images of the Dolls over the years in the venue lobby. Support tonight came from James Maker and Noko 440. |
| I'd heard of his previous bands the "Red Patent Leather Angels" a wannabe Dolls for the early 90s? And wannabe Smiths "Raymonde" prior to that, but James talks like Morrissey, sings like Morrissey and I can't stand Morrissey! So they were unlikely to win me over though they have a good song in South London incident which sounds like the Glitterband with Morrissey singing unfortunately. In my heart of hearts I never thought the Dolls would be capable of sounding, so professional and tight. The three original members were joined on stage by two very good session musicians and the Libertines drummer Gary Powell). They stood in for friends departed...Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan, who couldn't make it tonight. The guitarist whose name I think is Steve Catner did a sterling job filling JT's shoes. He looked the part and played a blinder, though they should move the piano player to the side of the stage away from the drum riser. I'd heard reports that Wednesday nights extra gig was a bit rough around the edges, and like all the other fans here of which the Heartbreakers era Jerry Nolan lookalike deserves a special mention for effort. I was brought up on a live Dolls diet of rough out of tune chaos that I love, but I was taken by surprise at just how good these guys really are. I felt a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye as David Johansen bellowed those classic opening lines from "Lookin for a kiss" leading the band into a nearly two hour set. A set which was packed with highlights from their two trashy sleaze filled albums, augmented with a small selection of covers. As one classic song finished another started as those vinyl LP's that were fixtures on my record player as a kid came to life on the stage before me. Which was probably the same story for the rest of the very appreciative and noisey audience. There was a guy and girl up where we were, bootboy dancing like Mud's roadies used to do on Top Of The Pops circa 1973. You know the one thumb in your belt loops swinging your shoulders to the left and right. It looked silly but hey! they were enjoying themselves.'Babylon' , 'Puss 'n'boots , 'Personality Crisis', 'Pills', 'Mystery Girls', 'Jet Boy', 'Trash' had the whole hall shaking. The cover of a Gene Pitney song "just for the fuck of it" as Mr Johansen so eloquently put it. Also a Dolls show wouldn't be a Dolls show without a Shangri La's song 'Her Heart?' plus a great version of 'Piece Of My Heart' which had everyone joining in on the chorus. Sylvain and Johansen had a great line in humerous homo erotic jokey banter going on between the two of them all night. Getting on well for two old queens as they put it, which had everyone giggling. |
| A real highlight of the show came with Sylvain taking on Saint Johnny's 'Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory' blending it into 'Lonely Planet Boy' a magical moment. Throughout the show Sylvain had to keep retuning his guitar! An act of treason and shock/horror in the Dolls camp of old, they didn't bother with technicalities like that in the old days. This resulted in good natured heckling during the breaks back and forward between audience and band. Amongst the choice requests hollered was someone shouting for Arthur to get his dick out. Thankfully he didn't do it but Sylvains quip of "I bought this guitar tuner and I'm gonna use it" made up for any showboating. The band encored with 'Human Being' then left the stage as all great bands do with the audience screaming for more. Why they didn't play 'Showdown' or 'Chatterbox' when they could have ditched the overlong 'Private World' and 'Vietnamese Baby' I don't know? But this was probably the most professional sounding show the Dolls have ever played. But I can't help but wonder what it would have been like with Johnny and Jerry there? Probably a fabulous disaster but I would have loved to see it. Overall it was triumph for the band to be able to rise from the ashes and put on a performance like this. It was also a very special night for the longtime fans, me and my son had the best fuckin shirts in the place! |
| Here's a bit of surprising news to finish with, the Dolls are supporting the White Stripes in Belfast on 25th August 2004. Now the New York Dolls playing in Belfast, that is a really weird thought! I'll be there down the front as will I'm sure Mr and Mrs Young, Dolls fans extrordinaire who also made the journey over to London. Make sure to catch this legendary band next time round because I'm sure it's only a matter of time before it all falls apart again. Joe Donnelly Belfast 21-6-04 . |