The name of the group was oddly familiar. A downloaded song from the dial up days carried their name, though the song itself did not originate from their back catalogue. Napster users had a bad habit of mislabelling mp3s.
The 100 Club felt full to bursting, due in no small part to the six year gap between appearances on our shores which had left fans jonesing for a fix over half a decade. The age range of audience attendees would have made a marketing executive plotz: fathers and sons stood shoulder to shoulder proudly sporting band merch which had certainly seen better days.
The set began with a smattering of ‘old classics’ (which were new to us, owing to our ignorance of the band before the show) and offerings from recent release ‘Solid States’. As the evening progressed a guest vocalist joined to assist with some soulful tunes as, steadily, upbeat songs gave way to a grungier sound and a more heartfelt lyrical approach. As the guitars were down tuned it felt as though the 90s never ended.
Cobain never died.
D’Arcy refrained from horse ownership.
Brian Molkos hair remained atop his head where it belongs.
Since their last London gig in 2010, two of the founding members had sadly passed, a fact the surviving duo ensured the audience did not forget, dedicating some tracks to them during the last quarter of the show.
In an alternate reality we watched a tribute act called ‘Pushing Up Posies’ while the real group were busy headlining the midpoint show of a week long, sold out residency. How a band with such presence and song writing chops seemed to have slipped through the cracks I’ll never know, it reinforced the idea that making it big takes just as much luck as talent.
They ended the show with a Metallica cover. After such a stunning two hours, I didn’t hold it against them.
Much.
London, England