This is the first night of Flesh For Lulu's comeback UK tour and the only headline show on the tour the rest of which is supporting long-time fans The Goo Goo Dolls and a date with The March Violets and The Inca Babies Full details can be found here Flesh For Lulu and The Goo Goo Dolls tour on Facebook.
I arrived early enough to see most of TEMPLE OF GOLD'S opening set. They are one of David Ryder-Prangley's many bands as he will be touring with Rachel Stamp once Will Crewsdon has finished playing in Flesh For Lulu. Temple Of Gold are his sleazy monsters of glam/cock rock who were doing all sorts of monstrous things in Xanadu Rock City. Shortly after I arrived it was full of swaggering, towering, squalling riffs from John E Vistic and some thunderous drumming from Belle Star.
David then took us all off down to his Temple Of Gold with some super sleazy lyrics backed with as low slung as it comes bass riff from Duncan DeMorgan underpinning John E Vistic's Stooge- like trawling for trouble guitar licks. Fire Fire, the band's debut single Temple Of Gold at Bandcamp was next and it was just the sort of full on strutting, preening glam abandon that David Ryder Prangley does so well.
We then got the band's personal manifesto song Stop Crying And Get It On. Yes, you heard them, go on get to it. If this song doesn't bring out the filthy thoughts in your mind then you really do need to take the band's advice. I love this song and want to see them make a video for it.
They closed with I Wanna Be You Lover, written about some floozy David met at Morton's restaurant in Mayfair and what a tale it is too with all the twists you could want and some band introductions thrown in for good measure.
Next on were DOGBONES the latest incarnation of the folks behind Daisy Chainsaw and Queen Adreena who look pretty scary at the best of times no matter which bands I've seen them playing in over the years. The last time I saw Dogbones they were a couple of bands above Flesh For Lulu at one of the latter band's first secret warm up shows for this tour and compared to that set this one is a lot more focused and - in many ways - all the more frightening and better for it.
They open with the howling, shocked Here We Are Alive looking like you ought to be dead by now, with junkie roadkill coursing through the bands veins and distorting like Hole on crystal meth.
Damn, even Jesus Won't Save Them no, they are way beyond his help as Naomi harangues us in her black and white dress with the ironic legend 'Super Healthy' printed on the back, even if it's obscured by her unkempt shock of yellow hair for most of the show.
But the duelling drummers facing off against each other are pummelling the hell out of the twin kit as Johnny Orion twists all sorts of noises out of his guitar. He goes squalling into It's Not Enough and how can it ever be enough for this lot? It never is and never will be, but damn they sound so grunged out and on it.
You're Alive and in Hell Already sounds almost exactly how a nasty, crawling through the city's ripped backsides, drugged beyond the pale tale of despair ought to sound. Johnny and Naomi then change places for the distortion fest that is Golden Miss Jane wherein they up the weirdness a good bit and Johnny combs his hair after every three or four lines and for much of the guitar solo. He then departs first before Naomi and the bass player before the two drummers battle the song to the ground to finish a raw, ready and damn fine set from Dogbones.
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Finally it's time for a packed Borderline to watch sparks fly as the new line-up of Flesh For Lulu launch into Roman Candle. It's incandescent and a thrilling opening that goes pretty much straight into a bruised and burnished 7 Hail Mary's wherein Will Crewsdon was trading some serious guitar licks with Nick Marsh as Mark Bishop tries to keep them together with some great drumming.
Nick does a nice slow goth-y opening to The Subterraneans before the song breaks out into the sordid tale of life after dark during which Keith McAndrew's bass slinks through just in time for Laundromat Kat to show her face; once more twisting through this tale of a louche lady in the midst of the darkly twisted guitars.
Golden Handshake Girls was the next song they blasted through and they did look like they were having a blast. The hits were coming fast and with a nice slow goth opening for Cat Burglar, Nick managed to make all the nudges and winks in the lyrics work just right. Postcards From Paradise seemed to have the most people singing along, while I may Have Said You're Beautiful but I'm A Liar had Nick striking all his best come on poses while he did his best convince her to give him what he wants and...well we all know he got the right result.
I think it might have been Vaguely Human next but I'm a bit vague about it. Either way they pummelled full pelt through Antisocial like a bunch of 14 year olds who have just had a gram of bath tub speed. Hell they were picking up speed and seemed to dash right through Baby Hurricane too.
Nick then pulled up Paul-Ronney Angel from his other band The Urban Voodoo Machine to play harmonica and backing vocals on Black Tattoo and it was raucous and as uncouth as they could make it as P-R howled on his harp and Will's guitar solo flew all over the place. It was a great end to the set. Paul-Ronney made sure to get us all cheering as he left the stage.
Soon enough they were back for two more songs, neither of which I recognized I'm afraid to say, although the first one was about not falling asleep (as if we could fall asleep to this!) and the fact the last song of the set had Nick urging us to go get naked didn't seem at all out of place.
Flesh For Lulu remain a band that are well worth catching and there is meant to be a re-recorded best of available on the tour that I didn't see at the merchandise stall. They did, however, have the re-issue of Gigantic and Nick's solo album both of which are well worth seeking out.
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