This was a special 40th anniversary show commemorating the first time The Damned played at the 100 Club and it featured a couple of the musicians who played that fateful night 40 years ago. The amusing billing also proclaims that Brian James knows 3 chords and The Black Bombers know the same three chords!
Both acts are also signed to Easy Action Records who are at least partially to thank for this double header to promote both The Black Bombers self-titled album and Brian James' The Guitar That Dripped Blood album.
The Black Bombers opened up with the opening instrumental from the album. This has a full-on, muscular riff which lays down the groove as it finally goes into That Kind that makes them sound like a cross between Motorhead and Peer Gunt.
I have the next song down as Blind Heart Attack and it was thrust at us with great urgency as they rammed home the power of Darren Birch's bass. It was a little bit less frantic that he was while playing with Walter Lure last year.
Come On Over was just the right side of asking her nicely rather than pleading on your hands and knees. You never know, she might say yes after all. Not sure what was next but it kept to the band's nice simple and forceful game plan and indeed everything they played began with a good solid riff for them to build upon.
Crazy sounded a bit faster than the album version and had a bit more edge to it. Break It down (I think) was next and was delivered ith just enough violence in the guitar sound to emphasise the lyrics.
They then covered the only Larry Wallis tune anyone covers. Yes another band play Police Car live, but it sounded great in their hands and had a lot of us singing along to it as normal.
They closed with Early Warning which had another good insistent riff to make sure they left to a good round of applause. Make no mistake - Black Bombers are well worth catching live.
Next up was the legendary Mr Brian James: one of the great side men but never really a front man and this set proved why as from the start. The vocals were mixed rather low as Brian opened up with some stellar guitar licks and a great barnstorming riff, but with the vocals so low I couldn't figure out what he was trying to sing.
Still his band was doing a good enough job of playing urgent punk blues as Brian muttered about "Chronic Abuse" and in between songs the band asked for his vocals to be put up. Unfortunately, the sound man would put it up a bit and as soon as Brian started singing, turn it back down again to save our ears. Sorry Brian, we respect you deeply but your voice has sorta gone.
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Born To Kill sounded great even if the vocals sounded well mangled in places and on it went in similar fashion as the band kept asking for the vocals to go up and the soundman couldn't make himself do it. They bashed through among other songs including The Regulator. That one, for me, brought to mind that old Mick Farren/Jack Lancaster album The Deathray Tapes and they had a similar sound for a lot of the set.
Eventually they brought on the first guest, vocalist Alan Clayton who could actually sing and whose vocals were turned up to the correct level for him to sing some songs from Brian's earlier solo albums. He began with You Try and it was obvious Brian looked happier as just lead guitarist and the decent vocals added a bit more power to them.
Slow It Down of course did nothing of the sort as they powered through it like they had all snorted huge lines of something or other. Not sure what the next song Alan sang was but he brought a bit more energy to the stage for sure.
They then played a good version of the Rolling Stones' The Last Time which had a good rough edge to it before they closed with a frantic version of Neat Neat Neat that saw the only sing along of the set and serious mosh pit action.
Yes they did more than well enough to get an encore and while we clapped a certain Mr Rat Scabies came out to adjust the drum kit and take his place for the encore which also added Ginger Wildheart on backing vocals to the band.
The encore opened with a monster of a shambolic version of The Stooges 1970 (Feel Alright) which Brian used to play with Mr Pop when he toured with him and damn they put the sham back in shambolic. It was magnificently messy and worth being at the 100 club just to hear this! They closed with the inevitable New Rose to make sure everyone would have a smile on their faces at the end. It was sloppily brilliant just teetering on the edge of falling apart as they all screamed the chorus along with most of the audience.
A good night out all round, but it proved once more that Brian is far better as a sideman/lead guitarist than as a front man.
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