100 Club, London, UK - Tues Oct 30

With chilly winds whistling down Oxford Street marking the end of Autumn and the start of Winter, a small assembly of friends, hangers-on and Keith Allen look-a-likes trudge down the stairs into the musty confines of London’s 100 Club. If the club’s dim lighting, heavily wood-panelled bar and ancient beer taps could talk, they would drunkenly ramble through a thousand tales from nights hosting the likes of The Who, The Kinks, The Clash and the Sex Pistols. Yet, in spite of the venue’s vomit splattered, windmill-strumming, phlegm-covered history; tonight’s bill is more rock posturing and dead musical zeitgeist than true sonic wizardry.

Leaping onto drum riser-sized stage to open are local three-piece Double O Zero.  Delivering a stomping, electro-clash glam rock sound, the trio are like a less cock-sure Kasabian with a predilection for old Kinks riffs thrown randomly into the fray. They power through a short but energetic set – their drummer, a frenetic maniac of a sticksman more speed-addled ragdoll than human being, carries the group through the likes of single Hi Hi’s as a tiny throng of cheerleaders oblige by shaking through the accompanying dance actions.

Headlining tonight’s show are Western Australia’s latest and greatest The Dirty Secrets.  Although the quartet’s performance suffered under the constant pressure of technical difficulties and the band’s angular, Bravery-esque new-wave revivalist tendencies broke through the venue like black metal at a Coldplay gig, the foursome manage kept things reasonably tight. Gyrating stiffly under the strain of impeccably tight spray on jeans, it was obvious the Perth quartet were having more fun than a rock solid performance as they rattled through songs like Five Feet Of Snow and My Heart Is On Fire. In an era when audiences demand almost reciprocal performances from their most beloved bands, the fact that The Dirty Secrets exude the kind of confidence to laugh off such testing conditions marks them as a young band who have the potential to grow exponentially as both musicians and performers.

JACK LANGRIDGE

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