Heaven's Basement - Electric Ballroom, London - March 27 2014 (Live Review)
Monday, 31 March 2014
Written by Alec Chillingworth
It's always satisfying to see a good band get a good crowd. In a world drowning in corporate shit and public figures who would turn the stomach of Holden Caulfield, seeing Camden High Street swarming with Heaven's Basement fans warms the soul in such chilly early spring weather.
The Dirty Youth have the unenviable task of kicking off tonight's proceedings, and they do just fine. If you can stop staring at frontwoman Danni Monroe's luminescent pink hair or Lucius Malfoy-lookalike bassist Leon Watkins for just one second, then the Welsh quintet do have a strong set of tunes. Admittedly, their attempt at getting the crowd singing along to Requiem Of The Drunk is a failure, but it's a minor blip in an otherwise solid set.
Up next are Glamour Of The Kill and, judging by the moshpit full of floppy-fringed teenagers near the front and their terrified parents at the back, this band is, as Ron Burgundy would say, kind of a big deal. Opening up with Break, the pit explodes into a sea of fragile limbs while the band rattles through their set with supreme precision.
Coming on like a nastier, prettier Bullet For My Valentine, Glamour Of The Kill offer little in the area of originality. Drum 'n' bass instrumental breaks only serve as a nuisance rather than adding anything to the show, while the constant 'scream/sing/scream/sing/breakdown' song arrangements do grow a little tiresome.
But, no matter. Glamour Of The Kill grab the audience by the collective bollocks for the entirety of their set and by the time they're done, it seems that Heaven's Basement have their work cut out for them. The less said about their cover of Kiss’s Love Gun the better, though.
Due to the fact that Heaven's Basement are not only one of the best rock bands to emerge from the UK in recent memory, but also one of the best live acts, memories of crap Kiss covers soon dissipate. As soon as frontman Aaron Buchanan glides on stage, the crowd is transfixed.
Buchanan is the ultimate frontman. He struts across the stage like a rock 'n' roll peacock, proving to be the most captivating piece of the Heaven's Basement live experience. Not content with just being on the stage, he soon swims into the crowd and does a headstand. Well, why not?
Of course, mucking about would mean nothing if the music was rubbish, so it helps that Heaven's Basement's debut album, 'Filthy Empire', is one of the most refreshing, invigorating rock albums of the past few years. Tunes like I Am Electric and Heartbreaking Son Of A Bitch are already received by the audience like classics and older material, such as Reign On My Parade, is given an entirely new lease of life in the live environment. Basically, Heaven's Basement are superb. There are not enough superlatives to describe this show.
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