It has been very hard for me to start this post, simply as I do not know where to begin when describing this master class of rock and roll delivered by the Murderdolls on this cold Friday night. I guess a logical place would be with the venue, one which I had previously not attended. The main hall/bar of the Relentless Garage in North London is intimate (music slang for tiny), and thoughtfully laid out but yet for some reason it is still as impressive as many of its mid size cousins, it actually reminded me of the Shepherds Bush Empire in more ways than one. Tonight the hall is packed to bursting with faithful Murderdolls fans who have waited 7 years for their return to the UK. The costumes are varied, as are the hairstyles, piercings, tattoos and platforms, but everyone in attendance tonight has one thing in common: an outrageous sense of anticipation.
The band are to take to the stage at midnight this evening, a move which many may see as odd. However, as pointed out by front man Wednesday 13 during the performance, why would the Murderdolls NOT perform at midnight? The only problem that I had with this late start time was that we eventually returned home at 5am, not normally a problem except in this instance we had an epic day at Ozzfest planned for the Saturday!
I suppose I should now talk a bit about the live acts! Sadly I did not see the support band, a group named Japanese Voyeurs, but was conned into signing up to their mailing list as the woman with the clipboard said she had sweets. What I thought were sweets actually turned out to be badges, so I ventured to the bar instead.
By five to midnight, you could literally cut the atmosphere with the overly used proverbial knife, there was the feeling that we were about to witness something very special. The lights darken, the music stops, and the crowd explodes. The first haunting notes of “The World According To Revenge” echo around the small venue and is a great opening track as its epic grandeur yet eerie nature are perfect for the band to enter the stage to. First to appear are Guitarist Roman Surman, Bassist Jack Tankersley and Drummer Racci Shay and although they are each great musicians and great showmen in their own right, the real heavyweights, and who the crowd are now screaming for, are yet to emerge. A pause, one long enough to encourage chants for the band. Then, as the intro song reaches the final crescendo and amid the crazed cheers of the sell out crowd, front man Wednesday 13 and rhythm guitarist, and most famously Slipknot drummer, Joey Jordison stride on to the now cramped stage. Without a word of greeting to the crowd, they launch in to another new song, “Chapel of Blood” that creates, for want of a better word, actual carnage in the crowd, the like of which I have rarely seen. After the last chords die away from my tinnitus riddled ears, Wednesday 13 takes the opportunity to introduce the band, expecting and receiving massive cheers every time he mentions “Murderdolls”. The band claim that they are genuinely happy to be back in the UK, and I believe them, it is because of the UK that they are as big as they are today. Always the showman, Wednesday engages with some banter with the crowd before launching into “Slit My Wrist”, dedicated to the ‘old school fans’ as it is the first track from their debut album.
The band are on top form, solos are nailed, powerfully offensive lyrics are delivered with ridiculous enthusiasm, timings are perfect and they look like they are having the time of their lives. I do not think there was a moment where I could not see Joey smiling as widely as he could. Older songs are effortlessly mixed with tracks from the new album, new singles “My Dark Place Alone” and “Nowhere” cause mayhem in the crowd, the latter sparking the best sing-a-long of the night. Throughout the two hour set, the crowd constantly kept up their ridiculous level of enthusiasm, a feat not unnoticed by the band. This was possibly the deciding factor in Joey’s decision to claim that this was his favourite London gig of all time, a huge statement that was greeted with pandemonium in the crowd.
This really was the complete gig. Now, I am not the biggest Murderdolls fan, that title must go to my friend Lynney, but this performance absolutely blew me away. This night had everything: rocking solos, massive sing-a-longs, naked crowd surfing (a guy was literally completely naked, it was hilarious), umbrellas with expletives taped onto them and even a very powerful tribute to Joey’s late Slipknot band mate Paul Gray.
I can safely say, that tonight is one that will live in my memory for a long time. Murderdolls are genuinely a class act and while I am eagerly awaiting the return of Joey to Slipknot, can’t he just wait a bit longer and give us one more album?
Rating: 10/10 – set-list, crowd, and band were perfect. Top marks clinched by the fact that the band were genuinely having the time of their lives.
Setlist:
1. The World According To Revenge
2. Chapel of Blood
3. Slit My Wrist
4. Twist My Sister
5. My Dark Place Alone
6. Drug Me To Hell
7. Love At First Fright
8. Summertime Suicide
9. She Was a Teenage Zombie
10. Die My Bride
11. People Hate Me
12. Pieces Of You
13. Death Valley Superstars
14. Nowhere (Song of the Night)
15. Welcome To The Strange (Dedicated to Paul Gray)
16. Rock ‘n’ Roll Is All I Got
17. I Take Drugs
18. Motherf**ker, I Don’t Care
19. 197666
Encore
20. Dawn Of The Dead
21. Let’s F**k (followed by a cover of Resurrection by Misfits)
22. Dead In Hollywood
23. I Love To Say F**k
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