Camden Barfly
16.10.06
The Barfly is not the best ventilated of venues, and hence the room’s beer-to-sweat ratio is rapidly evening out by the time Takota kick off tonight’s double helping of Orange County rock n’ roll.
They’re an entertaining bunch, with widescreen tunes like ‘Satellite’ and ‘The Ivory Tower’ seemingly written with stadiums in mind, and vocalist Grant Arnow seems to have taken a lesson or two in rock star posturing from Jon Bon Jovi. Unfortunately, the venue’s notoriously dodgy PA serves as a reminder that Madison Square Garden is still a long way away.
Bullets And Octane, however, are a far more filthy and fun proposition. Heavily tattooed vocalist Gene Louis is clearly drunk as hell, offering up plenty of sleazy between-song banter, and even pouring some whisky into the upturned mouths of the front row. It only serves to lend an even stronger air of debauchery to this most decadent of bands, as they whip the front rows into action with sleaze punk gems like ‘Going Blind’ and the bastard son of Motorhead’s ‘Civil War’ that is ‘Save Me Sorrow’. Sure, it’s all been done before, but few contemporary bands provide sweaty rock n’ roll thrills as effortlessly as B&O do tonight; with all the confidence you’d expect from four guys who are clearly on their way to big things.
Alex Gosman
Photo by Phil Wallis