The Soho Dolls
Scala
20.07.06
First up are the Soho Dolls at 8:20 sharp. A group reminiscent of Patti Smith, and Goldfrapp. Girls adorned with sky-scraping stiletto heels, and Boys clad in eyeliner. Their music is good enough to not want to try so hard…but, they do? A little too staged, and not passionately animated enough. Additional impromptu Rock ‘n Roll chaos, would give them the added Sex Appeal they seem to be searching for. Every band has an off night, and with all their back-to-back tour dates its no wonder that this is theirs.
Right on schedule She Wants Revenge confidently ooze onto the stage. Sporting matching moustaches the up and coming LA duo, are supported by a no-name drummer and additional guitarist. They kick off the set with the 2 minute instrumental electro synth warm-up of ‘Red Flags and Long Nights’, proving they can hold their ground instrumentally as well as on the DJ front. A couple of songs, and a short 15 minutes later they rock their Interpol-esque hit ‘She’s Lost Control’.
Warfield skilfully wields a cordless mic, perfectly swaying every choreographed move to every beat, of every song. Continuously moving, dancing and seemingly loving every moment, his charismatic sexy sways bring the stage to life. With his Jean-Paul Basquit hair scraped back, and tatts on his forearm his humble appearance arouses a stir. Eager women armed with camera phones keep clambering past to the front of the stage to get a photo. He politely and melodically gestures them away, carries on singing, and gently moves away to the back of the stage.
Their lyrics about edgy club lust in ‘Sister‘ rings out “She smelled like 2 a.m.,” Their on stage performance visually matching their raw, sleek, sexy red music videos, with the back monotone droning of “You can hurt me, do whatever you like…”. If that isn’t S&M enough for you the suggestive lyrics “Just give me the safe word and take my hand, / And smack me in the mouth my love.” of ‘Monologue’ have the crowd getting heated.
From the blank stares of ‘She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not’, to the thunderous hardcore dance beat of ‘I Don’t Want to Fall in Love’, it is clear that this band is not your average bandwagon. Their bassline constantly screaming revivalism. A tongue-in-cheek collaboration of all the best qualities of Joy Division, Depeche Mode, The Killers, and Interpol.
Just when you think they have run out of ideas, they introduce the interlude dark piano of ‘Disconnect’. Adam12 shows off his keyboard skills, then with a suave hat gesture disappears off stage.
They break into an encore, with Depeche Mode cover ‘Stripped’. Followed by their greatest hit ‘Tear you Apart’. The crowd rages as people get pushed back further, and further from the stage. They emphasise they will only play 3 songs…meaning they have run out of reserves. Ending with words of deep gratitude, they promise to come back and visit.