The Dead Daisies – Koko, London – 10th April 2018

The Amorettes

First up tonight were The Amorettes. I’ve seen this all-female trio before and enjoyed their sets, but tonight was rather different – they’ve really lifted their performance a lot in the last year or two and as a result they’re far more impressive than they’ve ever been before. Musically they sound better, but it’s more that they seem so much more confident on the larger stages and whereas in the past they’d have stayed at their mics on opposite sides of the stage, now they’re more comfortable moving around a bit (when not singing) and come together to play. It’s a great performance from them.
With a brand new album out a few days before tonight’s show (Born to break), they start and end the set with songs from the new album (“Born to break” and “Everything I learned, I learned from rock’n’roll”), with the rest of the set being a selection of great songs including my favourite, “Let the neighbours call the cops”. Sadly it’s only a short set but they’re bound to be on tour again soon and a headline show will be well worth checking out.

The Treatment

Next up were The Treatment, with a new singer (their third in four years), Tom Rampton. The Treatment have always been a good rock band despite the regular image changes, but sadly while their stagecraft is great, the set just feels a bit dull because, well, we’ve heard it all before. A couple of songs date back to the 2016 album “Generation me”, but most of the set dates back to the first two albums and are part of every set. It’s one thing to play some old stuff, but the band jsut feel like they havent progressed forward for a few years and have just stagnated. If they get some new material out soon then that would be good – until then I’m sadly no longer bothered about seeing them again.

The Dead Daisies

Finally it was time for The Dead Daisies. The band features an impressive lineup – David Lowy (guitar), John Corabi (vocals), Marco Mendoza (bass), Doug Aldrich (guitar) and Deen Castronovo (drums), with the exception of David Lowy, the band’s founder, they’re all very well known musicians with experience in bands such as Thin Lizzy, Motley Crue, Jorney, Whitesnake and many more.

With a lineup like that it’s hardly surprising if I say they’re an impressive live act, and with decades of live experience between them, then they just make it look effortless. With a new album (Burn it down) out, then that features strongly in the set, with 8 out of 10 tracks on the album getting an airing tonight. It’s a great album and the songs all sound fantastic tonight. Along with some tracks from earlier albums, they also throw in some covers – we get a medley of Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, ACDC, KISS and Black Sabbath songs as the band are introduced, and later the set ends with “Midnight moses”, a Sensational Alex Harvey band cover. After the encore kicks off with “Judgement day” (from the new album), the night finally comes to an end with a Beatles cover – Helter Skelter.

It’s a great show, and it’s clear from watching them tonight why the place was packed out and many other dates on the tour are sold out too – these guys know how to rock and have all the talent you could ask for. A great night.

Check out the rest of our photos here – https://flic.kr/s/aHsmgfyWyc

 

About Ant May

I spend half my life at gigs or festivals and the other half writing the reviews and editing photos, and somehow find time for a full time job too. Who needs sleep - I've got coffee.