The Dirty Cherubs
MySpace
The Maze – Nottingham UK
September 10, 2007
The night started early as Ms TR and I rolled into The Maze in Nottingham to see one of her workmates play. Apparently it was a rock band and apparently they were pretty good, by her estimations anyway. I’m always wary of going to see mates' bands as you usually see them before they actually get to be any good. Don’t get me started on the amount of time and money I’ve spent watching god awful bands in god awful hell holes, just cos a friend has been on stage.
So it is my relief and pleasure to announce that I had a really great evening, and for more reasons than one. First, I was really impressed with the venue. I’d never even heard of
the Maze before, and found it to be a great little venue. It markets itself well as a small local venue, and their list of shows included some great bands such as 90s favourites RDF. For a venue to actively invite bookings from local bands is a rarity, given how difficult it is in the UK for bands to get decent gigs in a venue of this quality. The sound there is pretty good given the rig they have and it’s well set out with seating and dance floor space, plus a mezzanine to ensure everyone gets a great view. Decent bar and friendly staff makes the package pretty much complete, the only drawback being able to find decent parking.
The second cool thing of the night was the support band, Left of the Dealer I’m arranging to review and photograph this band at a gig in the near future, so watch this space. I’d like to see this urban funk outfit and give them my full attention as they have the potential to become one of my favourite bands ever! I’ve not stopped playing the mp3s their singer Tommy sent to me. Check out
their myspace for a taste.
But on to the main attraction. I really did enjoy the Dirty Cherubs. Having met lead singer Dave Capel at the bar before he hit the stage, I was a little concerned that his vocals would be shite. With a thick Scottish accent and half a bottle of whisky inside him, I couldn’t understand a bloody word he said. However, as he took the stage the pissed up porriger turned into some kind of rock god as he belted out the vocals and hit all of the high notes with some style. In barefeet and shades he makes a great front man and poster boy, and has just the kind of image every rock band should have. His guitarist is archetypal rock axe-man type who looks like he’s gonna knock you out, drink your beer and shag your girlfriend. Dropping off stage into the crowd during his solos was just what I expected and he didn’t let me down. The drummer looks like he robs people for fun.
Describing their sound is easy. Think Aerosmith, ACDC and the RHCP. Cool as fuck and totally rock and roll. Screaming air guitar hairbrush classics and sexy smooth rock ballads are the order of the day and the Dirty Cherubs deliver exactly what is says on the tin. Their style is very formulaic, but that’s far from being any kind of criticism at all when you look at the brand. I love their style and they deliver the genre right on the button. Say what you like about your typical Rock God act, pretend that you really prefer cleverly produced musical geniuses, but you all know it’s like comparing a Charles Dickens novel to Hustler magazine. You’d never admit it, but one is a whole lot more satisfying than the other.
Their single recently got to No 1 in the UK indie charts. To be perfectly honest I can’t wait for an album, because they have several tracks which are as good, if not better than this first release. I need to seriously think about growing my hair again, I’m gonna need it for their next gig.
A vid clip under the jump.