The New York Dolls @ FowlersLive, Adelaide (09/10/2011)

Thu 13th Oct, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Although the New York Dolls were in Australia as part of the NY culture-fest The Boroughs which is an event that showcases bands, DJs, visual artists, film-makers and fashion designers, in Adelaide, we simply got the NY Dolls in a regular gig without the extras.

However, I was very much looking forward to seeing the Dolls live as I missed them when they were in the country back in 2007 for the first time. This was a band that I certainly had on ‘my must see before I die’ list as they were a band who, after forming in the early 70s, influenced so many punk and glam rock bands with their punk attitude and glam style. Not only was I looking forward to seeing the band play, but I was especially looking forward to seeing them at Fowlers Live, a small venue suited to an old-school punk gig. Seeing the Dolls in a large arena (as they have been playing in America as a support act) would have been nowhere near as valid an experience than this.

The smallish crowd at Fowlers when I arrived was a good mix of punters from various walks of life including the younger glam rock crowd and the older punk rockers and a good mix of everyone in between. The first support act Generation Swine got a fairly quiet response from the cynical crowd who seemed to be simply here to see The New York Dolls and get out. By the time the second support were on, the crowd size was looking a bit more respectable as a few more punters had streamed in by now. This next support, Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! were probably not the best choice for this gig. Rather than warm up the crowd for the Dolls, they put a real dampener on proceedings. Their sad indie-rock set was not what the glam/punk crowd wanted to hear at all. The band barely moved and did nothing to create any kind of buzz in the room.

After the supports, in the lead up to the headliners, everyone started to move toward the stage in anticipation. I was surprised how easy it actually was to get a spot right near the front of the stage. I was happy to be there but it seemed a bit wrong that the relatively small room wasn’t completely packed for the occasion. It felt so surreal, seeing such an influential, iconic band, playing in such a small Adelaide venue and being right down the front for it.

When the Dolls hit the stage, they received a loud welcome from the crowd and it was a relief that the band still looked so rock n roll after all these years. Original member, guitarist Sylvain Sylvain certainly didn’t look like he was old enough to have been an influence to bands like Kiss. He had the moves of a much younger rock star, and the only other original member, singer David Johansen may have looked older and also like he was wearing a wig but he was just classic David Johansen all over, in the way that Iggy Pop always just looks like Iggy Pop, no matter how old he gets. Of the other guys who make up the band now, it was ex-Bowie guitarist Earl Slick who made the biggest impression and fit in with the original members the best. He was absolutely the epitome of cool. He had the look and the style which suited the classic New York Dolls perfectly.

The band blasted through their set which contained plenty of the old Dolls classics and some stuff from their new release Dancing Backwards in High Heels. Although everyone sounded equally pleased with the new stuff, for me, it was the last couple of songs of the night that really hit the spot, the classics Jetboy and Personality Crisis finished off the show very nicely, before the band took their final bows and left the stage.

When it was all over, I don’t think I was the only one who found the night surreal. There seemed to be a few people in the crowd who had a look on their face that said, “Wow, I just saw the New York Dolls and they were just as I had hoped they would be”. I just hope I get the chance to see them again but I somehow doubt it. I think this may have been one last opportunity that was sadly missed by a lot of people.