Deb was going to write this review originally, but I thought I’d hijack it so not to give an overly biased review from a fangirl of 40 years or so! Yep, Deb was old enough to go see the original line-up of the Dog’s D’Amour at the legendary Hummingbird in Brum (for the outrageous amount of £5!) But what could we expect from tonight?
The event was billed as “Tyla’s Dogs D’Amour with special guests The Balladmongrels and Matty James Cassidy & The Real Villains” What it actually was, was nearly three hours of excellent rock ‘n’ roll performed over three acts, almost like a mini rock opera.
Act 1 was the 3 piece fronted by bass player Matt James Cassidy. This was the Real Villains.
Playing a selection of Cassidy’s songs, it unmistakably takes its cue from the old school rockers like Cash, Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis et al, but with lyrics and and swagger that brings it bang up to date, showing that classic rock’n’roll is still relevant. Cassidy has the attitude and presence that reminds me of the late great Joe Strummer in his Mescaleros days. Old Souls was my favourite of the set, followed by “Up in Smoke” which had a Ricky Warwick vibe to it.
So on to Act 2, the three on stage are joined by guitarist, Gary Pennick and the main man himself, Tyla.
This part of the show went under the guise of The Balladmongrels a project of Cassidy and Tyla and takes its name from Tyla’s 1994 solo album The Life And Times Of A Ballad Monger. Continuing the classic R’n’R theme, the expanded band on stage gave a much fuller sound, adding that bluesy touch that was such a big part of much of the original Dogs material.
Tyla has lost none of his Black Country humour, and kept us amused throughout the evening with jokes and anecdotes, but he also hasn’t lost that distinctive raspy vocals that he was well known for. That was nicely balanced by the harmonies of Cassidy and Pennick and although they only played five songs (all from the latest album Trouble) you couldn’t help but smile and feel satisfied that you’d just watched a great band. Stand out track for me was Evil Under The Moon
So onto the Final Act, the culmination of all that’s gone before us. The band return to the stage (minus the Real Villains guitarist, sorry don’t know your name!) to perform a 90 minute set worthy of an arena headline slot. There were 18 tracks on the set list and I’m sure they must have thrown in a couple of others for good measure.
The reason I decided to write this review of the gig was simply because I came away with a huge grin and buzzing. This was how small club and pub gigs used to be. The Golden Eagle, The Mermaid, The Fighting Cocks. All legendary Brum venues that hosted some notorious gigs back in the day, and this felt like I was back there. I honestly didn’t know much about Tyla's Dogs D’Amour before coming to this gig. I knew the tracks Hurricane and Drunk Like Me but that was probably the whole of my knowledge regarding this band, and I now feel I’ve missed out on a huge part of British rock history.
Tyla has to be one of the most underrated lyricists that came out of the British rock scene in the 80s. Opening up with Billy Two River and Last Bandit I soon realised this was not what I was expecting. I honestly expected a British version of Skid Row, or Poison, but this was a band that firmly had its roots in British rock. The blues influence of the Stones, the lyrical style of The Faces all come through with Tyla’s gruff vocals adding their own distinctive stamp on it all.
Tyla has to be one of the most underrated lyricists that came out of the British rock scene in the 80s. Opening up with Billy Two River and Last Bandit I soon realised this was not what I was expecting. I honestly expected a British version of Skid Row, or Poison, but this was a band that firmly had its roots in British rock. The blues influence of the Stones, the lyrical style of The Faces all come through with Tyla’s gruff vocals adding their own distinctive stamp on it all.
The set continued with classics from the golden era of the Dogs, and it didn’t feel like nearly 90 mins and as they closed out with the crowd pleasing trio of Drunk Like Me, Satellite Kid and Errol Flynn the crowd wanted more, but this band of troubadours were all done for another night.
It’s not often a “pub” gig will rate up there as gig of the year, but this is potentially in my top 3. I’ve finally got to know Tyla and his Dogs, nearly 40 years too late, but better late than never! I’ve given a 10/10 score for the whole evening as that’s how I viewed it
Dogs D'Amour: Dynamite China Years – Complete Recordings 1988-1993, 8CD Box Set is out now.
Dogs D'Amour: Dynamite China Years – Complete Recordings 1988-1993, 8CD Box Set is out now.
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