Dead Weather Raise the Roof at London Gig
- Posted on Oct 31st 2009 6:43AM by Stephen Dowling
- Comments
It's the middle of the Dead Weather's three London shows, and Spinner's first thought is -- let's hope the band's earplugs are made of stern stuff. Jack White and Alison Mosshart's side project might be inspired by the sounds of the blues delta, but volume-wise it's like out-takes from a rocket testing range. 'It Might Get Loud' is the name of the film where Jack White, Jimmy Page and the Edge trade war stories over frets and amps. 'It Might Ruin Your Hearing for a Week ' is surely the subtitle the Weather could use on posters, if tonight's anything to go by.
Mosshart told Spinner in an interview last week that she still has to pinch herself that the whole project isn't a dream. The Dead Weather's punishing blues-rock was meant as a one-off indulgence and has turned into a proper band, one preparing for album number two less than a year after the release of 'Horehound.' They're a very real band, aided by Dean Fertita and the Raconteurs' Jack Lawrence.
Tonight, Mosshart wriggles around the Forum stage like a stick-thin apparition, screeching, wailing, writhing, as she trades vocals with a drum kit-thumping White. Even though he's behind the kit for a goodly portion of the set, the spotlight rarely moves from him. He's a brutal, accomplished drummer, screaming vocal parts like Frank Black's little brother, and the whoops and roars from the crowd when he strides out confirm his charismatic power. White may play blues, but it's like Jonny Greenwood playing it – warped, distorted and spine-tingling.
The band have been playing a clutch of songs from the soon-to-be released new album since their American dates in the summer. But tonight it's 'I Cut Like a Buffalo' that takes pride of place in their bruising portfolio, before an encore launched with 'Treat Me Like Your Mother,' filled with more menace and sexual tension than most bands manage to deliver in a career.
- Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News, UK




Courtney Love, Pet Killer? Frances Bean Says Hoarding, Drugs Led to Animal Deaths
Amy Winehouse Coroner Resigns: 'Unqualified' Autopsy May Be Ruled Illegal
Dhani Harrison Engaged: George's Son to Wed Icelandic Girlfriend
Nicole Scherzinger, Paula Abdul Leave 'X Factor': Mariah Carey to Be New Judge?
Anthrax's Frank Bello Leaves Tour, Joey Vera of Armored Saint Filling In
California Man Shot for Singing a Country Song
Selena Gomez Cosmopolitan Cover: Singer Too Young for Racy Spread? (PHOTOS)
Jamie Lynn Spears Pregnancy: Britney's Sister Was Too Scared to Ask for Birth Control as a Teen
Leslie Carter Cause of Death: Singer Battled Depression, Addiction (REPORT)
Elephant Man Arrested for Raping Woman in His Jamaican Home


1 Comment