This was a classic right singer wrong line-up night at The Roundhouse, as the current line-ups of The Beat or should that be The English Beat and Bow Wow Wow came over from Los Angeles to entertain us.
When we arrived opening act Complete Control were already on, they are an Irish Clash covers band who were playing a decent tight version of Train In Vain (Stand By Me) as we got a beer and made our way close to the front. Clash City Rocker was tight enough but lacked the edge and tension of the original. Should I Stay Or Should I Go had most of the audience singing along with them no matter how thin the sound was in places, but that was down to the room and the soundman, as the band looked like they were putting plenty into it.
London's Burning had plenty of anger but lacked something, Complete Control kept loads of the audience singing with them, White Man In Hammersmith Palais was decent enough, but London Calling really got everyone singing with them, having a good time before they covered The Bobby Fuller Four's classic I Fought The Law although they lacked the tension and some of The Clash's timing, but it was still good to hear it. They closed with White Riot that was the closest they came to really sounding punk and again most of us sang along with them. I'd like to see them again in a more appropriate venue even though they are not the best Clash covers band I've seen, as that is still The Spanish Bombs.
Next on were Bow Wow Wow who it must be stressed are Anabella Lwin's band having nothing to do with any band currently touring under the Bow Wow Wow name without her, accept no substitutes. The current line-up has Lightning a Woody Woodmansey look alike on guitar replacing the late great Matthew Ashman and John the funky drummer filling in for Dave Barbarossa.
They open with the instrumental Boom with Dave and Lightning getting a good tribal feel going before Annabella came out still looking good, but no longer in the jailbait way she did as a 14 year old singer on the first Bow Wow Wow release, as the tune opened out into Love Peace And Harmony that is Annabella's central message.
We then got the bands first huge hit from Cassette Pet the classic C30, C60, C90 Go! With all the yelps still intact and most of the crowd singing along, apart from the grumps behind me who only wanted to slag them off. Louis Quatorze sounded pretty good with Anabella stalking the stage. Aphrodisiac sounded good and sexy but not in the cringe making way it might have done originally.
Go Wild In The Country had loads of us singing along to this great fun hit. Anabella then dedicated the next song to Matthew Ashman that might have been Deliverance, shocking that he's now been gone for over 25 years. I Want My Baby On Mars was good bouncy fun with the drummer really going for that tribal meets drum and bass sound.
Anabella was soon singing about Cash as she really worked the room, she also told us some of her history as a Burmese immigrant child, as an intro to See Jungle! (Jungle Boy) that had a dark edge to it.
They then covered Bob Marley's Cheer Up something that most of the crowd had already done before they closed with a brilliant version of The Strangeloves I Want Candy that was of course one of Bow Wow Wow's big hits, it was really great to see Anabella live again.
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It was then time for The Beat featuring Dave Wakeling, or The English Beat in the bands adopted home of the USA, they are performing as an 8 piece band that features among others Dave's Daughter, Lightning on guitar, Antonee first Class as Toaster, They opened with a great cover of Prince Busters Rough Rider to really get the crowd going. Twist & Crawl was good and bouncy before the first big hit of the set Hands Off She's Mine, that just about everyone seemed to be singing along with, as Antonee worked the room to let us all know that Dave Wakeling was in the house.
Best Friend was the dodgy pick up song it's always been but sounded really good with the drums coming to the fore. Dave made sure to name check all the original members of the Beat who are no longer with us as an intro to Can't Get Used To Losing You, the old Andy Williams nugget, that The Beat made there own a very long time ago.
They then tipped a nod to Harry J and his Allstars with The Liquidator that went down a treat as it should. Click Click is a song that's more relevant in the US than hear but it's message against gun crime is still needed.
Save It For Later was bouncy and full of hope for the future. Antonee then told us about his roots in Kilburn and gave a shout out to all of us who had travelled from NW6 to this gig, that includes this reviewer, as he went into a solo rap Gimme the Ska, as an intro into Whine & Grine that really had everyone dancing along as it broke down into Stand Down Margaret a song that is as relevant for the current government as it was for Thatcher a point Dave made at the songs end.
Too Nice To Talk To was greeted like the smash hit it was and still is, as they tried to prise open the Doors Of Your Heart that with the bonhomie they displayed throughout was a certainty.
Ranking Full Stop was perfect to skank along too before they closed with a brilliant version of Mirror In The Bathroom that left us all wanting more.
The encore opened with Dave telling us about how his grandad and dad served in the two world wars as an intro to two Swords a great slice of anti-war ska. They then played a great version of Smokey Robinsons Tears Of A Clown that really made this feel like a party before they closed with The Pioneers Jackpot that devolved into a long band intro's session as Antonee thanked everyone he could think of on the bands behalf and they left us all wanting some more.
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