Buzzcocks – The Dollyrots – Images – at Club Nokia – Los Angeles, CA

June 5, 2010

There are a few bands that can be said to define a sound, and even fewer that can be said to define a generation. The Buzzcocks just might be able to lay claim to both. They are certainly one of the strongest influences on pop-punk, and their long list of hits are an integral part of the soundtrack to the birth of the Manchester Punk scene, which would go on to give us acts like Slaughter and the Dogs, The Frantic Elevators, and even Joy Division. Last night they played Club Nokia in Los Angeles as part of their "Another Bites" tour, showcasing their first two albums "Another Music in a Different Kitchen" and "Love Bites".

The show started with young SoCal natives Images. The group is young, with a heavy classic rock influence, and guitarist Nick Fashion is strongly reminiscent of a young Mick Jagger. The band shares vocal duties, but drummer James Carman carries the bulk, belting out fun catchy lyrics about the usual concerns with girls, angst, and irritation.

Next up were The Dollyrots, with their brand of female-fronted bubblegum Punk. If you like your bands female fronted, but saccharine sweet, you’re probably already a fan, as The Dollyrots have been everywhere from ABC’s "Ugly Betty" to Disney radio. Their set did take a strange turn when singer/ bassist Kelly Ogden pointed out a man in the audience, saying "See him? He’s clapping [his hands] over his head. That means he’s English, and therefore awesome. English people do that." In response the man in question ripped off his shirt, for reasons only he will ever know for sure, but possibly to showcase the NOFX logo in an attempt to explain that he’s actually Californian, and that over-head clapping is no more exclusively English than chocolate bars or pogo dancing.

In any case, with the audience once again fully clothed, it was time for the Buzzcocks to take the stage, greeted by a massive pop from the audience. Usually "album shows", where a band simply plays an entire album (or in this case two) end to end, tend to lack a certain excitement, since there’s no question as to the set list, or even how long the set will be. But both "Another Music in a Different Kitchen" and "Love Bites" are such brilliant albums that it’s hard not to get swept into the excitement of hearing those iconic tracks live. And I guess if you need to, it makes it easier to time your bathroom breaks. The set started with "Another Music.." and ended with an electric repeat of John Maher’s legendary drum solo that caps "Love Bites".
Buzzcocks at Club Nokia
Guitarist Steve Diggle was the most animated throughout the set, smiling, and pointing at the audience, and even shaking hands with front row fans during a quick break. The band came back for a short encore which covered the rest of their hits, starting with "Harmony in My Head", and ending with "Orgasm Addict, and Diggle’s channeling of Pete Townsend as he swung his mic stand into Pete Shelley’s stand, before smashing it on the stage, and flinging it backwards over his shoulder as he walked off stage.