How to fit London into my personal pantheon of punk?
My mate Kevin had their Summer Of Love EP on 12' single. We used to play it - and enjoy it - from time to time.
I also met Jon Moss at a party in the late 70s and we talked about London. This was before he found fame with Culture Club.
All of which is a long winded way of saying that London didn't really mean that much to me at the time although I was aware of their stuff.
Fast forward to 2009 and some friends are promoting a London gig and it's just minutes from my front door.
I played the London classic songs in readiness for this gig. I was surprised how good their stuff still sounds. Punky anthemic pop.
The gig was at The Portland Rock Bar. I'm always struck by what a bizarre venue The Portland is. I saw Viv Albertine there a couple of months ago. It's too far out of central Brighton to ever attract large crowds but it has a real charm. Mainly it seems to host tribute and cover bands.
Anyway, London were excellent. A small but appreciative crowd were treated to all the hits. Here's the set list:
I was dancing from the word go. Singer, Riff Regan, has a great presence and the set flew by.
Riff mentioned that Joe Strummer bankrolled their very first single 'Everyone's A Winner' and a young Simon Cowell nicked the X from X Factor from one of Riff's stage mannerisms.
The final song of the encore was a great version of Loose by The Stooges. At the end the crowd still wanted more. I think the band had played all the songs they knew so they went back to the beginning of the set and played No Time one more time.
All in all a really enjoyable night. When London come to a venue near you go and watch them. You'll have a great night. I'm still grinning.
All my photos here:
Photos of London at The Portland in Hove on Sat 17 Oct 09 
