Midnite City and The Continental Lovers, The Dome, London May 11, 2024

Support tonight is The Continental Lovers, also supporting Spike’s Quireboys on tour at present.  They bring chirpy old Soho style Rock ‘n’ Roll and are pushing at an open door with this audience with totally accessible catchy choruses starting with ‘Let’s Go Out Tonight’. ‘Really Doesn’t Matter’ is announced as a song about a girl that died, which was “written to make something pretty ‘cos she was pretty”. It’s said in a matter of fact unsentimental way and reminded me of the way Victorians in East London used to talk about death and catastrophe as an inevitable part of working class urban life. This music has a great deal in common with ditties from Tyla about girls that were “pretty pretty once” from “Songs Of Love, Death, Addiction and Heartbreak” but with more electric bite, same slower verses that build up to repeated fast choruses telling a story of a ne’er do well. Singer/songwriter Joe Maddox does the Andy McCoy guitar hop and bassist Keri Sinn channels Nikki Sixx if he still dressed from thrift stores and that provides the underlying drive of fast catchy NY Punk like the Ramones.

Rik Pratt their former drummer is back for two gigs and is his usual deadpan self, not cracking a smile when Joe calls him out for being a bad influence (something tells me that’s irony in spades). A cover of Dead Boys’ ‘Make Up Your Mind’  and we are well down the trashy path. Regaled by tales of ‘St Joan’ “Queen Of The Rock ‘n’ Roll Scene” and ‘Wedding Song’ “like country music about whisky and divorce”,  ‘Can’t Get Her Outta My Head” follows – a two minute punk wonder. A brief intro of The Sweet’s ‘ACDC’ leads into ‘Dale Arden’ a song about Flash Gordon’s love interest. And it all ends with a reprise with the catchy ‘Let’s Go Out Tonight’- bittersweet, throwaway, escapist, flawed perfection.

Midnite City, also Glam, but very much of the American hair metal kind bring the big band attitude and quality of songs and performance that normally costs a great deal more. Rob Wylde singer/songwriter has a great manner with the crowd acknowledging them and making them each feel special, so much so that one couple have come all the way from Japan tonight for the gig and, are not disappointed when their country gets a few name checks in the show, from announcements in Japanese referring to a Japanese computer game to a call out to the country for the recent Japanese tour where the band had “the time of their lives” just before ‘Girls Of Tokyo’.

A few songs in there’s a problem with the bass, although it seems ok to me. While the sound man is called guitarist Miles Meakin steps in, not missing a beat, with a beautiful guitar solo to entertain the troops.

Great songs affect people and no matter how the lyrics might be eg ‘Hardest Heart To Break’ I am struck at all the beaming smiles and feel good factor in the room. The big simple melodies which are joyous and soul provoking (in the same way others might appreciate a stirring welsh choir) makes great big hard men in the audience smile like happy five year olds with genuinely sparkling eyes and sing their hearts out. ‘Good Time Music’ and ‘Summer Of Our Lives’ indeed.

The band’s been going since 2017 and so have built up quite a back catalogue so can now appeal to old school Midnite City fans with song like ‘One Step Away’ from their debut. The band are indeed so old school they still have drum and bass solos although the band’s savvy enough to keep them short.

 

Wylde announces that the emotionally troubled ‘You Don’t Understand Me’ is apparently the most streamed Midnite City song. A lot of the band’s material is heartfelt songs about relationships to which anyone can relate. The down to earth approach with fans including dedicated signing session after the gig make the fans feel appreciated and loved, and makes them more than ready to return the favour with fervour.

‘Raise The Dead’ is a Rock Anthem. Despite the earlier sound difficulties to me the band sound great, and, despite this being the last night of the tour, Wylde’s voice sounds as fresh as a daisy.

I loved finding out that  ‘They Only Come Out At Night’, a song which stuck out as different on record with its atmospheric wierdly frightening child’s singing, translates well live, with the crowd instinctively taking over the gang vocal on cue.

The band interact well on stage with plenty of back to back duets and eye contact. This does seem to be a happy ship, which does make a difference and reflects the vibe of the crowd.

Finishing with ‘Can’t Wait For The Nights’, ‘Give Me Love’ and ‘We Belong’ tonight has sailed by for all the right reasons. If these guys had been around in the eighties they would be on our TVs. Stadium style rock – with all the good bits and none of the disadvantages of being miles away from the stage and tickets costing hundreds of pounds! The people here tonight know the secret – pass it on!

Dawn Osborne