Rachel Stamp Live At The 02 Islington! Glam Punk Rock At It’s Finest!

Rachel Stamp Live At The 02 Islington!

Words and photos by Louise Phillips

It’s been 23 years since glam punk rock icons Rachel Stamp released their debut album at a time where if you didn’t conform then you didn’t fit in! The voice of a disenfranchised generation of glam punk rock kids who didn’t fit the mould and didn’t want too either. Their music, the voice of a new generation where individuality was something to be embraced, not hidden away! Fronted by androgynous sexy front man David Ryder Prangley, Rachel Stamp put their own unique brand of punk rock glamour back into rock ‘n’ roll giving the fans the message that you can be who the hell you wanna be and wear what the hell that you want to wear, without having to conform to the societal norms of the time. Rachel Stamp are one of those bands that when they stormed onto the music scene in 1994, when Britpop and Girl Power bands where king, they didn’t so much break the mould, so much as blow it to pieces! A sexy, irresistible antidote to the predictable soulless corporately manufactured pop music of the time. At a time where if you didn’t fit the mould then you couldn’t even get radio play! But that didn’t stop this formidable force of rock ‘n’ roll misfits!

So here we are at the 02 Islington to celebrate the re-release of the London based glam rock mavericks debut album “Hymns for Strange Children”. It’s the first time that this ground breaking album has been released on vinyl and of course it goes without saying that’s it’s not just any vinyl but sexy glam pink vinyl! It was always going to be pink!

Now 23 years may have passed, but the message is still the same, a primal shout out to all misfits, and glam rockers everywhere, that tonight is the night to let your crazy out!! The atmosphere is electric and the venue is rammed and not just with the original fans who loved the Stamp the first time around but with a whole new bunch of younger fans ready to rock n roll!

Tonight’s classic Stamp line up of androgenous sexy vampire David Ryder Prangley on lead vocals, silver clad and effortlessly cool Will Crewdson on Guitar, mysterious and stunning Shaheena Dax on keyboards and synth and stick twirling power house Robin Guy on drums explode onto the stage with a searing rendition of their hit song, “Monsters Of The New Wave”, with its disco drums and electro synth sound, they have the crowd eating out of their hands right from the start. Next up is “Brand New Toy”, with it’s catchy hooks and cool riffs and edgy vocal from our lace catsuit clad front man. “I Got The Worm” follows, with its androgynous robotic sound. A song written by Ryder Prangley about his own personal battles with obsessive compulsive disorder and the bands second release on their own label Bitch Vinyl. “I Wanna Be Your Doll” with Crewdson’s crunching guitar sound which has the crowd up and moving in this fuel injected performance. The dynamic between the band and audience is electric, yet more proof that 23 years doesn’t change a thing!

You can see the delight on the fans faces as the hits come at maximum velocity as Stamp rip through their set, playing track after killer track as well as some of their lesser-known material. Songs such as “Ladies And Gents”, with it’s familiar “My Sharona” twang, “Dirty Bone”, “Creeps” and “Spank” and the searingly beautiful, “Didn’t I Break My Heart Over You”, Stamps classic take on the power ballad with it’s cool intricate synth sounds and haunting guitar solo bring the house down.

When Stamp left the stage, the fans were screaming for more and they weren’t left disappointed as Stamp returned to the stage for a three song encore.  Drummer Guy brought the house down, wearing a star t-shirt emblazoned with the words “Belle”, a touching tribute to his much loved predecessor and friend Belle Star who sadly recently passed away. This seamlessly shifted into a rendition of “True Love” with its electronic sound and punchy guitars. This was closely followed by “Black Cherry”, Stamps biggest hit from their follow up album “Oceans of Venus”. With its contagious energy, storming guitar riffs and raw vocal and the crowd erupted! And just when they thought it couldn’t get any better Stamp closed the show with “Hey Hey Michael You’re Really Fantastic” Now one thing’s for sure, 23 years may have passed, but Rachel Stamp are just as relevant as they’ve ever been. Maybe even more so and their music has never sounded better!