After two support sets, ranging from the god awful (Anti Social Burn Outs) to the sublime (The Mono Effect), and a wait that passes by so slowly you feel you've aged by at least 5 years, air raid sirens wail across the venue's PA, signalling the onset of the main attraction - Towers Of London. On strut the band, minus newfound celebrity, singer Donny Tourette, and rip into their latest single I'm A Rat. The already frantic pogoing gets even more frenzied as the Towers frontman swaggers on stage, dressed in a leather jacket and Nike hoodie, both of which are soon discarded, causing quite a stir amongst the female members of the audience. Album tracks such as Beaujolais and Air Guitar and previous singles On A Noose and Fuck It Up are mixed with promising new songs, as the London noiseniks rattle through their set seamlessly. Stage diving, climbing speakers and racing around all over the shop, the Towers boys are full of energy and exude a stage presence most musicians can only dream of possessing. They create an electric atmosphere and adoration from the audience from the word go, with fans singing every word back at the band so loudly their throats will surely hurt in the morning.
Many may dispute Towers of London's rock and roll status, but tonight they look every inch the perfect rock stars. Guitarist The Rev plays his axe behind his head countless times, and on one occasion, whilst being mobbed by the crowd, but still never missing a note; Dirk Tourette stands stage right, posturing and posing with big white sunglasses and a chequered neck scarf; Tommy Brunette, bassist, pouts his way through the set, whilst drummer Snell thrashes his skins at the back, like his life depends on it. Together, they create one of Britain's most exciting, underrated bands. They'll give you a night of good, harmless fun and cheap punk thrills and what more could you want than that?
Writer/photographer: Rhian Daly