8

King Adora bring sleazy smiles to London faces

King Adora have always been one of the sleaziest bands of the glam persuasion, while simultaneously taking this to extremes that makes them the antithesis of glamour itself. Stretching this look further, or perhaps just embracing the festive spirit, singer Maxi Browne appears onstage with hair not dissimilar to that of a pantomime dame. He then bursts straight into a collection of new songs, only stopping to shower the crowd in water. In the dark of the Underworld what else can we expect?

The first new song "Revenge", is fierce, driving and stirs the crowd up perfectly; memorable and energetic it's a promising start to the gig. Another new number "Backstage" documents the life and loves of groupies... something that it feels one shouldn't sing about for fear of someone labeling it wishful thinking, but it's another lively and semi-punk tune.

The next songs come from the band's 2004 release "Who Do You Love?", the standard repertoire of stronger songs is played, including the lazy "Drag", with its succinct chorus of "Who do you love? Sex and drugs and money"; the unique and intelligent "Kamikaze", the dreamy and emotional "Sweet Abandon" and, perhaps the only surprise of the set, the catchy but flippant "9" of Pure Malice". Maxi leaves the audience to scream out the words while he struts the stage, surveying the audience like a mother would her rowdy children.

Finally the last set of songs, "Big Isn't Beautiful", "Bionic", "Smoulder" and "Suffocate" surface, the band's biggest hits from their first album. "And the hits keep coming," Maxi proclaims, yes, well, where's the original set that leaves the audience feeling they've seen something special? Where's the surprise in chronological order? The lack of encore leaves me even more cold; King Adora can be mind blowing live, but tonight their minds seem elsewhere. Unfortunately I'm a sleaze addict; I go home and listen to King Adora and remember that they are well worth a dark night in London.