Steel Panther are fast becoming one of the most hyped bands going at the moment, picking up press coverage and good reviews for their album 'Feel the steel'. The basic conceit is that they're a parody of an '80s hair metal band, and it's something that doesn't quite work on record, coming across as too puerile at times. The live show needed to be something special to make it work.
The 229 club seemed an odd choice of venue, particularly since I'd never even heard of it before. Just around the corner from Great Portland Street, it's hidden under some kind of student hostel. The time on the ticket said 'doors at 19.00'. we arrived at 19.45, and the doors were untroubled by the idea of opening. I was after 20.00 before we finally got in. Not the best start.
Inside, Steel Panther pennants hung from the ceiling, and giant posters of the band adorned the walls. A small venue, it filled up pretty quickly. Even so, we still had to wait until after 21.00 for the band to take the stage, opening with 'Eyes of the panther'. The sound was good, and the crowd got into it nicely, but what was surprising was what happened when the music stopped. Steel Panther, it turns out, are a heavy metal cabaret show.
Perhaps due to their origins as a straight covers band in LA, they have the banter between songs down perfectly, building up self deprecating jokes that work with the characters they've created and which lead nicely into the songs, giving them the edge that they're missing on CD. In many ways, the album is a lot like owning the soundtrack to 'This is Spinal Tap'. The songs are amusing, but you lose the context.
Musically the band were excellent, playing not perfect versions of their songs. A surprise highlight came when Justin Hawkins joined them onstage to add backing vocals to 'Party all night..' and then for a quick run through 'I Believe in a thing called love', which reinforced my idea that they're an American version of The Darkness, minus the subtlety.
Satchel, the guitarist, also treated us to one of the most over the top guitar solos I've ever seen, which culminated with him behind the drumkit playing the bass drum with his feet while playing classic guitar solos. The musicianship in the band is truly high quality.
By the end of the set they had the crowd calling for more. Having run out of original tracks we got note perfect versions of Motley Crue's 'Kickstart my heart' and Van Halen's 'Panama', which rounded the night off nicely.
While I don't expect them to have much of a shelf life, they are worth checking out next time they tour. Failing that, there's always hope for a Darkness reunion...
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