A mix of all ages queue outside the Underworld and there has been plenty of effort made with face paint and make-up looking very colourful this evening. It was difficult to gauge who exactly everyone was here for, Valor and Maitri walked down the road and nobody batted an eyelid. Some were too young to have even seen the main support before tonight but it seemed very high spirited as we filtered through the doors.

First up are a young duo called West Wickhams who are actually from Tresco on the Isles Of Scilly and far from Bromley and even Hellfire caves of old. We have a guitarist / singer and an effects panel manipulator who no doubt drove the drum machine and keyboards from her bank. They describe themselves as “psychédélique garage noir” and first impressions are that they are quirky and a bit on the poppy side, in fact I was reminded a bit of Julian Cope. As they continue though, vocals are spat out and lyrically seem somewhat random, reminiscent of The Fall. Let’s put it this way the signs are that back in the day Peely would have certainly invited them for a session. Songs like ‘He’s Acquired A New Face’ saw them gaining confidence and seemed to get a few jigging to the post punk guitars and new wave beat. Its an incredibly brief set and over in a flash. I kept wondering if some vocals from the lady might have given it a bit more colour but for a first encounter, this did the job.

Welcome back to Ghost Dance, apparently, it’s been 29 years since they last played the capital. Even if they have been ‘Gathering Dust,’ lead singer Anne Marie Hurst has more recently resurrected The Skeletal Family and done an album and played under her own name. Still, this is enough to throw me back to the late 80’s and seeing them partake at shows supporting The Mission, an anti-fur rally at Trafalgar Square and the very last night of The Clarendon Ballroom among others.

The songs certainly haven’t faded over the years and tonight sounded fresh as ever. Flung out with enthusiasm by the band and the invigorated singer who danced away to them having the rest of us quickly joining in. It’s a delight recognising numbers like ‘River Of No Return’ in the first few bars after all this time, as it flows speedily with stacks of energy from the rattling drumming backbone and gothic guitar licks. For some reason I still can’t help thinking of ‘Stop The World’ as being the new album (it came out in 1989) and opener ‘Down The Wire’ bristled with stomping beat with rousing backing shouts getting everyone boogying down.

Apparently, the band now are former members of Harlequyn, who I very vaguely remember. They certainly had flair and all the necessary chops and put on a solid performance every bit as good as memories of the original cast. There are a couple of numbers that can’t be left off and one of these is ‘Last Train’ very much an anthem. By the end of it I reckon even those who had never heard it before were singing along. Considering the fact that The Skelies of late had covered a Ghost Dance track or two in their set it’s only right the favour was returned and after a boisterous performance the band culminate with ‘Promised Land.’ On the strength of this it won’t be long before the band are back in London and a new album is in the works as well.

I have the feeling that downtime did not sit well with Christian Death and even if they worked hard on and delivered new album Evil Becomes Rule, they were frothing at the bit to get back on the road again. They never forget London and it is a welcome stop off as they wind their way through Europe. There are some gremlins by the seem of it along for the ride. A projector screen is obviously on hand for visuals but crew can’t seem to get it working so that is abandoned. Typically, my camera also dies on me but I think that is down to bodily fluids from last GWAR show glued in its internal workings. Oh well not going to let that ruin the enjoyment of the show.

Valor and Maitri take to their garlanded microphone stands and are joined at the front for the show by Chuck Lenihan who among many others is known for being a member of The Crumbsuckers. What I had not realised was that the group were actually going to be playing the whole of the new album. Sometimes this is not the route old fans want but I was not complaining as it has really grown on me and been on constant rotation of late.

It’s a case of from ‘The Alpha And The Omega’ and beyond. The vocals are as ever traded in their parts between the two and each add their own identities to the songs, Valor the sagely end of times ‘New Messiah’, Maitri hitting high notes and reaching for the rafters with backing warbles. The show is graceful and upbeat in equal measures. On the one hand we have ‘Elegant Sleeping’ driving things into a flurry of death rock grooves and bouncing us around as it takes on a frenzied pace. On the other there’s the sinuous and snaking likes of the intoxicating ‘Blood Moon’ which has us stargazing and mesmerised by its delicious decadence. ‘The Warning’ is a vociferous pounder against the ills of the world and it’s not unlike Valor to make a few statements during the set which are amusing and erratic spiels that are unlikely to ever see him invited for tea at Buckingham Palace. I was waiting expectantly for Maitri’s funeral song and it is certainly as ‘Beautiful’ as anticipated, really pulling on the heartstrings. Everything sounds perfect and some additional apocalyptical instrumental noise and psychedelia boosts the few parts that the album didn’t quite reach, Valor apologising for getting slightly carried away in his performance.

Of-course there is just about time for a few older ones before they apparently head off to Seven Sisters so Valor can get drunk, I’m not sure he meant to invite everyone or tell us they had just played ‘The Root Of All Evilution’ album (pesky gremlins again). They will be ‘Forgiven’ by actions and verse, that particular one giving Maitri the opportunity to completely bewitch us. With real grit and punky energy, they flew into favourite Scripture ‘Sick Of Love’ and top it off with ‘This Is Heresy’ blowing off the cobwebs and the roof in the process. France, Denmark, Sweden and Finland await, as for London, I doubt this one will be forgotten in a hurry!

Pete Woods