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New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
David Smyth's rating
Reader rating
Description: A night of Americana from Red Eyed And Blue.
Phone: 0207344 0044
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Trains: Tube/BR: Kentish Town 
, Tube / Bus: 134, 214, C2, N20 
Extra info: Pub
A face drawn from the Mick Jagger blueprint: singer David Johansen
They were a punk-rock band before the term was coined, and were pioneers in the field of men dressing as female prostitutes. But the New York Dolls garnered all the kudos and none of the cash in their feather-boa-wearing early-Seventies pomp, so few can begrudge their survivors the chance finally to profit from their influence three decades on.
In fact, this tour and its accompanying belated third album are about as credible as comebacks get. The Dolls first reunited in 2004, not through greed and anger about not getting their due, but at the polite behest of Morrissey, no less.
See pictures from the gig here
While they barely inspired the music of the Smiths, they certainly coloured the teenage years of the bespectacled singer, who adored them enough to become president of their UK fanclub and then bring them together for the Meltdown music festival years later.
Not being the original line-up hasn't damaged their integrity either, because the reason the others aren't onstage is not some tacky legal dispute, but that a tragic four of them are dead. Most recently, bassist Arthur "Killer" Kane succumbed to leukaemia not long after the Meltdown reunion, and had the song Private World dedicated to him yesterday evening.
Left to absorb the applause were rhythm guitarist Sylvain Sylvain, a taxi driver during the wilderness years, and singer David Johansen, who still has one of those striking faces, drawn from Mick Jagger's blueprint, that mean he could never be anything other than a rock and roll star. Struggling to fill out his skintight trousers, and talking as if he had just been punched in the mouth, Johansen still strutted and sang with the careless insouciance of a man completely at home centre stage.
Guitarist Steve Conte competently filled the yawning chasm left by Johnny Thunders, whose solo track You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory was aired in tribute. Completing the new line-up were ex-Hanoi Rocks bassist Sami Yaffa, and a drummer Johansen insisted on calling Brian " Fancy Pants" Delaney. You have to be going some to become the New York Doll who is classified as having fancy pants.
Purists may have found the new band too tight compared to the Seventies lunatics, though the squalls of guitar were still entirely nerve-jangling, even on scuzzy new songs such as Dance Like a Monkey and Fishnets And Cigarettes. An encore of Personality Crisis still sounded punk in excelsis, regardless of who was playing it.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
An interesting line up of NY Dolls influenced support bands plus the pioneers themselves (or what remains of them).
The mood was set for a superb evening with a short but punchy set from Glen Matlock's Philistines. Glens been playing the scene since his Pistols days, but still remains fresh and relevant with The Philistines retaining the essence of The Pistols. Then it was the turn of young pretenders Towers of London - bad boy rock 'n' roll by the book. Gobbing, diving and throwing beer into the crowd - it's all been done before lads - however, the music stood up to the hype with infectious sing along punk & roll anthems. After a delay (too long), The Dolls appeared and showed us why the legend status is justified. With Steve Conte, Sami Yaffa and Brian Delaney ably filling the shoes of the sadly departed originals, the band played an exciting mix of old and new material. By the time the opening bar of "Trash" was played the crowd was a pogoing/moshing mass, continuing into a raunched up version of "Jet Boy". Two encores later and the Dolls were gone. A great evening worthy of the £25.
- Rockabilly, Birmingham
Nobody can deny that once upon a time the Dolls were bloody cool, but now they're just a bit embarrasing, very much like how the Stones are - elderly men in skin tight trews is offputting as hell! The attitude of the band made up for the songs not being quite as they used to be, and the whole Forum rocked out.
- Sugar Girl, Camden, London
I love Towers of London! They're proper RAWK men, and I love their clothes, their attitdue, their look... and their music is amazing too, like a cross between Def Leppard and The Libertines. They're the best band in London at the moment (apart from the unfortunate relationship with Peaches Geldof, yuk!) and this gig was great. Didn't much rate the New York Dolls though.
- Roxxi, Chigwell
