Simon RushworthThe Hot Damn! @Newcastle The Cluny 2, November 7 2024
Blackie Lawless used to toss lumps of fresh meat into the baying W.A.S.P. crowd.
Kiss entertained the masses with kick-ass pyro.
Bibles were (and still are) Stryper’s gimmick of choice to engage with gig-goers.
And Rammstein have often relied on a giant phallus to complement their music.
But too few rock and roll bands turn to inflatable unicorns to mix things up in the live arena.
That’s exactly what you get with The Hot Damn! though… and it’s undoubtedly the way forward.
There’s something quite liberating about bouncing a fairytale beast from pillar to post (literally, inside the tight Cluny 2) while Gill Montgomery blasts out another singalong anthem from a small but perfectly formed back catalogue.
And it’s just a shame nobody at this cracking Newcastle gig was able to loft said unicorn over the head of The Hot Damn’s singer and land it on drummer Josie O’Toole’s cowbell.
Maybe next time.
Poor Gill, by the way, was a little under the weather on her latest trip to Tyneside.
The self-confessed Newcastle United fan must have hoped for a clean bill of health as she snuck south of the border for what’s always a special show.
But in between tunes from the Rushonrock-approved Dancing On The Milky Way, an annoying sniffle clearly frustrated the former Amorettes vocalist.
Not that it prevented The Hot Damn!’s denim jump-suit clad leader from hitting the high notes when it mattered most — on Automatic, Sticky Clubs and the brazen but beautiful Merch Song.
Nope. The bigger problem was the mic. That it kept cutting out was a kick in the teeth for a performer pulling out all the stops to play through the pain barrier.
Can You Hear Me Now? Not quite.
Loud And Clear? On and off.
Honestly, it hardly mattered. Montgomery’s band mates were in bullish form as they battled the gremlins with a mix of buoyant backing vocals and beaming smiles.
Laurie Buchanan’s sparkling fretwork ensured Dancing’s… best moments didn’t disappoint.
And the ace of bass Lzi Hayes — surely she can’t be as scary as she looks — held it all together, alongside the magnificently manic O’Toole, to drive home another powerhouse display.
With one album under their belt The Hot Damn! are hardly geared up for meandering two-hour sets and multiple encores.
But when it comes to quality over quantity, this killer quartet’s got it nailed.
They’re guaranteed to play your favourite song… because they play every song!
So, About Last Night: missed it and you missed out.