Faster Pussycat, Blacklist Union and Femme Fatale @Newcastle The Cluny, 12.09.26
Given the increasingly woke times in which we live, it’s almost impossible to imagine LA’s notorious Cathouse at its hedonistic, hair metal-fuelled peak.
But for one night only the man who’s been there, done it and worn the cut-off tee brought a flavour of Hollywood’s sleaziest nightspot direct to the Toon.
Faster Pussycat’s Taime Downe was determined to party like it was 1988 and a full throttle set didn’t disappoint.
Swapping sunrise at The Cathouse for Saturday night at The Cluny somehow didn’t feel like a stretch once a string of familiar MTV anthems threatened to explode the straining sound system.
In fact, close your eyes and you could easily have been dancing the night away with Downe, co-owner Riki Rachtman and whoever else had wandered into their club off the Sunset Strip — before agreeing to a quick vox pop with Penelope Spheeris.
Pussycat’s 40th anniversary shindig brought the memories flooding back but this wasn’t all about spandex-clad nostalgia.
Downe and co. might trade on past glories — and Glory Holes — but in truth there’s a fresh, punk-fuelled energy about this dynamic line-up.
A crazed cover of Carley Simon’s You’re So Vain forced those still lingering at the bar to sit up and take notice.
And by the time the band broke into pseudo-ballad House Of Pain, Downe, delighting in his trademark dishevelment, was rolling back the glam rock years with a very obvious glint in his eye.
There’s a reason Bathroom Wall remains the go-to soundtrack for those seeking to capture the late 80s at their seedy best (or worst). It’s pure sleaze, bottled.
Faster Pussycat might have turned 40 but on this evidence age really is just a number.
Support Blacklist Union are an altogether feistier affair.
The denim and leather clad Hollywood heroes choose noise over nuance and yet their muscular rock is a compelling hybrid of Motörhead, New York Dolls and The Ramones.
Madame Butterfly — frontman Tony West’s heartfelt ode to opener Lorraine Lewis — showcased Blacklist Union’s softer side but these boys are too nasty to be nice for too long.
Femme Fatale’s ageless frontwoman had already whipped a fast-filling crowd into a frenzy by the time her long-time buddy took to the stage.
Mixing new tunes from her band’s forthcoming Cleopatra Records release — Bad Love was the punchy pick of the bunch — with the hits from 1988’s self-titled debut, this was a set that sizzled from start to finish.
Lewis, who famously launched her Only Fans site last year, might be fast approaching 70 but her striking stage presence remains undiminished. Waiting For The Big One? It was so worth it.
Images courtesy of Ian Coult