It’s a trek to London and we end up in a revitalised George Tavern. This venue had been a music epicentre for some time but recently had gone off the radar, however the stage and lights and PA are all in place and the small pub appears fully back as a venue now.
Natalie and the Monarchy are a full on theatrical experience. Their performance in some ways emulates those in the round experiences you get at dark dingy night clubs with entertainment. There’s also a hint of 70s bands such as Fleetwood Mac in their Rumours era, a more manic and high velocity Fleetwood Mac but you can hear it in the way all the parts hang together and deliver a full song as opposed to guitar pyrotechnics or drum solo moments for their own sake. Even the performance is structured from beginning to end, Natalie jumps off the stage and delivers a song effectively running on the spot, she says this is the last one as it exhausts her. Not that she’s still during their set, a massive voice, she’s all over the stage whipping it up and is salacious and tremendous fun.
Torture and the Desert Spiders are more stripped down and direct. They seems to have time warped in from CBGBs in New York during the post punk explosion that helped bands from Blondie to Talking Heads and the Ramones get on top bigger things. Its raw, its loose and tight but its always intense. Fronted by Anna Kunz and with her raging guitar accompanied by almost sparse bass and drums Anna’s violent vocal stylings emanate powerfully from the stage. It's the intensity that gets me, songs remained focussed no matter how much they crash around the stage and the metronome drums just keep repeating razor sharp until eventually things explode musically and allow the audience to breath again.
Words and Photos: RBY
Torture and the Desert Spiders: https://www.facebook.com/TortureandtheDesertSpiders
Natalie and the Monarchy: https://www.facebook.com/papasmonarchy
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