The Dandy Warhols celebrate 25 years' in the biz by slowly wooing the Brixton faithful.
The
Dandy Warhols liven up a cold winter's night and turn back the years with the culmination of their 25th Anniversary European tour at London’s
Brixton Academy.
Supporting The Dandy Warhols are bands
Juniore and
Swervedriver. While both acts perform much of the audience remain in tight quarters grouped at the Academy's bars to grab their 2-pint beers if only to layer up with alcohol ahead of The Dandy Warhols taking centre stage at the iconic South London venue.
The Oregon state-natives seemingly approach their instruments in the dark, as if to sneak up on the crowd. Launching their 20-track set with 'Forever', a song from their latest album,
Why So Crazy, released earlier in the week. The band's enduring frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor takes centre stage as he has for the last 25 years and kick-starts another Dandy Warhols show as the stage lights come alive in incredible fashion. As the
band perform fan-favourite, 'STYGGO', much of the crowd remains lined up at the bars but Taylor-Taylor and the band slowly bring them to the front with attention-grabbing numbers 'If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth' and 'We Used To Be Friends'.
The venue comes alive again after a stream of the group's bigger hits finally managing to grab the audience's attention. The O2 Academy in Brixton has traditionally suffered from sound issues, particularly with a band's vocals often becoming washed out by fans singing back at them. However, sound issues aside Taylor-Taylor should receive significant credit as his voice has barely changed throughout the band's 25-year history, for a rocker now in his early 50s he puts on an electrifying performance much like he could in his 20s.
In what seems like a moment better saved for an encore, the band welcome to the stage their long-time collaborator and close friend, Bebe Buell. Buell is no stranger to Rock 'n' Roll, having boasted numerous romantic relationships with famous musicians in the 70s including Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Steven Tyler - with whom she parented actress Liv Tyler. The quartet and Buell together perform Velvet Underground song, 'Femme Fatale', in an effortless tribute to the legendary band that significantly inspired The Dandy Warhols.
Many in attendance surely having waited for the band's most successful tracks and The Dandy Warhols don't disappoint. Performing 'Bohemian Like You' and 'Every Day Should Be A Holiday', the crowd erupts with joy, balloons falling from above in a moment the crowd had patiently waited for. This moment marks the end of another tour for The Dandy Warhols, a band still recording, touring and performing having now outlasted many of their contemporaries.
The band slowly leave the stage, with keyboardist Zia McCabe the last to leave. Saying goodbye to an audience that had been slow to win over but with their arms aloft holding balloons above their heads in an act of tribute, demonstrating the impact that they still have with their fans.
Photo credit: Rob Hadley
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