Oh baby if all Rock and Roll band could serve up a good time as effortlessly as The Dirty Stranger the world would be a much nicer place and people would be a lot more chilled the fuck out.

Live from a boozer seems about right for these Artful Dodgers and inside their dirty mac, they come armed with some sawn-off Rock n Roll and yeah, I like it.  No change that I love it.  It’s like the best night out possible with the booze flowing and the stale cigarette smoke billowing from the corner of yer mouth it’s Rock and Roll Baby.  Helping out Alan with some impressive lung power is the excellent Angie Brown with some top vocals to accompany Alans crafty Cockney rasp and cheeky lyrics this is the recording of one hell of a belting night out.  It’s fourteen slabs of beer-soaked good times played by people who ooze class and Rock and Roll.

‘Hands Up’ gets the party started. and the good times just lap over you like a tidal wave of Sweet soul music. ‘Saturday Night’ kicks it on down the line and Ruts Paul Fox slings the guitar like a rabid dog. There’s even time for a blistering romp through ‘Something That I Said’. 

To be fail its a white knuckle ride on the Rock and Roll roller coaster where you think the band is flying by the seat of their well-worn pants but the truth is they can dish this up in their sleep such is the Rock n Roll blood coursing through their veins.  ‘Have To Do Better’ is a belter and Scotty Mulvey tinkles those ivories like a demon adding some wonderful colour to proceedings.

There’s even time to take it down a notch for all the lovers out there who want a slow dance as ‘Diamonds’ cuts a fine figure of a song. I don’t know how they only just found the tapes from ’88 maybe they were in the glove box of that Ford Cortina Alan used to get outta dodge after the show. Worth it just for them bashing out ‘Shepperd’s Bush City Limits’ I’m left scratching my head wondering why there aren’t more bands this good at cutting it loose like The Dirty Strangers.  Good on em and if they come to a town near you post lockdown and you want a pick me up and an evening full of top tunes then these are your band even if they do mention the ‘Rs. 

Buy it here: iTunes

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Author: Dom Daley