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<\/a>It seems every time I see Dalston\u2019s finest gypsy blues merchants The Urban Voodoo Machine, it\u2019s a different venue. They sure like to get around. I\u2019m not complaining though, great variety gives a different feel to each show. Not that this London collective need any help in the variety department. Every show The Urban Voodoo Machine perform is different due to the ever revolving line up and the crazy stage antics that go down. So while regular guitarist Tony Diavolo and saxophonist\/all round entertainer Luci Fire Tusk are MIA for tonight\u2019s performance, their replacements for this tour do a mighty fine job in bringing their own thing to Paul-Ronney Angel\u2019s party.<\/p>\nNew single \u2018Johnny Foreigner\u2019 fits the set just fine. The laid back groove leads into a jubilant and overly-catchy chorus. The topical lyrics are backed up by the \u2018Fuck Boris\u2019 pin badge P-R wears proudly on his hat.\u201d I\u2019ve been living in this country 25 years\u201d he shouts…\u201d Fuck the Tories!\u201d Well, this is billed as the \u2018fuck Brexit Autumn Tour\u2019 after all!<\/a>The last time we crossed paths was an epic two hour\/two set 15th anniversary show at The Brudenell just a few miles away. That was an incendiary, packed out and sweaty gig, probably the best I\u2019ve seen them. Tonight at The Wardrobe is a much more intimate affair, but none the less a bombastic rock \u2018n\u2019 roll show to behold. After all, it is The Urban Voodoo Machine and this band does not do mediocre.
\nJoining the core band that includes upright bass, two drummers and accordion\/keyboard player Slim, are a two piece brass section and a young guitar slinger who happens to be the offspring of one of the band\u2019s past players.
\nInstrumental surf jam \u2018Police Paranoia\u2019 gets things off to a ripping start, as ringleader Paul-Ronney Angel, a whirlwind of black \u2018n\u2019 red and his face grease painted white, leads the 8 piece band through a magnificent set that spans their 15 year career.
\nOur illustrious leader takes us into old classic \u2018Down In A Hole\u2019. With its bluesy, big band sound and cool gang backing vocals, it\u2019s an early highlight that gets the crowd a-movin\u2019 and a-groovin\u2019. Live favourite \u2018High Jeopardy Thing\u2019 is brassy and classy in equal measures, the band incite the crowd to click their fingers, as the reverend Gavin Smith plays that skulking bass line. P-R, his voice as gravelly as his soul, has the crowd in the palm of his hand, taking us back in time to some sleazy speakeasy for a shot or two.<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThe sombre \u2018Fallen Brothers\u2019 and \u2018Goodnight My Dear\u2019 are dedicated to lost band mates; guitarist Nick Marsh and fiddle player Rob Skipper, gone but never forgotten. Other highlights? Well, \u2018Orphan\u2019s Lament\u2019 sounds as fantastic as ever and \u2018Crazy Maria\u2019 is a high energy blast of mariachi infested glory that can never fail to get the crowd moving and the glasses emptied.
\nCrazy stage antics and slapstick comedy moments are rife. They include the frontman wringing the sweat from his headscarf into someone\u2019s glass, getting a crowdsurf lift to the bar to collect a shot, and miming into a supposedly broken mic (is this thing on?). Paul-Ronney Angel is a pro who has this entertainment lark down to a fine art and manages to enrapture a whole room no matter the size or the clientele.
\nThe band end the show as they began by forming a procession through the crowd, and culminates with the whole band standing on tables by the merch stand for an impromptu jam to close a memorable show that was more of a raw, rock \u2018n\u2019 roll show than the usual over the top circus.<\/p>\n