SAZ + DRESSED TO KILL - The Doghouse,Dundee 03-03-07
I don't normally do reviews of single band tribute acts, purely because these days, you've really got to be good and reflect the band whose material you're playing, or you simply won't get the gigs. But occasionally, a tribute band comes along who goes way beyond what the most diehard of fans would have expected, and Kiss tribute band Dressed To Kill, did exactly that tonight.
They played the venue a year back, to the tune of about 80 or so diehard fans, whom they wowed with a show full of pyrotechnics and classic rock. Tonight, the grapevine had worked, as three times that number showed and were treated to a two hour (yes, two hour!!) set. Now I saw the original Kiss line-up in Manchester and Birmingham on the pre-"Destroyer" tour of the UK back in the early seventies, and I have to say that this band looked, sounded, acted and performed EXACTLY like the original Kiss band did back then. More than a normal tribute, this is a complete re-creation of something that was unique way back then and remains unique to this day, amazingly well crafted in the hands of this band.
We were treated to stack-heel, make-up-to-perfection Gene Simmons with Peter Criss, Ach Frehley and Paul Stanley looking nigh on indistinguishable from the real thing. That they delivered spot-on versions of Kiss classics from "Strutter" and "Firehouse" through "God Of Thunder" and "Detroit Rock City" to "I Was Made For Lovin' You" and " Rock 'n' Roll All Night", with solo nods to "Beth" and "New York Groove", was manna from heaven itself as the set of awesome metal attack scorched through the Doghouse like a flame thrower. Speaking of which, we were treated to pyrotechnics that embraced explosions, fireworks spewing from Ace's guitar, Gene Simmons' trademark fire breathing and blood-dripping, as the whole spectacle proved to be absolutely riveting and totally on-fire (sometimes literally) to a packed crowd for whom this band could do no wrong, and justifiably so. Certainly justified to be "the hottest band in the land", this was a totaly unique set in rock and roll today, ove thirty years in the making and every bit as fresh as it was back then. These guys rock!
Earlier on in the evening, a decently sized crowd had greeted the Dundee debut of the new SAZ line-up with a rousing reception, as the band turned in a solid set. New lead vocalist Amy Anarchy looked every inch the amazonian Goth figure on stage, long black hair flailing away as she delivers a lung-busting vocal with power and determination across twenty five minutes of SAZ favourites. With between song banter and, for the first time I can recall, actually saying who the band was when they walked on stage, she commanded that stage to eye-catching attention, a sign of things to come. Meanwhile, co-lead and harmony vocalist Nicola, like the rest of the band, clad in black, also provided her trademark spot-on harmonies and tight leads, also showing a power in her voice to complement that of Amy's rather than contrast with it. With Marina's bass maintaining a solid foundation as Ritchie's drums trhreatened to fall through the stage floor, it was left to Kev to provide the riffs and solos. With "Left For Dead" taken at a pace that bordered on the slightly insane, the rest of the set was solid as a rock - "Aftershock" worked a treat, while the undoubted highlight was "Sing Like An Angel" which Amy practically terrorised with a vocal that took on volcanic proportions and was just awesome. So, a welcome return that promised much to come, and, overall, a night when real rock and metal returned to packed audience in Dundee - and about time too - now all we need is a regular home for classic rock - speaking of which.....