Iggy Pop must be one of the most influential artists of his generation and one of the forefathers of Punk with both The Stooges and as a solo artist. His influence on what came after spread far and wide.
Celebrating the music of Iggy Pop, Lust For Life, features a dazzling array of musicians who have worked with Iggy over the years including powerhouse drummer Clem Burke from Blondie, Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols on bass and Kevin Armstrong, who also played with David Bowie at Live Aid on guitar along with Luis Correia, also on guitar who played alongside Bowie’s guitarist Earl Slick. With Florence Sabeva from Heaven 17 adding the colouring with her keyboards and backing vocals this was one potent band.
Former presenter of TV’s The Word, Katie Puckrik had the unenviable task of covering Pop’s vocals and on paper, seemed the weakest link. Any such doubts were instantly expelled with an absolute whirlwind of flamboyant energy and a seriously impressive vocal performance which suited the songs perfectly. Puckrik simply, stole the show. One can’t help feeling that Puckrik was wasted as a TV presenter and a calling as a Rock ‘n’ Roll performer would have been a more fruitful path.
What a collection of songs they had to draw from – not only did we get Iggy Pop’s classic Lust For Life album in full, which included his classic title track and “The Passenger” but also a thrilling collection of Iggy classics from his solo career (“Nightclubbing”, “I’m Bored” and “Five Foot One”) and a handful of gems from The Stooges including “Search and Destroy”, “Down On The Street” and a wonderfully sleazy “I Wanna Be Your Dog” suitably caked in grime and grit.
If that wasn’t enough they threw in a couple of David Bowie tunes too including “China Girl”, he co-wrote with Iggy Pop and “Absolute Beginners”, that guitarist Armstrong worked on with Bowie on which handled the lead vocal this evening, not to mention a fiery romp through the Pistols’ classic “Pretty Vacant” with Matlock on lead vocals and a lively take on Blondie’s “Hanging On The Telephone”, originally recorded by The Nerves. This was bombastic stuff aided and abetted by a crystal clear, perfectly balanced, punchy sound all housed in a rather wonderful theatre.
An absolutely stunning evening of Punk fuelled Rock ‘n’ Roll performed by some genuine legends and exceptional musicians made this a strong contender for gig of the year already.
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