Hot Hot Heat
Scala, London
03/03/2010

Well where do we start? Hot Hot Heat are an incredible band that have missed the boat somehow, even though they have made fantastic albums and rode the same wave as The Strokes and The Libs in the start of the noughties guitar-lead music wave. Unfortunately we now find these unsung heroes, unsigned and playing venues that really don’t do them justice.

Not all is bad though, the die-hard fans pack out London’s Scala and show their adoration for these hairy-pop kings, and The Fly is one of them. The band kick off the set with a heavier sound than expected but quickly pull back the crowd with instant bopper ‘No, Not Now’. The night flows by and the hits keep on coming with ‘Get In Or Get Out’ and ‘Aveda’ keeping the old school fans happy. Hot Hot Heat then follow some of their best known songs with a few cheeky finely tuned hits from later albums ‘Happiness LTD’ and ‘Elevator’, such as ‘Harmonicas And Tambourines’ and ‘Goodnight Good Night’ thrown in for good measure.

New track ‘Future Breeds’; injects an edgier, darker side to the band, before launching us into a blistering finale which includes ‘Talk To Me, Dance With Me’ and ‘Bandages’, sending the audience into a dancing frenzy from. Even if you aren’t a fan of their music it is worth catching HHH’s inscessant live show, purely to see Paul Hawley tearing the drums up like a modern-day John Bonham, as well as frontman Steve Bays screeching and sweating over the crowd as he darts around the stage trying to sing to every audience member individually. A truely brilliant performance.

Paul Davies