The Leatherettes at El Mocambo
Friday, June 8, 11pm, Toronto
Perhaps I could forgive this talentless duo from Dundee, Scotland, excepting that the sound they so blatantly rip off happens to be from Detroit. I’ll admit that I tend to get all defensive when poseurs from the other side of the globe ape great garage rockers from the D, especially when they do it badly.
Essentially a PG-rated version of the Demolition Doll Rods, the Leatherettes are all attitude with nothing to back it up. Not to mention no titties, no cock sock, and no Christine.
But that’s being charitable, as comparing these two to Danny and Margaret Doll Rod is giving them entirely more credit than they deserve. Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on them, as the Doll Rods aren’t touring the UK every other weekend, and you silly Brits need to get your garage rock on too. But if you’ve got a Jones for raw rocking sounds, wouldn’t you want something more authentic than this? At least someone who can play?
Seeing the Leatherettes means basically watching a novice guitar player (“Johnny Yen” [That’s just terrible. – ed.]) jam on an over-distorted guitar while a chick in a red dress (“Becca Bomb”) staggers drunkenly around the stage and screeches. And not only can she not sing, but she ain’t much to look at either. The Leatherettes are extremely low on ability, which makes it seem like they’re only a duo because they couldn’t get anyone to be in a band with them.
MP3: The Leatherettes – “Shoot to Thrill” from Jet Black and Bleached.
Johnny Thunders EP MP3s:
• “Mickey & Minnie” (Demo Version)
MP3s courtesy of Filthy Little Fingers.
The real thing (MP3s courtesy of Nestor in Detroit):
• Demolition Doll Rods – “Hey You”
• Demolition Doll Rods – “Maverick Girl”
• Margaret Doll Rod – “Boom Boom”
• and Demolition Doll Rods – “Married For The Weekend”, courtesy of Metro Times