The Peckham Cowboys - The 12 Bar Club Review by Michelle Nevill

It’s been a while since The Peckham Cowboys rocked the crowd at Cat Scratch Fever back in March. However they are back in the saddle and riding again, this time at the 12-Bar Club in Soho.

Excited to finally see them live I embarked on the 12 Bar to be greeted by the captivating sound of Brijitte West. It was an acoustic set and I was drawn in by her attitude and her obvious appetite for the music. As Brijitte belted out ‘Don’t Know How to Be Good’ the crowd were in awe as they swayed in time.

Brijitte said to the crowd “This song is written about a photograph” as she played ‘Pretty Suicide’ - a melodic punk track that got everyone moving. A great start to the night.

Main support came from London based punk infused rock ‘n’ rollers - The Gasoline Queens. Having heard quite a few good words on the grapevine about these guys I was really keen to see what they had to offer.

Nigel on vocals was full of energy as they leapt into Dogs D’amour cover ‘Last Bandit’. The crowd loved it and The Gasoline Queens definitely did the song justice. As the band belted out track after track they had a great energy about them. Nigel shouts out to the crowd “This is our goth song” as ‘I see you’ starts to a roar of applause from the audience.

The Gasoline Queens have quite a punk sound about them with tones of blues woven throughout each track. For me the highlight of their set was when Texas Terri accompanied them on stage for a brilliant rendition of ‘Dead Flowers’ - at this point the band really came alive while the crowd lapped up every moment.

Next up, was the main event - The Peckham Cowboys. With their very own brand of down trodden blues, I couldn’t help but feel excited as Guy Bailey, Marc Eden and Dale Hodgkinson took to the stage dressed to kill and kicked off the night with ‘South London Thing’.

As they stride into the track, full of swagger, the crowd were captivated and eating out of the palm of their hand within minutes. Marc’s dirty and lingering vocals along with the sexy sway of the blues guitar ooze charisma and dare I say it – Sex!

It doesn’t stop there as they glide their way into ‘A Week in Larache’ - One thing that really appeals to me about The Peckham Cowboys is their ability to just jam out a track, they are amazing to watch live and I find it hard to take my eyes off them.

You can really see how much fun they have just playing together, and that is what I love about this band, the pure unadulterated passion for the music. It’s hard to harness, yet The Peckham Cowboys seem to achieve this effortlessly.

As ‘She Do The Twist and Twirl’ starts with that really heavy bass line and distorted guitars no-one in the crowd was still, as Guy Bailey and Dale rock out a groove so fine that you can’t deny just how mesmerising this band is to see.

My favourite track was next - ‘Crackhouse Blues’. It has a very slow and sexy rhythm to it as Guy plays a fantastic euphonious riff that is captivating to say the least. Dale is passionate as he jams away and between them both they have created a brilliant sound, filled with distortion and personality. 

The Peckham Cowboys are one of a kind for their time, and not only do they pull off this spectacular sound in a studio; live they are magnified and magnificent. The crowd were left literally reeling for more as The Peckham Cowboys left the stage and rode off into the night.

If you get a chance to see these boys do their south London thing anywhere near you, then don’t miss it! They are a treasure to behold!

Set List:

1)      South London Thing

2)      A Week in Larache

3)      Ain’t That Somethin’

4)      She Do The Twist And Twirl

5)      Crackhouse Blues

6)      Rock ‘n’ Roll Star