Earlier this month, London witnessed a celebration of Yorkshire goth-rock. Vive Le Rock was there....
The Rose of Avalanche, Salvation
Water Rats, London
Tonight sees the return of two bands from the rockier end of the 80s Leeds goth scene bringing their northern sensibilities to the capital. From the early singles produced by Andrew Eldritch and Wayne Hussey to the excellent Sass album, Salvation (below) always had something special about them but never quite broke into the mainstream. Singer Daniel Mass may look more rockabilly these days but he still has that distinctive vocal that hasn’t diminished over the years. Songs such as ‘The Shining’, ‘All And More’ and ‘Thunderbird’ sound excellent although the closing ‘Kids In America’ is a fun cover but inessential.
The Rose of Avalanche (above) are another of those bands who produced some cracking early singles only to lose momentum with the delayed release of their debut album. Their set is dominated by those singles with ‘Velveteen’, ‘Too Many Castles In The Sky’ and ‘LA Rain’ still resonating as goth rock nuggets. New song ‘The Man’ fits in seamlessly with the older material and shows potential for the future. Add in a cover of ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’ and you have an entertaining night out.
Words/photos: Ian Ladlow