Towers Of London: The Car Park Sessions – Review.
Towers Of London, who unsurprisingly hail from our nation’s capital, had their single release party last week as part of a showcase event called The Car Park Sessions. Green Eyes, which was released for public consumption on Friday the 20th of April 2018, was premiered alongside a number of older songs chosen for their nostalgic value.
The crowd, formed of a healthy mixture of music journalists, PR aficionados and fans keen to hear new material from their heroes, were with the band from the moment singer Donny T swaggered into view with a nonchalant kick at a receptacle full of free booze left for him by a helpful assistant who would later fall to her knees so she could send him waves of adulation.
I liked the attitude they displayed, both on and off-stage, because who doesn’t enjoy finding their frustrations with life being mirrored by a lyricist whose words formed an omnipresent bond between those performing and seeking to be entertained.
Maybe they wanted to be the definition of anarchy to journalists tasked with filling newspapers?
Passivity is definitely not what this planet needs right now!
I think we should all applaud any attempt to speak-up in a society where we’re increasingly losing our freedoms as a consequence of random acts of social disobedience that are being used to erode our right to protest.
The singer, whose single letter surname stands for Tourette’s, performed with such a consistent level of ferocity that a number of veins refused to rest beneath his sweaty flesh. I found myself studying the frontman’s every move as he prowled around colleagues, microphone swinging in an ever increasing circle, or weaved amongst wide-eyed spectators who occasionally had to take a cautionary step backwards in order to avoid a trip to A&E.
“I’ve never been to a gig in a car park before,” Hard Rock Hell presenter Alex Irons told me as we sank a couple of complimentary beverages before the show started around 7.30. “No,” I replied, “neither have I.”
The night was a bit of an Angel reunion for me with him and Tower’s fan Vincent Baxter in attendance. Although I no longer work at the 02, due to drifting away as more freelance projects came my way, the latter still DJ’s every Saturday in Islington for Not Another Indie Disco.
I still recall, with some fondness, being a regular patron, missing only two weekend’s in an entire calendar year during 2016, before my attendance fell away.
“I thought you weren’t drinking?” I asked as my ex-colleague took slow sips of a straight double of an unknown vintage of whiskey. “It’s Medicinal!” Vincent responded with mock incredulity. I raised a brow in fake disapproval. “I thought you were dying?!”
His good intentions were vanquished by the promise of a free spirit as I raised my own to my lips and tried to down it as quickly as possible.
The Towers were onstage and I needed both hands free to join the paparazzi.