I arrived in Brixton by Tube but for all intents and purposes, I may as well have travelled by DeLoreon - all I needed was Doc Brown running up to me to tell me I had to go back to the future to do something about my kids and I'd have been convinced I was back in 1985. Wherever you looked, all you could see was big hair, make up slapped on with a trowel, and plenty of spandex leggings. The women weren't dressed that much different, but you could tell them apart by the abundance of cleavage on display. Something told me that party time had hit south London, and hit it hard.

For those of you unaware, Steel Panther are an 80s throwback busy dragging rock, kicking and screaming to an age where rock n' roll revered the unholy trinity of sex, drugs and booze. With songs like 'Asian Hooker,' 'Stripper Girl' and the Bill Clinton-approved 'Eatin' Ain't Cheatin'' its easy to see why they don't exactly gather much Radio One airplay or coverage in the mainstream press. It's also easy to see why people love them as much as they do as they represent a good time antidote to the maudlin lyrics of modern rock and a distraction from the issues going on in the real world. Steel Panther aren't so much politically incorrect as they are politically ignorant, and for a couple of hours they invite us to switch off our brains and enjoy the ride.


And, it has to be said, it is a fun ride. The lyrics are questionable at best - sexism taken to such a degree that it borders on the misogynistic - but there's a wicked sense of humour at the heart of them that can not fail to make you laugh out loud. But as chat-up lines go, it's probably best to leave such gems as "If you want to have a seat I'll clear a place on my face" to Michael Starr. I'd also advise against telling your girlfriend that "my heart belongs to you, but my c**k is community property" unless you really like sleeping on the sofa.


Musically, the band is amazing. So good, in fact, that there was times when I could barely believe that I was listening to a band play live and not a CD. The lyrics (and costumes) may suggest that they're a joke band but the ability showcased here suggests that they are very, very serious about what they do. This isn't a hamfisted cover band at work, these are four very talented performers singing some very silly songs, as showcased by the epic guitar solo that dominated the middle of the set. And there are a lot of nostalgic touches that make you think of the big bands from the era they're emulating - the intro for 'Party All Day,' for example, apes the beginning of Bon Jovi's 'Livin' On A Prayer' so perfectly and yet, somehow, managed to sound more like a tribute than a rip-off. And looking around the crowd tonight, you could see a lot of the audience were probably around for the 80s scene the first time around and are probably here as much for the nostalgia factor as for the comedy.


Oh, yes, the comedy. Here's where things aren't quite so good. See, tonight, the Panthers played their entire album, plus the aforementioned Epic Guitar Solo, plus a couple of covers. Since the album is only 45 minutes long, you're looking at maybe just over an hour of music. The problem is, the show lasted around two hours. In-between each song, the band would take to their mics and launch into comedy skits that lasted as long as the songs themselves. In all fairness, considering the amount of running and jumping the boys did during the songs, you could understand them wanting to take a breather before launching into the next one. The problem was, although the vocals were needle sharp during the songs themselves, during the skits I could hardly make out a word of what was being said and spent a considerable amount of time just wishing that they'd shut up and get on with the next one. Mind you, I wasn't exactly complaining when they brought out a troupe of strippers they'd met at a club the night before....


So, all in all, a fun night out. Explosions, glitter-bombs, fire, semi-naked girls and more rock than you'd find at a seaside sweetshop. What's even better is the fact that they were filming tonight's show for a future DVD release so even if you missed it, you won't miss out.


Photos by Cristina Massei