Hectors House, Thursday 13th March 2008

After the extreme weather that had hit the south coast last week, XYZ’s Nats Spada was in need of a drink and a the music of local band to make her smile, so she headed down to Hectors House for a dose of dirty rock ‘n’ roll.

Brighton’s THE DIRTY SOCIALS are a band that everyone has heard of, if not checked out, by now. They have been gigging around these parts for a few years now so I was looking forward to finally witnessing their blues moves for myself. The atmosphere in Hectors House was buzzing; everyone seemed in sublime spirits tonight as the band emerged onto the venue’s small stage.

Lead singer Anthony Murtagh is a born front man with great hair, great moves and notably solid vocal chords. You can’t help but wonder if he’s talking about alcohol-infused Brighton nights out when he introduces ‘Ballad of a Bad Man’ while sipping on a beer handed to him by an enthusiastic fan. These boys (or should I say men?) play filthy rock ‘n’ roll with some slide guitar and harmonica thrown in for good measure and a traditional blues edge.

One thing I must say is that the band looked a bit tired tonight. After checking out their Myspace profile, I noticed that a string of local dates and their monthly residency at The Prince Albert. I think that it’s great that bands are out there gigging their hearts out, but it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and this can come across when performing. Given the chance to play on a bigger stage, I think that THE DIRTY SOCIALS would be able to fully realise the energy of their music, with the drive of Led Zeppelin and the swagger of The Rolling Stones.

Words by Nats Spada
Photos by Joel Smedley