New York Dolls

It's always a pleasant surprise to arrive in Manhattan, flip through the "New York Times" and read that the New York Dolls will be playing a show the following day - and a free one at that!

On Friday, August 18th, in front of an unusually diverse crowd, the New York Dolls take the stage set up at Manhattan's Pier 17.

Alongside the two surviving original members, David Johansen - alarmingly skinny, cigarette perpetually in hand - and Sylvain Sylvain, who at one point during the show rechristens himself "Sylvain Sylvain Sylvain Sylvain", are Steve Conte on guitar, Sami Yaffa (ex Hanoi Rocks) on bass, Brian Delaney on drums and Brian Koonin on keyboards.

The show opens with a powerful version of "Looking For A Kiss", with Johansen - in a tank top and a Napoleonic bicorne hat - instantly winning over the audience. "Jet Boy" and "Trash" follow, both also pulled from the first album.

"Punishing World" is the first track drawn from their latest, brand-new record "One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This": tough, full-bodied rock 'n' roll with Conte's guitar and Koonin's piano well to the fore.

Right after comes "Fishnets & Sigaretts", one of the songs I personally enjoyed most: quality glam-rock with a brief but intense solo from Sylvain Sylvain, who splits solo duties democratically with Conte.

Brian Delaney's tribal drumming introduces "Dance Like A Monkey", a track in pure "New York Dolls style". Sylvain throws himself around like a madman, belting out a falsetto chorus that couldn't sound more "doll" if it tried, and unleashing another spine-tingling solo.

It's back to the old days with "Puss 'n' Boots" from "Too Much Too Soon", followed by "Lonely Planet Boy" and "Pills", from the first LP.

The opening notes of Janis Joplin's "Piece Of My Heart" are enough to send the already overheated crowd at the front into a frenzy, and the excitement quickly spreads to everyone else. Without any prompting whatsoever, the entire audience breaks into the chorus. Johansen's voice is solid and powerful, and the band sounds like it's been playing together for a hundred years.

Steve Conte's raging guitar and Johansen's furious harmonica kick off the scorching "Gimme Love And Turn On The Light". "Plenty Of Music" is a big ballad that lets both band and audience catch their breath, though the crowd never stops dancing, singing and jumping. "Private World", dedicated to Arthur "Killer" Kane and accompanied by flowers thrown into the crowd, closes the set.

A short pause filled with loud calls for an encore, and the six "Dolls" are soon back on stage, clearly still hungry to keep playing a while longer.

The relentless version of “Personality Crisis” has the power to set alight even those who had stayed quietly tucked away in a corner until that moment. I too find myself singing at the top of my lungs and jumping around like a madman. “Human Being” is the second encore, with the audience in total delirium and the band completely spent.

The third and final encore is “We Are In Love”, perhaps the finest track on the new album.

Eighty minutes of no-frills rock 'n' roll fun, but with plenty of heart. David Johansen still has a great voice and strong stage presence, but it's Sylvain Sylvain who's the band's true entertainer; he's the one announcing the songs, interacting with the crowd, cracking jokes and, if it were ever needed, keeping the night alive. The other four "dolls" seem born to be part of the group.

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