Danko Jones / Black Spiders / Winnebago Deal

Despite achieving a decent amount of success both in their native Canada and across Scandinavian Europe, bluesy rock trio Danko Jones have maintained little more than a cult status on these shores since their 2002 debut, and few of their loyal followers would hesitate to point out that the Toronto threesome have put in the mileage to deserve to headline bigger places than the Underworld. Still, the evening promises to be a sweaty, intimately rock 'n' roll affair, and opening act Winnebago Deal warm things up nicely with a short but sweet set that goes down well with the bubbling Camden faithful.

It's something of a surprise to see sleaze-rock newcomers Black Spiders command a higher spot than the longer-serving Winnebago, but their stint on Stone Gods' most recent tour firmly announced their arrival on the scene, and tonight's set only reinforces their potential. eGigs has seen more tactful introductions than the hearty "Fuck you Camden!" that greets the eager crowd, but it works, and the Sabbath-worshipping quintet blow away the cobwebs (sorry) with a groove-riddled assault of glorious metal riffage. With the likes of Valiant Thorr, The Answer, Airbourne and Stone Gods slowly but surely rising up the ranks of the heavy metal food chain, the Spiders have 'next big thing' written all over them, and will doubtlessly be headlining this very venue in the near future.

The Underworld's inhabitants have remained relatively chilled up until Danko Jones' appearance on stage, and while it takes a wee while for things to really kick into fifth gear, the Canadians are more than up to the task. Frontman Danko Jones (well they had to get the name from somewhere) is a snappily-dressed blur of pure energy, and his manic enthusiasm is almost startlingly infectious, and it isn't too long before the whole building is bouncing to the likes of 'Sugar Rush', 'First Date', and 'Code Of The Road' with ass-shaking ecstasy.

Though Jones himself is prone to going off on some serious tangents when it comes to the crowd banter (or should that be baiting?), he oozes charm and charisma and manages to draw cheers, chants and chortles from his followers with ease. The final few songs of the set see a mosh-pit erupt in the centre of the dance floor with more than a few shirts coming flying off, even if mostly from fat sweaty blokes. Still, this is a gig for all sizes and smells, and it is ultimately one of the Underworld's best shows of the past few years, and yet another confirmation of how underrated this band are in the UK. "We don't get played on the radio. We don't get interviews. We don't get on TV!" exclaims Danko. "What the fuck are you all doing here?!" On the evidence of tonight, the more pressing questions should be directed at all those who aren't.

FUTURE GIGS

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