Lord only knows what Dolf De Datsun was like as a child when he ate too many E numbers. His onstage presence is by turns impressively pompous and wonderfully petulant, so it’s little wonder that the Datsuns have been riding high in the band-it’s-cool-to-love stakes.
Despite the overblown hype that has propelled the band to tabloid rock greatness, the Datsuns appear ungoverned by fad. Quite the opposite: their decidedly non-trendy brand of taut 70’s primordial rock wins tonight’s audience over. From the pulsating ‘Girl’s Best Friend’ to the anthemic ‘Harmonic Generator’, their music is a meaty marriage of 70’s stadium metal (think Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, AC/DC) and unashamedly guttural cock-rock. All the right elements are in place - primordial tunes that trample across the stage, impressively hysterical guitar solos, drummer with fan-blown afro, two unfashionably hirsute guitarists who strut across the stage wielding their axes, and Dolf’s memorably bilious screechings.
As suggested by the unrelentingly loud and often chaotic quality of their new album Outta Sight/Outta Mind, The Datsuns make for a consummately brilliant live band.
They came, they conquered, they walked offstage at the end of the night as though they owned the gaff. Which should tell you all you need to know about where the Datsuns are going.