CREEM ONLINE: The Stooges — From The Darkest Regions Up My Ass

The Stooges
From The Darkest Regions Up My Ass

The Stooges returned for their first proper gig in London town since the 1972 groundbreaking Kings Cross performance—a performance in a small venue where it seems that everyone in attendance was inspired to start a band of their own. Members of the Sex Pistols, Damned, Clash, among the other multitudes, all claimed to have been there that night. It might be needless and redundant to state that it was the Stooges lead that was redefined and cultivated into the Brit's brand called Punk.

Out of all the shows I've seen since the reunion, The Hammersmith show was quintessential Stooges. In the days preceding, the Stooges played at both the Leeds and Reading festivals, but these proved to be merely warm-ups for the main event in London, too many casual rock fans expecting the ol' blue eyed Pop to sing one of his hits, grumbling: "He didn't do Lust For Life?" The Stooges were invited to London by the promoters of All Tomorrow's Parties, kicking off a new month long festival, Don't Look Back, to perform Funhouse from start to finish (celebrating classic albums in their entirety, others invited included Dinosaur Jr. You're Living All Over Me and Gang Of Four's Entertainment, among others). From "Down On The Street" to the last note of the freeform "L.A. Blues" their intent was clear. Encores? More like an exclamation point. In the midst of it, Iggy delivered a subversive trou drop in the darkness of stage left in front of the PA column, to the delight of the cell phone camera holding crowd. "1969," "...Dog." and "Real Cool Time," polished it off. Enough said, the stage was exhausted, the air had be killed. The Hammersmith show was another peak for the Stooges. I presented the following review to the band in the dressing room right after the show...

"I know it must have been at least 120 degrees on stage and it was even hotter in the audience, the hot air drove the music into your body, this is the kind of place this music is made for. The outdoor festivals are great, but a bit too comfortable, the music just floats out into space. Here it was contained, you could feel the music hit you, it pounded you. It didn't leave the room, and I'd think you could feel that onstage as well."

The band agreed.

The audience was a huge part of this show. There were no distractions for them, although there was as much to watch in the crowd as onstage. They were patient with their anxiety and intent to rush onto the stage, but waited for Iggy's invitation to take part "if they had the balls." No place for fashion or a finely coiffed hair-do. Sweat was the uniform and it was enforced en masse.

It wasn't just the music of Funhouse that made this show mandatory, it was the shear contained power of the Stooges. These Stooges have achieved something very few bands have been able to, this is hardly nostalgia. These Stooges are still virile, their music resonates, as when it was first presented. They have proven that they were truly ahead of their time.