Cocktail Slippers @ Bowery Electric

Cocktail Slippers; John Faye; The Connection
@ Bowery Electric
November 13, 2014

10 years ago I loved two songs very, very much. Not to a point of madness but only because I loved them so much I curtailed my listening to them so as not to make myself sick or tire of them. The trick worked because 10 years on I still play them like they are fresh. For musically, they are. Timeless captures true rock n roll. The first of these songs was the much older "Situations" by Slaughter and the Dogs. The other was the contemporary "Rock 'n Roll Babe" by the Cocktail Slippers.

I figured Fate would prevent me from ever seeing both bands but in the last three months I've now done the once unthinkable and seen them both.

It's rare for the Cocktail Slippers to make the trek from Oslo but with Little Steven Van Zandt - the man/idol responsible for my knowing "Rock 'n Roll Babe" - still backing them up here they were (and in the presence of local punk royalty like Malin and Manitoba and more to come).

It must be noted that research indicates that with the exception of the guitarist who takes lead vocals on "Rock 'n Roll Babe" but on no other, the band's members are entirely different from the time of "Rock 'n Roll Babe"'s recording. But evidence also suggests the current line-up has its own history (or successfully incorporates it into the band's overall history) but more importantly than that THEY SOUND VERY GOOD AND ALL THEIR SONGS WERE VERY GOOD.

BONUS!: Lenny Kaye appeared for the finale, covers of "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "Summertime Blues", the latter of which was quite fitting as only a band from Norway would think of it still being summer while a light snow and icy rain fell in mid November in a Norther Hemisphere town.

John Faye is Philly-based and brought some Philly fans with him. The power pop was frequently excellent but some of the other songs could have used more gunk and less polish. He's a professional and legit. No doubt about it.

I caught the last song or two of the Connection and it sounded like some very nice punk power pop indeed.