The Danse Society - Bringing a taste of Goth to Islington!

***1/2

This band really leave you all satisfied and silky!

The Danse Society's sound is Inspiring, verging on Siouxsie Sioux in places. It is very textured, velvety with silky accents, it also sounds a little like Xmal and Bjork in bits of particular songs. This is a band that originally had a male vocalist Steve Rawlings and now have changed it to a female vocalist and still come out on top showing the strength of the band, Maethelyiah really does the songs justice in what the band call the Reformation Plot. This is another band from the 80's that I've waited nearly thirty years to see live, I first saw the Danse Society on TV or video I can't really remember. They were playing a set on a show called RiverSide which was recorded at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith,  and later  I also saw them  playing on a programme called The Tube.

I was fascinated and instantly hooked!! Dry ice, Blackness, moody, Heavy drum and bass, the total antithesis of the smiley, smiley, happy, clappy stuff spewed out by the likes of Kajagoogoo, Nik Kershaw and Howard Jones who were topping the charts at the time. There was something mysterious and enigmatic about them I just had not seen before. It was interesting hearing the old songs especially with female vocals on them, I think 'The Seduction'  is one of the stand out tracks and many of the new tracks from albums 'Scary Tales, Change of Skin' and the track I am loving the most 'White Rabbit'  these really have a good edge to them. "One pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small and the one's that mother gives you don't do anything at all".

It has a Siouxsie flamenco vibe about it which I like, Maethelyiah has a very interesting voice which has Anja Huwe / Siouxsie Accents along with a pleading, yearning element that you could hear rising out of the depths of the underworld. Why don't you play a gig down in the depths of Kent Cavern guys? I think that would be a perfect place for the band to play and would work really well with their material. Paul Gilmartins drumming sounded just as awesome as it was back in the day. It was a shame that just as I was really getting into the set the band were called off stage. That was a bit like having cold water thrown on you whilst in the embrace of an orgasm, which really isn't my bag. Oh well, I'm over it now, I'll see The Danse Society again in February 2014 at the Camden, Underworld in London and I advise you to as well.

Review and Photo's by Claudia Black

Check Out! the band performing 'Heaven is Waiting' live on The Tube Below...