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A whole new thing...

The New York Dolls / We Are the Fury
Double Door
Chicago, IL
Feb. 23, 2008

The New York Dolls

Story by Andrea Jenels
Photos by Joseph Hargreaves

Although starting over an hour late to a sold out show at the Double Door, We Are the Fury took the stage determined to see that the Chicago fans would forgive them for the wait. Opening for glam rock legends The New York Dolls would seem like a daunting task for most new-to-the-scene musicians, but these honored boys got down to business with a modern take on old school glam rock strewn with a sassy mix of 80's cock rock for good measure. The rhythm guitars and manic drums laid a power-pop base for lead singer Jeremy Lublin. He commanded the stage with infectious screams and sneering vocals. Complete with shaggy hair and tight jeans, Lublin was reminiscent of a brassy Axl Rose crossed with a young and soulful Mick Jagger. The bands overall approach was fun and sexy while going a little over the top in true rock-n-roll fashion. Not to be confused with whiny, love-srtuck emo bands, We Are the Fury are a rare gem determined to bring back feel good, overly drugged and sexed up rock-n-roll to the masses.

Preceding their stage entrance, loud opera music hushed the Chicago crowd in anticipation of the legendary New York Dolls to take the stage. With over thirty years behind them since their first show at a homeless shelter in New York City, the innovators of sleaze/glam rock were no less a rock band than when they arrived on the New York punk scene in 1971. Originally formed amidst a new emerging genre of glam rock, peers and influences included David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and T. Rex. Original members David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain no longer wear their trademark pink lipstick and platform heels, but The Dolls still represent a moment in time when excessive indulgence and campiness were as common as flies on honey. Johansen strutted around the stage with a fierce hungriness to preserve his name as a true legend in rock history. The crowd of mostly baby boomers and 80's enthusiasts were transported back to the hey-day of punk rock when the tone was set for the many bands to come after. Their hour and a half long set included old favorites "Looking for a Kiss," "Subway Train" and crowd favorite, "Babylon." One highlight of the set was when Johansen channeled the late Janis Joplin with his rendition of "Piece of My Heart," as the crowd soaked in his screeching cat-calls which is the quintessential soul of the classic. The Dolls also played new material from their 2006 release, One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This. The energy level stayed at an even keel throughout the night as fans both longtime and new, got to see firsthand what all the fuss was about surrounding thses illusory legends.

The resurrection of The New York Dolls was as much anticipated as their downfall in 1975. Although the three newest members of The New York Dolls are technically replacements to deceased members Johnny Thunders, Jerry Nolan, and Arthur "Killer" Kane, there is no lack of glitter running through their veins. Bassist Sammi Yaffa, guitarist Steve Conte, keyboardist Brian Koonin, and drummer Brian Delaney are the embodiment of what The Dolls represent, both in the past and present. With years of solo albums behind both Johansen and Sylvain (some successful, some not so much) there is no doubt that this is a new era for the band. "This is phase two," Johansen says. "It's a new band. A whole new thing."