Poor 'ole Uber Rocker Johnny H was crying his (69) eyes out into the River Severn earlier this week when it was announced that his beloved Helsinki Vampires had pulled their show at Bristol and the following night at Folkestone for no official reason. All I found out tonight was that singer Jyrki 69 had to make a brother of mercy dash back home to Finland, so let's not dwell on that too much, as at least he made the flight back to Blighty in time for the London show and whilst our lost Johnny got to see Crashdiet and the Hardcore Superstar in Bristol, it was left to yours truly to report on the 69er's.

Camden's Electric Ballroom is full of the beautiful people tonight. They say old Goths never die, they just look dead, but tonight is full of younger Goths and Glamsters dressed to kill in a look that was first started over thirty years by the likes of Bauhaus and Siouxsie and the Banshees.  Oh yes! This was certainly one very happy house.

Crashdiet got things off to an explosive start followed by Hardcore Superstar who played a riveting set, and could've easily been the headliners tonight ending with 'We Don't Celebrate Sundays', I'm just thankful that we were celebrating Friday night instead.

Tonight's gig has an early curfew as the Electric Ballroom hosts it's Sin City alternative rock night after the show, which means 69 Eyes, hit the stage at 8.30pm. I must admit I thought the 69 Eyes would have a tough task ahead of them following Hardcore Superstar but our 69 friends are superstars in their own right.  Singer Jyrki 69 looks like the Mission's Wayne Hussey dressed up as Elvis in his dark shades and long tassled black leather jacket with arms out stretched preaching to the masses. The band are shadows in dark blue midnight lighting with only drummer Jussi 69 in the full moon glare of the spotlight twirling his drumsticks and making animated moves throughout the gig.

Due to the time constraint's the set is a little shorter than on previous UK gigs which means we didn't get to see Jyrki 69 doing his Elvis moves on 'Heartbreak Hotel' but what we did get was a greatest hits set culled from their back catalogue.  This was actually my first time seeing the band and admittedly I didn't know too much about the band a week beforehand, so perhaps its Jyrki 69 having the voice of Sisters Of Mercy frontman Andrew Eldritch and Pete Steele in a Type O positive way that drew me in, but tonight I actually felt like I'd known their music for a great deal longer than I actually had.

Songs from the band's excellent last album 'Back In Blood' helped me get into things early doors; single 'Dead and Gone' really firing the set up with the heavier 'Dead Girls Are Easy' keeping the necrophiliacs happy.  'Brandon Lee' start's off in a way very similar to the Cult's 'Fire Woman' but there's nothing wrong with that as it never did any harm to Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin in stealing a riff here or there now did it?

'Lost Boys' sends the vampires away into the night air, many feeling a bit shortchanged, as there was no encore.  In fact the last two numbers were the planned encores but the band were hurried along in order to finish in time for the oncoming nightclub hoards.

Tonight I warmed to the 69 Eyes who have a great collection of songs inside their cloaks and I'll be sinking my teeth into them again the next time they play the capital.

Set list : Devils / Ghettoway Driver / Dead 'N Gone / Wings And Hearts / Perfect Skin / Kiss Me Undead / The Chair / Never Say Die / Dead Girls Are Easy / Brandon Lee / Lost Boys

Photo Kudos - Dawn 'aorgirl' Irwin