Diamond Head : Camden Underworld, London - 21st June, 2006



Set list: Am I Evil (intro) / Its Electric / Give It To Me / The Prince / Mine All Mine / Lightning To The Nations / Fallen Angel / To The Devil His Due / Borrowed Time / Alimony / I Can't Help Myself / Sucking My Love / Streets Of Gold / Helpless / Am I Evil.
Encore: In The Heat Of The Night


My sympathies go out to Diamond Head. The Brummie band played an excellent set at the Underworld last night, but only around 100 people turned up to see it. I know that Argentina had a game with Holland 'cos I watched the first half of what turned out to be a less than thrilling 0-0 stalemate in the upstairs bar, but where was everyone else??!! Having made the brave decision to replace frontman Sean Harris, last original member Brian Tatler finds himself in a more unenviable position than ever. Newcomer Nick Tart (what a wonderful name for a singer!) is slotting in nicely, but due to a variety of regrettable factors - bad luck/awful management/wrong record label/ill-advised grim reaper oufits - DH were never too popular in Britain in the first place. Now they're really starting again at the bottom of the pile.
Nevertheless, their 90-minute set was chocka with great songs. Taken from the current 'All Will Be Revealed' album, 'Give It To Me', 'Mine All Mine', 'Fallen Angel' and 'Alimony' all showed that the band have got what it takes without Harris, and the final run-in of 'Sucking My Love', 'Streets Of Gold', 'Helpless', 'Am I Evil?' and 'In The Heat Of The Night' was utterly breathtaking. As a composer and player of riffs, Brian Tatler is right up there with Sabbath's Tony Iommi, and Lars Ulrich has long since owned up to stealing all Metallica's best ideas from songs like 'It's Electric', 'The Prince' and 'Lightning To The Nations' (all aired last night, plus a re-shaped 'To The Devil His Due', 'Borrowed Time' and 'I Can't Help Myself'). Watching Diamond Head in such small environs felt a bit like being at the Saxon Tavern in Catford and Peckham's Bouncing Ball Club in the heady days of 1982 - only back then the band were moving upwards. You've gotta admire their stubborness.

Dave Ling

All Photos courtesy Mick Payton