So here we are again. Another day. Another concert. Another 80’s legend. Only the venue remains the same: ‘De Verlichte Geest’ situated close to the station in Roeselare. According to Davy Vain the only concert hall on the planet where the sound system (P.A.) is unpacked from a cardboard box just before the sound check starts. And he should know as his band Vain played that exact same place a while ago. This time around another legend was set to climb the stage and that’s none other than Taime Downe & Faster Pussycat. Taime & his cohorts are roaming mainland Europe and a stop in Roeselare was inevitable. And because there is nobody present of the original band anymore except for Mr. Downe himself it remained to be seen how relevant Faster Pussycat still was in a live-environment and how the years treated the legendary singer / performer. But first (and in this case again)…

…Dead City Ruins. I think by now we can call them friends of the good people of Belgium. The Australian rascals must be on a half year-long tour in Europe as this is the second time in a couple of months we were treated on a blistering set of classic / sleaze rock anthems as only Australians on the loose can bring ‘em. Rumor goes that they play any venue that provides a tent to sleep in so off we were for another half an hour of wild & rough musical enjoyment. I’m still not a big supporter of the moniker they chose for their band but musically these guys are quickly becoming one of my favorite live-outfits.

Lola Stonecracker was up next and it was not an easy task, following DCR, as was expected. And yes, maybe it was because the unfortunate Italians were playing in between De Verlichte Geest’s house band and the eagerly anticipated Faster Pussycat but they weren’t doing it for me. Not that I didn’t like their brand of stadium rock but the band just wasn’t cutting it. Stay in the country, we’ll provide a tent for sleeping purposes and try again in a couple of months, boys! It’s been done before.

Had we told each other a couple of years ago that we would be able to see the mighty Faster Pussycat in a small shack in Roeselare we would have laughed, ordered another drink and changed the subject to a more plausible one. But low & behold, the lights went down and who appeared on stage? The one and only Taime Downe, ladies & gentlemen! And what a sight for sore eyes he was. Full blown rock ‘n’ roll, chain smoking and growling & spitting like he never left town. The man is by now double the size he once was but what a joy to be able to hear all the Faster Pussycat-classics on a stage near you. Name one song and it was on the set list. ‘Bathroom Wall’, ‘House Of Pain’, ‘Cathouse’ and many more were heard that night. And no, the sound was not always as enjoyable as could have been, Taime has not been taking very good care of himself and it showed around the tonsil area (next to belly and face, by the way) plus I think the band played a shorter set than they are used to on this tour but hey, it’s Faster Pussycat, people and fun was had by all. Beer & whiskey flowed freely and rowdy chants ensued. No complaining here.