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Alice Cooper + New York Dolls

Alexandra Palace, 29th October 2011

Seeing Alice Cooper is always of treat (of course). Seeing his fright night freakshow on Hallowe'en weekend, in the soaring Victorian hall of Alexandra Palace, decked out seasonally with cobwebs and ghouls and swarming with shambling zombies, is even more of a treat. Throw in the lovely New York Dolls and you've pretty much got my dream evening.

Okay, so the Dolls weren't on tip top form – their shambolic, gritty, dive bar sound loses its edge in the echoey Palace, and the audience, while polite, is not exactly responsive. While recent songs like 'Cuz I Said So' and 'Kids Like You' show how their writing has matured as seedily elegantly and wryly wisely as their lead vocalist, tinged with nostalgia yet still ballsy as hell, it's the classics – 'Pills', 'Trash', 'Jet Boy' and of course everybody's favourite, 'Personality Crisis', that almost persuade the crowd to get excited.

But I guess we're all here for one reason and one reason only. And, scrupulously on time as ever, bang on nine o'clock the curtain drops to reveal Alice Cooper cunningly recycling his Along Came A Spider outfit for a sneering rendition of 'The Black Widow'.

As ever, hit follows hit – 'Brutal Planet' (such a good song!), 'Eighteen', 'No More Mr Nice Guy', 'Is It My Body' (complete with bemused snake), 'Under My Wheels', 'Muscle of Love' – all delivered with incredible zest by a hot new line up featuring three guitarists plus Coop stalwart Chuck Garric on bass (although I must say I still mourn the loss of Keri Kelli – aesthetically speaking at least).

Playing down the theatrics a little (so no nasty nurse this time round), Alice concentrates on delivering the goods – his voice strong, the band tight as their trousers and the sound crystal clear – Hello Hooray!

Almost no old favourite stone remains unturned – and you gotta luv the Coop for sporting a jacket with the legend 'new song' on the back when he cracks open latest single 'I'll Bite Your Face Off', proving that, like David Johansen, he's got the moves like Jagger as he shimmies round the stage to the Stones-esque rock'n'roll riff.

'Clones' is a surprising introduction to the set, working far better with the triple axe attack than the sub standard Gary Numan original version, but sadly no 'Steven' or 'Dwight Frye'. Boo!

'Feed My Frankenstein' provides the perfect excuse to 'terrorise' us with a giant Eddie-like monster before it's all over with 'School's Out' and a totally triumphant 'Elected'.

But wait! There is one surprise in store. 'It's Hallowe'en, ' Alice announces (in case the blood-drenched crowd hasn't realised) 'And Hallowe'en wouldn't be Hallowe'en without... Arthur Brown.'

And onto the stage capers our favourite luminescent lunatic, in full skull facepaint, trademark loon pants and his head on fire. Of course. Only Alice could find someone even older and even madder than he is and invite him on stage to steal his thunder. Genius.

But if Arthur Brown is the god of hellfire, Alice (intent, like the original Alice Cooper group, of driving a stake through the heart of the love generation) then Alice is the lord of rock'n'roll spectacle. Sure, seen through the eyes of an unbeliever, his show may appear just a little bit daft, bit in the cathedral-like realm of the People's Palace, we're all worshippers tonight.

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