The Datsuns is another “The” band, like The Strokes
or The Hives, that has stopped in Los Angeles for a show fuelled by
messy hair, old clothes and dirty guitars.
This four piece is more concerned with aping ’70s garage
and glam rock than the punk many of the other current
“The” bands have embraced. Its hour-long performance
Friday night at the Troubadour was an inspired tribute to Led
Zeppelin, Ted Nugent and AC/DC.
Though The Datsuns were below the Bellrays on the night’s
bill, it was clear that the audience was in attendance to survey
the band from Cambridge, New Zealand ““ as a good number of
people cleared out after the Datsuns’ set ended. The crowd
was an odd mix of young fans and some older industry men who
appeared to be sizing up the band.
The set featured almost every song off the band’s
self-titled debut, with several ripping highlights. About halfway
into the set, the band unleashed “MF From Hell,” the
highlight of the night, with its searing guitar riff and howling
chorus. Singer and bassist Dolf De Datsun’s vocal range is
impressive ““ he commands a deep sneer that he utilizes just
as often as his high screech.
The members of The Datsuns have charisma; they jump, convulse,
and shake the energy from their music, but their shtick fails to
capture the darkness they seem to be going for. Sometimes the
guitar heroics were over wrought, as the extended guitar-solo intro
to the finale “Freeze Sucker” sent patrons to the bar.
When the band finally settled into the song, it turned out to be
quite a kick, as Datsun led the assault with another solid bass
line and more vocal histrionics.
Songs like “Fink For the Man,” were fun and
entertaining, but the band seemed to be shooting for something more
than fun, something sinister a la Led Zeppelin. The members of The
Datsuns, who clearly emulate the legends, seem like little boys in
comparison.
It is not the band members’ fault they strut and sweat as
perfectly as any rock and roll band could. Maybe the whole act will
be a bit more convincing if they tour the world for a few more
years and sell a few million records ““ which they probably
will.