Robin Black @ The Dome, Tufnell Park, London

It's been two years since the blue haired Canadian Robin Black was last on these shores, and since then he would appear to have become somewhat of a media icon in his native homeland, oh and just competed in his first mixed martial arts fight, which he lost but was extremely proud to have competed in.

Two years can be a long time in music as with anything, and it's changed the face of the band quite remarkably, with only Robin himself and guitarist Starboy remaining from the lineup which graced us last time around, gone among others is Ky Anto, who it always seemed was part of the driving force of the band, and his giant presence is certainly missed on stage tonight.

So here we are at the Dome in Tufnell Park, which is the first point of interest here, because it's hard to understand why Robin Black is playing a venue with a capacity north of 500, and whether the promoters honestly though that they were likely to get anywhere near that many people out? With no new material in more than two years (that being Instant Classic which as far as I know is still not officially available in the UK) it's hard to imagine why anyone would have been surprised at the approximate turnout hitting just 150. No attendance isn't everything at gigs, but this proves to actually be a valid point as we progress.

What always made Robin Black such a great band, and one that I have personally praised to high heaven in the past, is the live stage show, the banter, the arrogance on stage that always showed Black the rockstar. I remember the legendary quote that flew from his lips the first time I saw them play "We're Robin Black" he said "and by the end of tonight we will be your new favourite band, and we will fuck some of you later". It set the scene for a performance that ripped the Camden Underworld apart.

It's gone.

While the energy on stage certainly isn't lacking with Black high kicking all over the place, the attitude, the balls out fuck you attitude, has gone, and with it much of the material loses it's edge.

Black was humble on stage, he was thanking everyone, he was playing a nice guy... but it was his arrogant bastard persona that sold this band, made them the band that you felt would take over the world, and you really felt parents should actually lock up their daughters.

And just to top it all off, everything sounded horrible, not that they were playing badly, but most likely because a venue that needed 400 or more in to sound great had less than half and the sound was echoing everywhere.

If Robin Black is still serious about this band, and right now I'm not convinced he is, then he needs to refind that attitude, and find it quick.