Soft White Underbelly (Blue Öyster Cult)

Islington Assembly Hall, London
Saturday, 24th May 2025

As Blue Öyster Cult begin their 2025 European tour, which kicks off at the Palladium, they couldn’t resist the chance to play a low key warm up show at Islington Assembly Hall, billed as Soft White Underbelly, the name of the first incarnation of the band back in the Sixties. Of course, die hard fans know this, so the show quickly sold out, and so it was a packed to the rafters Assembly Hall which greeted the band as they took to the stage and launched into Transmaniacon MC. Original members Eric Bloom and Donald ‘Buck Dharma’ Roeser are confident and assured, ably supported by Richie Castellano, Jules Radino and Danny Miranda, a unit which has been constant for some time now, and is well drilled. Before The Kiss, a Redcap follows, another song from the first BÖC album, and it’s clear we will be treated to a lot of older tunes tonight. Buck Dharma’s intricate guitar picking is getting warmed up nicely, and the band are revelling in the enthusiastic reception from the adoring crowd. Everyone joins in the a cappella intro to Golden Age of Leather, and the “our best years have passed us by” line never sounded more appropriate! Having said that, although the majority of attendees are, like me, sixty-something geezers, there is a fair proportion of ladies, and quite a few youngsters who couldn’t possibly have been born back in the days of Soft White Underbelly, and it makes for a fun evening and lively experience all round. Right behind me is a group of young Spanish fans, who greet their favourite songs with vociferous enthusiasm and much extravagant dancing, which is wonderful. Burnin’ For You seems to be an especial favourite of theirs, and they sing it with gusto.

A couple of selections from Secret Treaties is more my era, so Cagey Cretins and ME262 put a broad grin on my face. Eric Bloom is in his element on the latter, dominating the stage in his trade mark shades, and the band nail the dynamics as it reaches its crescendo. If this show is supposed to warm the band up, I have to say they don’t need to get much hotter. One of the better songs from Heaven Forbid follows, Harvest Moon, which sees some sweet guitar playing from Buck Dharma, and then the epic The Vigil from Mirrors, which weaves a magical spell over the Assembly Hall, with its tale of extra terrestrial visitation. ETI (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) is a logical follow on, and the Spanish contingent are back in their element again, and word perfect!

Hot Rails To Hell rips through the hall, the band by now an unstoppable juggernaut, riding a wave of enthusiasm and energy, and Then Came The Last Days of May, appropriately enough, showcases guitar heroics from Castellano, then Dharma in a shredding frenzy. The more recent Tainted Blood slips past quickly, before the energy levels are restored for a final triplet of Flaming Telepaths, Godzilla and Don’t Fear The Reaper, all greeted like old friends, the crowd singing along in unison. The band acknowledges the crowd, looking like conquering heroes, basking in the warmth of the reception.

An encore is demanded, and the first song goes way back to the days of Stalk Forrest Group, Arthur Comics. It’s so obscure I had to look it up! Dominance & Submission is instantly recognised however, and the crowd relish the chance to shout ‘dominance’ several times at the appropriate juncture! I Love the Night brings a moment of subtlety and atmospherics before the night ends with a bludgeoning Cities on Flame. A perfect end to the evening, and the best BÖC show I’ve seen in years, and a treat in such intimate surroundings. Catch them if you can, they are still the business!

SETLIST
Transmaniacon MC
Before The Kiss, A Redcap
Golden Age Of Leather
That Was Me
Burnin’ For You
Cagey Cretins
ME262
Harvest Moon
The Vigil
E.T.I.
Hot Rails To Hell
Then Came The Last Days Of May
Tainted Blood
Flaming Telepaths
Godzilla
Don’t Fear The Reaper
~ Encore:
Arthur Comics
Dominance & Submission
I Love The Night
Cities On Flame

MUSICIANS
Eric Bloom – Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Buck Dharma – Guitar, Vocals
Richie Castellano – Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals
Danny Miranda – Bass, Backing Vocals
Jules Radino – Drums

LINKS
Blue Öyster Cult – Website | Facebook |YouTube | X