Fun Lovin' Criminals, gig review: 'Huey Morgan blends fine guitar work with smokey drawls'

Koko, London, Monday 20 January

The Fun Lovin' Criminals haven't had a hit in the past 15 years with lead singer, Huey Morgan, now spending most of his time working as a BBC broadcaster.

As recent years have shown however, there is nothing quite like the pull of nostalgia and that holds true tonight at their sold out show to faithful fans in Camden.

Tonight the trio mainly succeed in maintaining their brand of mellow groove in their blend of New York rock, funk, hip-hop and even punk. The appeal still lies in selling the New York gangster playacting to the UK who were always far more forgiving than their native crowd. Songs like “King Of New York” about mob boss John Gotti, “The View Belongs To Everyone” and funk-laden 1996 hit, “Scooby Snacks” work well in blending Morgan's fine guitar work and smokey drawls with multi-instrumentalist fellow founding member Brian “Fast” Leiser.

Less successful are when the band steer out of their comfort zone and into dad rock on “10th Street” and the wannabe punk number “Where The Bums Go”.

Working their way through a whopping 20 songs, the band seem to acknowledge that their best days are behind them and tonight's humble nostalgic reveries are hard to dismiss.