It has been 39 years since Twenty Flight Rockers last played in London, but the wait is finally over. Persuaded that the time is right for a reunion, the band have returned for a short run of shows celebrating the release of Live ’85, the live album originally intended to be their debut release. For those of us who remember seeing them in their heyday, this is a chance to revisit a band whose rockabilly-fuelled energy has clearly lost none of its appeal. I can hardly believe it has been almost four decades since I last saw them perform.
Twenty Flight Rockers @ 100 Club
Opening the evening, and playing just their third show to date, are The Holy Mothers, formed from the ashes of Jo-Jo & The Teeth and fronted by JoJo O’Donoghue. They come roaring out of the gates with Why Don’t You Give It To Me, a song driven by dark, glam-tinged guitar. JoJo struts across the stage, declaring I Used To Know What To Do as she unleashes an impressive vocal range, somewhere in the territory of Siouxsie Sioux, but with plenty of her own fierce feminine energy.
JoJo thanks everyone for turning out and explains how proud the band are to have pulled the set together in just a month or two. It’s Alright sounds like an attempt to exorcise a few demons, while JoJo commands the stage in her impossibly tight, high-heeled boots. She introduces the band’s take on Danzig’s Mother as an especially appropriate choice for The Holy Mothers. It certainly gets the 100 Club singing along, with the band delivering a dark, sweeping version and the young bassist locking into a wonderfully menacing groove.
The next song, My Head, was originally written for Jo-Jo & The Teeth but never recorded by them, so it remains fresh territory. It brings some of JoJo’s most intense vocals of the set, wrapped in an angsty glam-rock edge. I’ll Be The Killer leaves little doubt that mistreating The Holy Mothers is likely to have consequences, before they close with The Gods Are Nothing. Its intense lyrics and intriguing sound make it feel like a potential single and an anthem for our deeply twisted times. This is a very cool set, and one that leaves me looking forward to seeing The Holy Mothers again soon.
After the break, the near-original line-up of Twenty Flight Rockers prepares to take off once more. Original members Gary Twinn, Mark Laff and Ian McKean are joined by young newcomer Simon Kitchener, replacing Jeff Vine on bass. In keeping with the spirit of the live album, they open with Punishment & Crime, immediately giving Gary Twinn the opportunity to demonstrate that he has lost none of his vocal prowess. The sold-out 100 Club, packed with familiar faces and celebrity guests, clearly appreciates every moment.
Being a Friday night, we’re all in need of a Weekend Revolution, and Mark Laff’s crisp, lightning-fast drumming provides the perfect foil for Ian McKean’s guitar heroics. Gary and the band still want to Fall In Love With You, prompting a few fans to pogo along as the speedy rockabilly rumble really gets going.
Gary welcomes the audience and thanks everyone for coming, giving a special shout-out to Elizabeth Westwood before Real Rain washes over the room, with Simon nailing the bassline. Everybody Knows delivers the sort of full-throttle rockabilly rave-up that it always has, while Ian’s guitar work is precise and just flashy enough. Dreams That Kill gives Gary the opportunity to channel as much of the spirit of the Lizard King as he can.
After Gary namechecks Smutty Smith for the Rockats influence on the band, they race through their second single, Johnny 7, still celebrating that classic 1960s toy gun that so many boys of the era coveted. They may have travelled from all over the place to make this show, but they are certainly no longer in a One Man Town. The tightness of the performance makes that abundantly clear.
One thing both band and audience agree on is just how much I Love To Rock & Roll, and this is one hell of a party to prove it. Tower Block Rock naturally goes down a storm, with almost everyone joining in on the chorus.
By now, Gary is sufficiently warmed up to shed his super-cool jacket and show that he is fully Out Of Control and back on the rampage. More fantastic guitar sparks fly from Ian, keeping the momentum high. Before Young Man, Mark Laff tells Gary that he is knackered, which is hardly surprising given the speed and intensity of his drumming throughout the set. They may no longer qualify as young men, but this proves to be the perfect song with which to close an amazingly tight performance.
The band remain on stage to soak up the audience’s adoration as Gary introduces everyone, before Mark takes care of the thank-yous. The encore begins with the song that gave the band their name, Eddie Cochran’s Twenty Flight Rock, which they tear through at a phenomenal pace.
Gary then makes the most alarming announcement of the evening: the next song is going to be a Cliff Richard cover. There is little time to worry, however, as they race through Move It, proving once again what a rock ’n’ roll classic it really is. They bring the night to a close with T. Rex’s 20th Century Boy, guaranteeing one final singalong and giving everyone the opportunity to marvel at just how great Twenty Flight Rockers sound now they are back together.
After 39 years away from London, this is far more than a nostalgic reunion. The band deliver a blistering performance full of precision, swagger and infectious rock ’n’ roll energy. Live ’85 may have provided the catalyst, but the real celebration is seeing Twenty Flight Rockers back where they belong: on stage, playing to a packed room and reminding us all why we loved them in the first place.
Live review of Twenty Flight Rockers @ 100 Club, London by Simon Phillips, with photography by Adrian Hextall, on 30th October 2026.
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