of the cancellation of two years ago. The local clubs are now as much a part of the event as the outdoor stages, and the area around Mathew Street itself. With so much going on, you have to plan out what to see, which I did by looking at the site www.mathewstreetfestival.org and scanning through the line-up.
The outdoor stages were all themed; that is to say the acts playing on each stage were dedicated to either a specific music genre, or Beatle-related, or simply country-related (one of the stages was devoted to Irish rock, for example). Having seen what was on offer on the Sunday, I decided to head for the main stage (situated close to the old Mersey Tunnel entrance - it HAD been closed off!) which was given over to classic rock. All the bands were tributes to classic acts, and I arrived at around midday to find a band calling themselves Free's Company entertaining an already large crowd.They dressed as Free circa 1971, but played both classic Free and Bad Company songs (hence the name!) Their singer was good, but no Rodgers. He actually sounded more like the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson to these ears, but it mattered little to a crowd hell bent on enjoying a day of music. Of course, the dilemma for a band like that is, if they DID actually find a guy who could emulate the great Paul Rodgers, you can bet that fella wouldn't be playing in a tribute band for long! It was cloudy when the band finished (with 'All Right Now', of course) but there were plenty of people with brollies, anticipating the worst.
Next band up were Guns 2 Roses, a tribute act I've seen twice before at this festival. They'd made a few changes since last year; most noticeable was a new 'Slash', but they also had a new drummer (local guy from Crosby, according to 'Axl') and had dispensed with their guy dressed as 'The Joker' on keyboards, in favour of a more conventional ivory-tinkler. They once again turned up right on cue (not at all like the real band!) and gave their all with an energetic set. They included three covers, all of which were done by the real GnR ('Live and Let Die', 'Knocking on Heaven's Door' and 'Attitude') and pleased the crowd with the (cleaner!) songs from 'Appetite for Destruction' too.By this time, the rain had started to come down, we were all hoping it was just a passing shower but once the next band up came on stage (Led Zed), that shower simply refused to pass us by! As the rain got heavier, brollies popped up and t-shirts were getting saturated, not to mention cameras which remained in cases (!) I was hoping to stick around and watch the last band 'Dios Salve a la Reina' (a Queen tribute act who are regulars at the event) but by the time Led Zed had worked their way through the classic Zep numbers, I was so drenched I had to get out of the crowd and call it a day. I couldn't see a thing apart from umbrellas and raindrops, which were all over my specs! So after hearing a fine rendition of 'Stairway to Heaven' from the act, I headed for shelter, changed my T-shirt and dashed back to the Pugmobile.
On the Monday the weather had improved a little, there were even patches of sun! The plan for this day was to visit two of the other stages; the main stage which I was at the day before was now given over to 'contemporary' acts (which included an Amy Winehouse tribute, called 'Amy Wynehouse'!). So instead, I headed to the stage sited near the Superlambbanana, dedicated to Irish rock music. First band up were 'Dizzy Lizzy', fronted by a middle-aged bloke from the Midlands known only as 'H', and dressed as Phil Lynott circa 1980.
They were very good in their alloted 45 minutes; where Lizzy tributes are concerned I'm a dedicated Limehouse fan but these guys gave us a sterling performance, running through as many of Philo's favourites as they could fit in. 'H' had the Lynott moves down pat, throwing all the shapes and pumping the fist to the crowd, all the time wearing a large smile. They told the crowd present they would be back in the area soon, appearing in St Helens. I was impressed enough by the guys to make a note of that and will definitely check them out again. After they finished, it was a dash across town, mindful of the army of hi-visibility jackets stationed along the streets who seem to enjoy telling people where they can and cannot go (a rant for another blog!) and I arrived at the Williamson Square stage about 1/2 a mile away in time for 'Cheap Purple'. This stage was dedicated to the memory of the late Phil Easton, a local radio presenter who hosted a rock programme on Liverpool's local station for many years ('The Great Easton Express'). The acts featured were all tributes to bands Phil championed in those days (but later in the day the headline act on that stage was China Crisis - the actual band!)Cheap Purple was made up of veteran local players; I immediately recognised the singer as being the same bloke who fronted 'Led Zed' the day before (!) but he actually resembled Gillan more than Plant. There was a genuine link to Gillan/Purple in this band; bassist Keith Mulholland did play in Ian Gillan's side project 'Garth Rockett and the Moonshiners' in the late 80s, which was something Phil Easton had a hand in assembling. Another familiar face in this band was Dave Goldberg, regular keyboard player with Rumours of Fleetwood Mac. The band played Mk 2 material almost exclusively, apart from 'Hush' and went down well. They lost accuracy points for me though, not because of their playing (they didn't try to look like the band, or aim for the same sound, but did play the lead solos close to how they were on record) but, because their guitar player did not throw one tantrum throughout the set! You got the impression this band were assembled just for the day, but they did play well.
Next up on the Phil Easton stage was a Bowie tribute, 'The Bowie Experience' from Dorset. I've seen 'Jean Genie' play this festival on several occasions previously and enjoyed it each time, so I was looking forward to this. Their 'David' was indeed a Thin White Duke, hardly a pick on him, and was dressed in a tattered-looking Union Flag coat. His band were the classic power trio, no keyboards and no frills but they did feature a female bassist. They weren't afraid to rearrange some of the Bowie classics to suit the basic band setup, and their short set of the rock chameleon's classic material went over well with a substantial crowd. Another tribute worth a look if they're in your area.I then headed straight back to the Superlambbanana stage, for what was my last band of the day. Sinnerboy, a Rory Gallagher tribute, were up on this stage next. These were not the same guys who played last year's festival, but were very enjoyable indeed. Their guitarist bears no resemblance whatsoever to Rory Gallagher, I was trying to think wh
o he did remind me of (an actor, I think!) but the name escapes me. However, he both played and sang extremely well. He's ably backed by his bassist (who did remind me of someone - the late George Best!) and drummer, and this was a great power trio delivering a fitting tribute to one of the most revered guitarists of the 1970s. I'm not that knowledgeable about Rory Gallagher despite having once seen him live, but was extremely impressed by Sinnerboy. They plugged an upcoming Cavern show featuring themselves and other Gallagher tributes, that promises to be an excellent night. By this stage my back was shouting obscenities at me (I find it tough to stand for long periods without sitting down for a while, or moving around) and so I called it a day after Sinnerboy. Before heading back to the Pugmobile I took the chance to take a few snaps of the crowd at the main stage, where 'Amy Wynehouse' was entertaining what looked like a completely rammed crowd. I could only hear her, not see her, but she did sound accurate and of course, she turned up on time!
So that was my experience of this year's Mathew Street Festival. I only got to experience a small portion of what was on offer, but you cannot possibly take it all in. Maybe next year I'll try and catch some unsigned acts, back and legs permitting!If anyone is interested in coming next year, it's held over the August Bank Holiday weekend and - the important point here - it's totally FREE to attend! They do try hard to provide something for everyone, so whether you're a Beatle freak, a rocker, a pop fan or even a country lover, you'll find something to your taste.
Band Links:
Dizzy Lizzy
The Bowie Experience
Sinnerboy
Guns 2 Roses
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