Ronster's reviews

Caught Live: Alter Bridge with Black Stone Cherry, Manchester Evening News Arena 24 November 2011

2011-11-25T02:46:00.003Z

After seeing Alter Bridge play a storming gig at Birmingham's o2 Academy last year I wrote on this blog that arenas beckoned for them next time around. Sure enough here we are 12 months on and Tremonti's troops have indeed made the jump to the cavernous barns of Great Britain. Along for the ride this time out were Canada's Theory of A Deadman, who I missed because of the early start (and traffic jams/ roadworks heading into Manchester, which I won't bore you with), and as special guests, Black Stone Cherry (who I did see).

Chris Robertson's gang were on the stage as I entered the enormous bowl that is the Manchester Evening News arena, and took my seat. The upper tier was curtained off all the way around, with the floor packed and most of the lower tier already filled, it appeared many were there for BSC as well as the headliners. By my reckoning the crowd there would have filled up the Echo Arena, so even though large parts of the MEN were unused, it was still a sizeable crowd which showed.

I've seen BSC on several occasions before, as support to other bands on arena tours similar to this and as headliners at the nearby Apollo theatre, and every time I've been scratching my head as to why such an obviously talented band, with good songs and a great singer, were not 'lighting my fire' in the live setting. They do everything right, performing with verve and enthusiasm, but there was always something lacking which I couldn't put my finger on. That was not the case tonight, perhaps I'm warming to these guys at last but this was finally the BSC gig where I broke out the air guitar - they were excellent. I still can't see what they're doing differently but perhaps it's just a couple more years on the road in this sort of company that's given them that finishing touch - I enjoyed this set much more than all of the previous sets I've seen BSC give. Frontman Chris Robertson looks like he's been following the Dave Wyndorf guide to Britain's pie shops, but his vocals were strong. They had the hardcore fans towards the front bouncing and clapping at will, and when they took it down for 'The Things My Father Said' the invitation to sing the chorus was enthusiastically accepted.

The only -slight- disappointment was that their set was a song or two shorter than at the other shows; no 'Iron Man' cover, nor did they do their HM rendition of Adele's 'Rolling In The Deep', which I was kind of looking forward to despite not being a fan of Ms Adkins herself. However they left us with news that they are to return to the UK for a headline tour in March, and I understand that will call at our end of the M62 so I will plan to be at that show and see the guys again.

Alter Bridge came on after a reasonably short turnaround, with minimal fuss lead singer Myles Kennedy appeared alone to start proceedings with 'Slip To The Void', before being joined by the rest of the band. The set they gave was a rearranged version of that performed last year, with only 'Coeur d'Alene' being added from the new record. Once again, despite 'ABIII' being the newer album it was 'Blackbird' which had most songs in the set. The 2007 album is in danger of becoming a Tough Act To Follow, with so many of its songs surviving into 2011, but there are no complaints from this fan who still prefers that record to the later one.

This was one of Kennedy's better vocal performances, you can always tell when he's suffering when he 'talks' through parts of songs but tonight, there was a lot less of that and more long holding of notes. He's clearly not suffering from a cold like 12 months ago, and when he is healthy it really makes a difference.

Having seen this band climb from small university-type venues to arenas over the past few years, it is gratifying to see them attain arena status, but the step up has come at a price. The show tonight was different to a year ago in that the band seemed more detached, distant on that big stage, they didn't connect in quite the same way as they did when they were playing the likes of the Academy. Although Kennedy did make efforts to reach out to the crowd, the occasional interlude such as during 'White Knuckles' where he performed the time-honoured 'split the crowd down the middle' routine just appeared clichéd. Consequently, despite the excellent vocal performance and solid playing, it seemed just that bit soulless compared to previous tours.

As a live band, AB never disappoint and they didn't tonight - I just get the feeling they're headed down the same path as the Foo Fighters or the Chilis; where they become so big they no longer have that same connection with their dedicated fans. AB are different to Creed in many more ways than just the lead singer, and I hope that the fact they're now performing in the large venues doesn't make them just another stadium rock act.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Edit this setlist | More Alter Bridge setlists

Has it really been twenty years...

2011-11-24T17:27:00.002Z

On this day in 1991 two rock musicians died; the fact that one of them was Freddie Mercury almost totally overshadowed the sad loss of KISS drummer Eric Carr on the same day, after he lost his own long battle against cancer.

When Eric Carr (born Paul Caravello) joined KISS in 1980 it was at a low point in the band's career; original drummer Peter Criss had parted company with the band amid allegations of substance abuse and the arrival of the new drummer signalled a new character behind the kit: The Fox. His first album with the band was the ambitious concept album '(Music From) The Elder', an intended soundtrack for a film which never came about. The album's musical style completely threw the band's fans, who were expecting a return to harder rock but were instead presented with a radical departure. It would be another year before Carr really got the chance to show himself as a premier hard rock drummer, when KISS fulfilled their promise of a hard rock record a year late with 'Creatures Of The Night'. The lead-off single. 'I Love It Loud' featured the band in full make-up and with Carr, as the Fox, sat atop a drum riser shaped like a tank, pounding out the intro to the song.

The resulting tour proved a success, re-establishing the band who would shed the make-up altogether in 1983. Carr's popularity during his time with KISS was down to his powerful drum sound and his willingness to connect with the fans, and he remained with the band for eleven years.

His cancer diagnosis was in early 1991, with the drummer being given a leave of absence by frontmen Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley so that he could recover. His last appearance on a KISS record was on their cover of Argent's 'God Gave Rock 'n' Roll To You', contributing backing vocals. Carr's death hit the group hard, with drummer Eric Singer coming in to deputise for Carr on the band's next album 'Revenge' it was always intended that Carr would return to the group once fit again. However Singer remains in the band to this day, and KISS dedicated 'Revenge' to Carr with the inclusion of a 1981 studio jam on the record.

As said at the start, Freddie Mercury's death on the same day as Carr completely dominated the news, with the British media having noticed the Queen singer's declining health throughout 1991 and newspapers running increasingly-lurid headlines speculating on his condition. Mercury, as private when off stage as he was flamboyant on it, admitted to nothing until the day before his death when he released a statement confirming his illness and urging his fans to join him "in the fight against this terrible disease" (AIDS).

Mercury had long known of his illness, but had elected to keep it secret, known only to his bandmates and close friends until that statement came out. He was diagnosed about a year after he and Queen had completed their biggest and most successful tour to date, the Magic tour which culminated in a massive concert held in the grounds of Knebworth Park. The attendance that day has been estimated at anything between 150000 to 200000, as one of the fans who was there myself I can only confirm that the huge field was totally packed with people!

1986 was a monumental year for Queen, coming off the back of their now-legendary performance at Live Aid, seen by billions worldwide, interest in the group had rocketed from merely very popular to stratospheric. Nobody knew it at that time, but Knebworth would be Freddie's final live performance with Queen. Anyone who has seen the Live Aid performance, or was lucky enough to see Queen live during that period will know just what a giant of a rock star he was. He bestrode the biggest stages and could enthrall hundreds of thousands of people. With a flamboyant image, a voice that could handle anything from hard rock to ragtime and a neat, self-deprecating line in camp humour, he had the lot. It's difficult to overstate Queen's popularity at that time, although still considered a rock band they had a huge fanbase and extremely broad range of appeal. Mercury was regarded in the same echelon as other high-flyers like Elton John or Rod Stewart, all of whom had began as rock singers but had broadened their appeal to reach almost everyone.

The tribute concert which was held at the old Wembley stadium in 1992, the scene of his greatest triumph, really brought home what the music world had lost. The remaining members of Queen performed a selection of their best-loved songs with a diverse range of singers - it took over a dozen people ranging from George Michael to Axl Rose to perform what one Freddie used to do.

Although I personally did not get to see Queen live until 1984, a whole generation has grown up knowing the band's music and never having seen them at all, so those who did see them must consider themselves very fortunate. There's been nobody who even comes close to taking his crown as the ultimate rock star - there are great singers out there, very good frontmen (or women), and some very showy, flamboyant stars still, but none put it all together the way Freddie did and none have managed to succeed him as the total, complete rock star.

I'll close this by posting a trio of songs that reflect Freddie in different eras; many still think of that bright yellow jacket when they think of Freddie but his look changed radically during the 1970s before he settled on that slicked hair and moustache image remembered today.

The first shows how the band handled 'Bohemian Rhapsody' live when it was first out; from the famous Hammersmith Odeon show filmed by the BBC, here they turn it into a medley incorporating 'Killer Queen' and 'The March Of The Black Queen':

Taken from the 'We Will Rock you' live concert DVD, filmed in Canada, this is 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' which took on a whole new dimension performed live:

Finally - from the seminal 1986 Wembley DVD, yellow jacket and all, this is 'In The Lap Of The Gods (Revisited)' - which was put back in the set partly for the band's older fans at that point:

I expect that we will still be remembering Freddie Mercury in another 20 years' time!

Commercial Time! Daisy Buttons Calendar 2012 in aid of Fur & Feather Sanctuary

2011-10-27T08:45:00.001+01:00

Been a bit fallow on the gigs front for me lately, but I thought I'd write about this charity calendar which features... a cat!

Not just any cat though; Daisy Buttons is the moggy in question and she is owned - sorry she owns, highly-regarded rock photographer Ash Newell. Ash has put together this calendar featuring his beloved feline in a variety of poses, with all proceeds going towards the Fur & Feather Animal Sanctuary. It's a project with extra special meaning to Ash (and to Daisy, naturally!) since Daisy Buttons was a rescued cat.

If you've not heard of Ash Newell before, he's a Texas-based photographer originally from Yorkshire, England. He has taken portraits of many big-name stars from the music world, including Whitesnake, Black Label Society, Steve Lukather of Toto, Taylor Swift, Nickelback, and legendary figures such as Duane Eddy and Kris Kristofferson. In 2008-9 Ash was Def Leppard's tour photographer, with the band issuing two coffee table books featuring his photos, and he enjoys a close working relationship with the Leppards still.

I'm the fanboy in the Whitesnake t-shirt here with Ash, taken at Dublin's o2 Arena in 2009 while waiting to get in to see Coverdale and co!

For more on Ash's work please see his Facebook page at:

Ash Newell Photography

For further details on the Daisy Buttons 2012 Calendar and how to order please visit the Fur & feather page:

Daisy Buttons 2012 Calendar Fur & Feather Animal Sanctuary

Miaow!

Second Test post

2011-09-26T22:21:00.001+01:00

Another test autopost for my forthcoming new music site - this should also appear on mymusic.ronniesoo.com - if I've set it up properly!

All music-related content will still appear on Posterous and Blogger; this is merely an alternative place for the blogs to go. So what to put up? What else, but Delain! Embedded are three clips I shot from their concert at Leamington Spa earlier this year. The band are currently working on their third album and you can follow their progress (including several video blogs) at lead singer Charlotte's own site.

Milk and Honey

April Rain

Pristine

The site is still being constructed at the moment - more details when it is fully ready!

This is a test to try out an autopost to my new site

2011-09-24T03:48:00.001+01:00

Been setting up a new site on Wordpress which will be an alternative home for these music blogs. (They will still appear here). It's not ready yet but to test the autopost is working, I'm going to put up a few videos I found from the Mr Big concert last week. Hope you like them! :)

The Drill Song (Daddy Brother Lover Little Boy)

Undertow

Take Cover

Smoke On The water

Caught Live: Mr Big, Manchester Academy 2, 17 September 2011

2011-09-18T17:50:00.001+01:00

Not for the first time, an early start caught me out. Arriving at Manchester University for Mr Big, a band I'd never seen before, I got there to find the group already on, and it was so packed I could hardly get through the door! The band were playing at the Academy 2, also known as the Debating Hall, and it was completely rammed. It could justifiably have been upgraded to the main Academy 1 venue in my view, but there we are.

Mr Big are a band packed with so much musical talent that it must be hard making room for everyone - there's a virtuoso guitar shredder in Paul Gilbert on one side, ANOTHER one on the other side in Billy Sheehan, who matches everything Gilbert does - only an octave lower and with two less strings, Pat Torpey keeping everything together at the back (and showing himself to be a good bassist too, more of which later), and to top it all, there's Eric Martin. A 50-year old who looks about 30, and still in possession of a fine singing voice. Nowadays, with his hair shorter, he looks a lot like comic actor Mike Myers!

For all that, the crowd reaction every time Sheehan was namechecked made it clear who the fan favourite was. I don't think I've ever seen a band where the bass player outshreds the lead guitarist before! While Gilbert was taking solos during songs, Sheehan was finger-tapping his way through them. It shouldn't work, but it does; he manages to avoid stepping on the guitarist's toes while still showing off. Gilbert is himself a highly-respected virtuoso, and would need to be, to keep up with the phenomenon across the stage.

When they put everything together, they're untouchable. Unbelievably tight, and still able to express themselves. The only thing I wasn't too keen on was some of the attempts at crowd participation; Martin's attempts to get the crowd to holler back at him fell flat at times. British crowds tend to like it kept simple and trying to get them to do a convoluted chant just isn't going to work, Martin was met with bemusement! When he stuck to singing however, he was excellent.

Both Gilbert and Sheehan got extended solos, something I could live without but both were well received by the crowd. Sheehan's solo, coming late in the set, segued into 'Addicted To That Rush'. For the encores, inevitably 'To Be With You' was aired (their only genuine chart hit in this country) and a bizarre rendition of Deep Purple's 'Smoke On The Water' followed. The whole band swapped places; Martin took over the guitar, Gilbert took to the drumkit and Torpey was entrusted with Sheehan's bass. Sheehan himself took lead vocals, at least for the first two verses (and he flubbed the first!) before they paused mid-song to change over. Sheehan took the guitar off Martin, who then took over the bass, while Sheehan played a near-perfect rendition of Blackmore's solo. If he's that good on a six-string, perhaps he should take it up full-time! The song continued with Pat Torpey now taking lead vocal for the last verse, showing himself as both a capable bassist and a pretty good lead singer.

They ended proceedings with the players back on their own instruments, for a cover of The Who's 'Baba O'Riley' - no synthesisers, all effects done on guitar or bass!

In summary, this is an excellent live band, one of the very best you'll see - sometimes they do over-egg the pudding and if like me, you're not a musician, occasionally you wonder whether some of what you're witnessing is going over your head, but it is easy to see why they were one of the few classic rock bands to survive the Grunge thing when they just rock out.

Hopefully they'll be back before too long and in a bigger venue (I know a good one at this end of the M62 that needs more good rock bands to play it, fellas!)

Edit this setlist | More Mr. Big setlists

Caught Live: Firewind (with Wolf) Moho Live, Manchester 10 September 2011

2011-09-12T04:57:00.001+01:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

I'm not seeing as many gigs as I might like at the moment, but this one was on my agenda for a while for two reasons: firstly I saw this band two years ago in the same city, but they were badly let down by the PA at the venue (Jillys Rockworld) which forced a shortened set. Secondly, it was a chance to catch up again with Daniela, a cyber-pal of mine for many years and probably the most dedicated fan of rock you'll meet! She had travelled over from Sweden to catch the band on several UK and European dates; more on her adventures can be read here.

After meeting up and catching up over a coffee, she and I got to the venue in plenty of time to get a spot on the front. Moho Live is one venue in Manchester I'd never been to before; sited in the Northern Quarter and literally next door to the famous Afflecks Palace indoor market, it is set back a little from the street.

After about an hour's wait we got in, to find the venue is set in a basement with the stage on the left hand side as you go through the doors. The place is quite small with capacity probably no more than a few hundred. Having got to the front, there was very little space between the barrier and the stage and the ceiling looked low, so there'd be no jumping from the bands.

Openers were Swedish trad-metallers Wolf, a four-piece led by vocalist/guitarist Niklas Stålvind. They make no attempt to disguise their Maiden/Priest influences and delivered a short set of decidedly 80s style Metal. Stålvind's radio link packed up early on forcing him to plug in directly to his amp mid-song, but it didn't really throw them off. They played well and had a strong following of their own, but it didn't really grab me. One drunk punter behind me was trying to do just that however, whether he was just caught up in the moment or was trying to get me off the barrier I don't know, but I'm not easily budged! One swift elbow from Daniela saw him off, eventually!

Firewind had been forced into a late change in the vocalist department, with regular frontman Apollo Papathanasio sitting out the European dates because of "family reasons", the band hastily recruited journeyman singer Mats Levén for this run of dates. Levén has performed with many acts including Yngwie Malmsteen in his time and quickly stamped his authority on the band with an assured performance. It really didn't feel like he'd been parachuted into the band at the last moment, he was a natural fit. Although the band is expecting Papathanasio back by the time they travel to the US, nobody should be disappointed if Levén is still in place by then.

Whoever the singer may be, the band remains the baby of lead guitarist Gus G. His profile has rocketed since 2009 after he was recruited by Ozzy Osbourne, but he always remained committed to Firewind. He showed just why Ozzy was keen to bring him on board with a virtuoso display. Nevertheless it isn't all about Gus, over on the other side of the stage Bob Katsionis, doubling up on both keyboards and guitar, proved an effective foil for the main man. All in all it was a much more enjoyable experience than the last time I saw the band, with a full set and a PA system that actually worked. The night was completed when Gus threw one of his guitar picks my way and I caught it - with my left hand!

If you're a fan of Power Metal, be sure to check this band out, If you were wavering because of the vocalist situation, go anyway. A great live band, and hopefully one that will get more recognition soon.

Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling

2011-06-27T16:59:00.001+01:00

Anyone who knows me personally knows I'm a long-time fan of 'The Prisoner', the 1960s spy/sci-fi/allegorical series starring Patrick McGoohan, once Britain's highest-paid TV actor. He was at the height of his success in 1966 which gave him the licence to make his own show, full of his own ideas, and one which remains etched in the minds of everyone who saw it.

The influence of the programme has been felt far and wide, and only two years ago a remake was produced, to mixed reviews. All the same, it is the iconic imagery of the original which remains fixed in most peoples' mind, and it continues to influence art today.

I recently discovered a band calling themselves after one of the episode titles: Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling are a duo coming out of Boston, USA and made up of bass player Michael J. Epstein and drummer/vocalist Sophia Cacciola. They recently released their first music video, a shot-for-shot remake of the opening sequences to 'The Prisoner', only the location was Boston rather than London, and with Sophia Cacciola in the McGoohan role. The song is called 'Episode 1: Arrival' and is the first of 17 planned tracks, all titled after the episodes and all based on the programme.

The video is available to watch on YouTube now and it is a painstakingly accurate recreation, right down to the Caterham 7 'Prisoner' edition car (a replica of McGoohan's car, which was produced in 1990 in limited quantities) and the near-perfect replica of the interior of The Prisoner's flat. If like me, you are a fan of this series, you will be amazed at how close they got it. They substitited a Boston garden for the Welsh village of Portmeirion, but found a beach location which is uncannily similar to that in the location in Wales.

Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling's music is loud and hard-hitting alternative rock, not quite the sort of old-school hard rock I normally prefer but with the use of 'The Prisoner' they have an effective hook in which to draw people in. Take a look at their video for 'Episode 1: Arrival' and if you are a fan, there are companion clips which show the original in an inset, and another which shows the making of the video.

The band, (and video producers Lost Jockey Productions) are to be congratulated on a superb piece of work and the video will doubtless get them plenty of attention. I look forward to more.

Video with the original inset for comparison

The making of the video

Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling

2011-06-27T16:57:00.001+01:00

The band, (and video producers Lost Jockey Productions) are to be congratulated on a superb piece of work and the video will doubtless get them plenty of attention. I look forward to more.

Video with the original inset for comparison

The making of the video

Music Heals live music event and auction

2011-06-21T00:20:00.001+01:00

Coming immediately after my second and last Whitesnake gig on their run of UK dates (at the Manchester Apollo) was this live event put together by the charity Music Heals. Music Heals was set up in 2010 by some friends, all of whom are Whitesnake fans and who all live in different parts of the British Isles. Already they have as patrons Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich, that band's former keyboard player Timothy Drury and Liverpool singer-songwriter Stephen Langstaff.

The charity aims to help seriously-ill children through music in various ways, be it in the creation or addition of music rooms in hospitals, or the provision of instruments or other items for use in childrens' wards. The charity has worked with Claire House in Liverpool and St Oswald's Hospice in Newcastle, donating musical instruments, toys and books. Having met with many noted rock musicians and gathered various items for auction in order to raise funds, the organisation put on its first live fundraising event at Jabez Clegg bar in the heart of Manchester's university area. The event featured two live bands and a silent auction, where some items relating to Whitesnake and Status Quo were on offer. One of the items was auctioned separately and this was the chance to meet Quo themselves at any one of their upcoming UK dates. Fittingly then, the two bands playing were tributes to Whitesnake and Quo, in the form of Whitesnake UK and State of Quo.

My involvement on the night was as event photographer; I'd been asked to take shots of both bands in action and any assorted goings-on. So it was that I found myself with my big SLR digicam for once, taking pictures of a band playing songs that I'd heard only the previous night! Whitesnake UK gave a set lasting around an hour and did a fine job in warming up the early attendees. After their set the auctions began with people coming along and making written bids; some smaller items were on offer including signed CDs, DVDs, posters and even the special Whitesnake issue of Classic Rock magazine which included the complete 'Forevermore' album. The other band on were State of Quo; they had brought a few of their own followers along and when they struck up, the floor soon filled with air guitar players and boogieing punters. I was very tempted to join them, but I had a job to do! They also played for around an hour, featuring Quo material only from the 1970s - the classic stuff. Following their excellent set, the silent auctions closed and the main auction for the Status Quo meet and greet got under way, compered by State of Quo's lead singer Ian Hill. (No, not the bloke from Judas Priest!) To Ian, and everyone else's amazement, the bid reached a staggering £600.

By the time the totals were added from the night's proceedings and the eBay auctions (which included a guitar autographed by both Doug Aldrich and David Coverdale) a total of £2574 was raised. All in all it was a great night, with good music, good company, and all in aid of a very good cause. Music Heals are always looking for volunteers to spread the word and also musicians - at any level - to support them. For more information email at information@musicheals.co.uk or join their Facebook page.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Clarence Clemons 'The Big Man' 1942-2011

2011-06-20T22:12:00.001+01:00

It's been over a decade since last I saw Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band live, but it still came as a shock to learn about the death of saxophone player Clarence Clemons.

A mainstay of the E Street Band since its formation, Clarence Clemons was the first name beside the Boss himself anyone could name from the band. The huge imposing figure of 'The Big Man' was the perfect visual foil; the cover shot of 'Born To Run' featuring the two is now an iconic piece of album art.

Although I've seen Springsteen and the E Street Band (as it was always billed for live performances - at least while he toured with the E Street Band) live on several occasions, I'm not a massive expert on them. On that stage at Wembley Stadium, the Big Man looked enormous - towering over the Boss and everyone else. Springsteen used to describe him as 'the heavyweight champion of the world' on stage during those shows, and few would have argued! For all that, he had an engaging stage presence - always getting the biggest cheer.

When you think of Springsteen songs featuring sax solos, inevitably 'Jungleland' springs to mind straight away. A ten-minute epic concerning romance amid a background of violent gangs, its centerpiece is that signature solo. It wasn't the only song to have significant contributions from Clarence Clemons however; the title track of that same album has a short but memorable sax break. 'Bobby Jean' off the 'Born in the USA' album has an excellent outro solo and of course 'Dancing in the Dark', whose video featured a young Courteney Cox being invited up onstage with Springsteen while the Big Man plays out.

Clarence Clemons also played on other projects outside of Springsteen and one that raised a few eyebrows was his collaboration with 80s metallers Twisted Sister. He played a short solo on 'Be Chrool To Your Scuel', an unusually light-hearted rock 'n' roll number featuring a number of other notable guests including Alice Cooper, Brian Setzer and Billy Joel. Other artists he worked with included Aretha Franklin, Jackson Browne and more recently, Lady Gaga.

The last time I saw the E Street Band was in 1999 in Manchester, with all present and correct, looking in fine shape. However Clarence Clemons had suffered from ill-health for a number of years, and suffered a stroke on the 12th June. It was complications from that stroke which led to his death on Saturday evening.

Springsteen described the loss as "immeasurable" on his website and added: "His life, his memory, and his love will live on... in our band. " It seems inconceivable that there can be an E Street Band without The Big Man in it, such was his huge presence, but that seems to be the intention of The Boss. Whatever he does, he, his band and the world of music have lost a true giant.

Caught Live: Whitesnake, City Hall, Newcastle 13 June 2011

2011-06-14T22:19:00.003+01:00

OK I admit it, I had some misgivings about this show beforehand. Whitesnake have just put out their best album in years with 'Forevermore', and vocalist David Coverdale rolled back the years on that record, belting out anthem after anthem to give a monumental performance. So much so I feared he'd left all his throat in the studio and would struggle to deliver that same thing live, night after night.

The last Whitesnake tour was cut short with the singer having to end prematurely a show and cancel the remaining dates of the tour, and he was diagnosed shortly after with damage to his vocal cords. A statement was issued which said that they were fortunate that it was caught in time, so a prolonged period of rest was prescribed before the singer was given the OK to resume work last year. The resulting album seemed to indicate the vocalist was out to prove he still had it in him, with some huge performances put down on tape.

He's been active once again in the rock transfer market since the last tour, with bassist Uriah Duffy and drummer Chris Frazier being released in favour of new signings, Michael Devin having assumed the bass role and Briian Tichy now behind the kit. Keyboard player Timothy Drury also departed last year, although he plays on the new record, and it is Brian Ruedy who has taken over the ivories for this latest run. So - with three new Snakes, and a month into the tour already for the veteran rock god, can he still deliver the goods live?

He certainly came up trumps at Newcastle, with Tichy now behind the kit the band's sound hits harder than ever and Coverdale had to work hard to elevate himself above the nuclear explosions coming from the back of the stage. The appeal with Coverdale is he always gives 100% every night, he may not hit every note, he may sound rough round the edges sometimes but he never holds back. That was the case last night, he was going for it hard and reaching - and holding - notes that he certainly was not doing in 2008. Perhaps it was the setting (Newcastle being in his native north-east) but, for someone who once declared that he wanted "less strain on the old Calvins" (a quote of his from over a decade ago), the Calvins were under as much strain as ever this night! He does rely on his band to back him up - the harmonies are sounding excellent in this new line-up - but when he was reaching for the fabled lung-busting roar, he got it. It was noticeable that the older songs have been taken down, possibly by as much as a whole step, but Coverdale has set himself a daunting task with this set list. Packed with demanding songs including five off the new album, it's understandable he's arranged them in a lower key in order to perform night after night.

They opened with 'Best Years' as they did in 2008/9, but this was the only 'Good To Be Bad' song performed. With so many new songs played Coverdale took the safe option with the oldies. He dare not drop 'Ain't No Love In The Heart of The City', for instance. So the new ones included 'Love Will Set You Free', 'Steal Your Heart Away', 'My Evil Ways' (which came after the guitar duel and preceded a blistering Tichy drum solo, including a Tommy Aldridge-inspired hit-em-with-the-hands part), the epic 'Forevermore' which showcased the vocal harmonies of the band, and a surprise in 'Fare Thee Well'. For this, everyone apart from Ruedy and Coverdale himself had acoustic guitars - even Tichy, who came out from behind the kit to play alongside the rest of the band. That was about as mellow as it got all night, most of the rest of the night was high-octane stuff. Even 'Is This Love' rocks harder now, with a turbocharger driving the band!

As I've been intimating, the revelation of this new line-up is the drummer. Briian Tichy has lit firecrackers under the band and as a result the whole sound is heavier, harder, and more Metal than ever. Unreconstructed headbangers (raises horns!) will love it, purists who hanker for the older style may not be quite so keen. However, this is the direction that has proved most successful for Coverdale over the years, so for now at least, he's sticking with it. Tichy does have his immense power under control - he's not just a slam merchant - but when he really lets loose, duck! Fellow newbies, bassist Michael Devin and keyboard player Brian Ruedy, are less conspicuous and have blended into the line-up nicely. The two guitarists are now the longest-serving members apart from Coverdale himself, and you know what you are getting by now - Reb Beach is the flashier of the two, but Doug Aldrich has more of a bluesy feel.

The only reservation I did still have after the show was the solo spots - they're getting longer if anything, and as great as the guys are, I've never been a fan of long solos. Tichy's drum solo was also lengthy, and it might have been better to have the spots more spaced out. As it is, only 'My Evil Ways' separated the guitar and drum solos. meaning an extended period with Coverdale off the stage. If the singer does need a mid-set breather, it might be a better idea to revive 'Snake Dance' and have the other guys jam, or maybe even give, say, Reb Beach a song! The lengthy solos do tend to break the momentum of the show, and the mainman may need to look at this part of the show again.

For the most part though, Coverdale has once again triumphed. He hits the big six-oh in a few short months and is aware that he cannot tour like this indefinitely, but if he is planning on taking a different path in future, this is a momentous way to end. So much for my misgivings!

Support was from The Union, with vocalist Peter Shoulder on home territory. He and former Thunder guitarist Luke Morley have established a strong reputation in the short time they've been together, and the live band included Chris Childs (also ex-Thunder) and new drummer Dave McCluskey. They were given only a short time to impress, but they did just that with Shoulder impressing the North East crowd with his own rich, bluesy voice. An immensely talented singer and guitar player in a band that oozes class, he and Morley will be selling out these kind of venues themselves soon if there is any justice. Don't miss these guys. [[posterous-content:pid___0]]

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Caught Live: Roger Waters - The Wall Live, MEN Arena Manchester 21 May 2011

2011-05-22T23:06:00.001+01:00

(...we came in?)

Up until a few days ago I wasn't going to attend this concert - I was contacted by an old workmate who told me he had a spare if I wanted it. As this is probably the last chance we'll ever get to see The Wall performed live by the guy who wrote it, and probably the last time he will ever tour such a big production, the bullet was bit!

Although I've seen Waters twice before, once at this venue and again at Liverpool's Echo Arena, this show promised much. Performances of 'The Wall' in its entirety are few and far between; it is only now that Waters has had the budget and the technology to take the show on the road. The Pink Floyd Wall shows in 1980 have become legendary; similarly the all-star show at Berlin, performed following a pledge by Waters that he would stage it after that previously divided city's Wall came down.

On entering the arena the scale of the production was clear immediately. A huge, partially-built Wall went across the stage, with the performers mostly positioned behind it. Shortly before the lights went down, an announcement came over the PA requesting that the audience not use flash photography, even advising patrons how to set their cameras to switch the flash off! Waters himself soon appeared, to rapturous cheers, as he ran from one side of the stage to the other to greet the crowd. Clad in a black T-shirt and black canvas jeans, he donned a greatcoat to start proceedings with the opening track, 'In The Flesh?' The sound effects and carefully-positioned spotlights were effective in creating the illusion of an air attack, as the bomber sound effect grew louder and climaxed with a pyro explosion on the stage complete with fireworks.

There were few present who did not know the story behind the concept album; based on Waters's own life, it tells the story of a young boy whose father was killed in World War II who grew up to become the rock star 'Pink Floyd'. As the track 'The Thin Ice' began, a projection of Eric Fletcher Waters, Roger's father appeared on the large screen over the stage. A smaller image appeared on one of the bricks in the wall, and as the song progressed images of other war victims began to appear on the screen, then as bricks in the wall. Eventually the entire wall was taken up, and a powerful point was made. As the show progressed, you could see technicians slowly adding more 'bricks' to the wall. This meant of course that both the band playing and the screen were becoming hidden from view, but this mattered little as the main man was still visible, emerging from the gap still in the wall to the front part of the stage. When the set got to 'Another Brick In The Wall Part 2' the song was extended to accommodate solos from guitarists Snowy White and Dave Kilminster.
To accompany this song, there was a large puppet 'Teacher' looking exactly like that seen in the promo video all those years ago, and for the 'schoolchildren' part of the song a group of young people clad in black T-shirts all with the slogan 'Fear Builds Walls' appeared on stage. When it got to the outro solo, one of these youngsters broke ranks and played air guitar along to the solo! Needless to say this song was cheered to the rafters.

It wasn't until we got to 'Mother' that Waters addressed the audience, and showed a hitherto unseen willingness to call himself out. He announced that 'Mother' would be performed as a sort of duet - between himself singing live, and himself from 30 years previously. Footage from the Earls Court shows of 1980 appeared on the Wall as the song was performed, and by now we could see little of the band on the stage. However, a large inflatable 'Mother' was clearly visible, looking stern and imposing. Equally visible - and blunt - was the response to the line 'Mother Should I Trust The Government?' on the Wall, written in the Scarfe style!

Another powerful visual came during 'Goodbye Blue Sky', showing animation of a squadron of bombers (looking suspicuously like B-52s) in silhouette, all in formation and about to bomb the land below. However, the 'bombs' were symbolic - one bomber was dropping crucifixes, another dropped Stars of David, another the Star and Cresent, and there were even 'bombs' in the shape of the Shell symbol, the Mercedes-Benz logo and the McDonalds 'M'. It's safe to say none of these companies were sponsoring this tour! The wall was nearing completion by this time and although we could hear the band rock out for 'Young Lust', for example, all that could be seen were scantily-clad women projected onto the Wall! The first part of the show ended with 'Goodbye Cruel World', when all that was left was one brick-sized gap, closed as the song ended.

During the intermission, once again there were projections of people who had lost their lives in wars. Preceded by a message from Waters himself pledging 'We Will Remember Them', these were images sent in by people from around the world and displayed, regardless of where they were from and who they were fighting for (if indeed they WERE fighting - some were civilian victims). Each image had a short description about the person's lives, and once again, without lecturing anybody over a microphone - Waters had made a point.

The show recommenced with the completed Wall in place, as the band struck up 'Hey You'. The fact that we could still the spotlights were still focusing on the players but not the musicians themselves was very bizarre! A section of the Wall opened up stage left for 'Nobody Home'; this had Waters sat in a recreated hotel room watching 'thirteen channels of s--t' while he performed alone. All we saw up until 'Comfortably Numb' was projections, but the sight of the words 'BRING THE BOYS BACK HOME' written in huge Scarfe-style letters across the Wall carried extra weight now, given current events. Waters himself appeared in front of the Wall for 'Comfortably Numb' and sang, while atop the Wall were singer Robbie Wycoff and guitarist Dave Kilminster. Sadly no Gilmour, who appeared at London's o2 Arena for one date, but anyone who wants to see that will have found it on YouTube by now.
Kilminster performed the solo superbly, almost exactly as it was recorded, as below, Waters conjured up effects to make the Wall seemingly explode.

Because of its iconic status, the song is usually played at the end of a set but with this being a live recreation of the Wall album, it had to fit in the order. Consequently there was a danger that the rest of the show could be anti-climactic - not so here, with the master of rock theatrics. He brought out a 'surrogate band' for 'In The Flesh' performing in front of the Wall, all dressed in the scary uniforms and with the 'hammer' flags above them. It all got a bit 'Sid Vicious' at the end when Waters produced a machine gun and 'had us all shot' too - he outdid every Heavy Metal musician who has pretended to 'machine-gun' a crowd with a guitar in one swoop!

'Run Like Hell' followed, which was about the only time this felt like a straight rock gig with Waters and his band urging clapping throughout. The show ran like clockwork, Waters is a master when it comes to presenting his work as theatre and with such strong visuals, he really brings the album and its concept to life. The penultimate song 'The Trial' saw plenty of disturbing Scarfe animations before the Wall itself came tumbling down - I think the stewards stationed at the front of the stage facing the audience got a shock as huge 'bricks' came down up on their heads! Fortunately, the bricks are merely cardboard but even so, there was a huge mess at the front of the stage! At the end, there was a massive roar from the huge Arena crowd, as Waters came out and introduced his band - including his son Harry who was playing keyboards. With the band stood in a line, and with Waters playing a trumpet, it was time for the final song, 'Outside The Wall'.

Following that, Roger then thanked the audience and gave special mention 'to all the Scousers here tonight'! He is well aware of the devoted following of his old band in the Liverpool area and risked jeering from the rest of the audience, but did so anyway. Pity that the show wasn't held in the Echo Arena then - but the sheer scale of this production meant that it could only be staged in the largest venues. He then earned himself another light-hearted boo by congratulating Manchester United - explaining that it hurt to do so as he is a lifelong Arsenal fan! However, the boos suggested not too many United fans were present!

Football-related banter aside, this was a colossal event and one everyone present was privileged to be at. When you consider that the guy is 67 years old, his performance was astonishing, and when you consider that he's been doing it night after night for the best part of a year, doubly so. There are many current acts playing arenas who put on huge productions but as stylish as they may be, surely none can come close to this one.

The original Floyd shows are still talked about today, and I predict that this production will still be revered in another thirty years time. I hope I'm still around by then to brag that I was there!

(Isn't this where...)

Caught Live: Glenn Hughes, Birkenhead Pacific Road Arts Centre 17 May 2011

2011-05-19T01:13:00.001+01:00

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He's been an ex-pat for many years now, but Cannock's Voice of Rock Glenn Hughes has been seen frequently back on these shores in recent years. Only last Autumn he brought his solo band over for a tour, just as the debut album from his supergroup Black Country Communion hit the shelves, and now that he has finished recording a new album with Bonamassa and co, he's back again with his Scandinavian sidemen for an extensive tour of his homeland.

There was no support for this date at Birkenhead's Pacific Road Arts Centre; a venue that was under threat of closure only last year, but has seen several notable artists take to its stage of late. Hughes is arguably the most legendary of these, but even he could not fill this hall, a fairly large venue capable of holding about 1000 comfortably. Perhaps the fans are saving for Black Country Communion, who are hitting the UK in July and playing along the North Wales coast, at Llandudno, but all the same, a somewhat disappointing turnout for an artist of this calibre.

Hughes and his pals came on stage quite early at 8:15 and set the tone for the night by opening with 'Muscle and Blood' from the Hughes/Thrall album. Glenn tends to vary his set quite a lot from tour to tour, and this time around (sorry!) he gave us a lot of harder-rocking cuts, pulled from the Trapeze days as well as classic Purple favourites. He did mention mid-set that he is currently leaning back toward the harder material, although no matter how weighty he always manages to get that bit funky. As with last year's gig at Holmfirth, it was a lesson in how to be heavy and how to rock without having to turn everything up to 11 and distort it to the max – he has a beast of a drummer in Pontus Engborg, a quite excellent guitarist in Soren Anderson and a fine keyboard player in Anders Olinder. Though Hughes goes to great lengths to involve all of the guys in the show, namechecking them all and ensuring they get a cheer, there's no doubt who the main man is. Storming all over the stage, pulling 'guitar gurns' and pulling out virtuoso bass runs, as well as showing all present that The Voice Of Rock is still in great shape, the ex-Purple man gave a performance that belied his 58 years.

A nice touch came mid-set when he pointed out two of his long-time fans: a couple from the Wirral who once ran a fan club for Hughes and published a fanzine during the days when Glenn was still battling his demons. He thanked them from the stage for sticking by him and believing in him when many had given up, for those people to see their hero in top form and in their home town too, must have been immensely satisfying.

Everyone who showed at this gig were immensely satisfied however, with a set full of classics powerfully delivered, this was a top-notch show from one of the true greats of the rock scene. Despite the low turnout, he acknowledged the efforts made by people to come out “during difficult economic times” and still managed to squeeze in a plug for his 'other' project!

If you are saving your money to see BCC, it will be excellent, but don't overlook Hughes solo either as he will deliver the goods live no matter who is alongside him.

Set list
Muscle And Blood
Touch My Life
Orion
Sail Away
First Step Of Love
Medusa
You Got Soul
Keepin' Time
Can't Stop The Flood
You Keep On Moving
Stormbringer
Soul Mover

Encore:
Addiction
Burn

The Delain meet and greet

2011-05-07T14:07:00.001+01:00

Following on from the previous report on Delain's gig at Leamington Spa which I saw last week, here are a few snaps from the post-show meet and greet.

Glad to get the chance to meet them afterwards since I reckon they'll be massive before much longer!

See the full gallery on Posterous

Photos (apart from CD cover scan) by Peter Arthur.

Caught Live: Delain (with Serenity and Lost in Thought) Leamington Spa Assembly, 2 May 2011

2011-05-04T01:21:00.003+01:00

For the second year in succession, Dutch symphonic metallers Delain are introducing a new band member on their British dates. Last year bassist Otto 'The Baron' Schimmelpenninck van der Oije joined up just before heading across the North Sea, and this year guitarist Timo Somers has made his live debut with the band in this country. The departure last year of Ewout Pieters was unexpected and personally, I was sorry to see him go. The group took a long time in choosing a successor on the six-string, so despite having seen the band before I was intrigued to see what the new axeman brought to the table.

Before all that, it was a long trip to the Midlands to Leamington Spa, somewhere I've never been before. The reason for the excursion was because my intended Delain gig (Manchester Academy 3) sold out before I had a chance to get a ticket! Usually, when a gig in the smaller venue sells out at Manchester University the act is bumped up to a bigger stage - not this time, the larger venue was booked for the same night so it was either not see Delain or go somewhere else. After I was blown away by the gig last year at Leeds, not seeing them wasn't an option!

The Assembly venue is a nice hall, fairly ornate setting and a good sized stage for the band to perform on. I got there in plenty of time for the gig, intending to get on the barrier and got talking to several fans already outside. All of those who had been before said the venue was a good one, so I was looking forward to this show. Having pre-booked the ticket, it was a bit worrying that it wasn't possible to collect the ticket before the doors opened, and those fears were well-founded once they did let us in at 7:15. It only takes one person whose name can't be found on the list, and that led to the depressing sight of fans streaming in ahead while I was stuck in another queue! By the time I got in, the barrier had gone but I got in behind some of the folks I was talking to earlier. There wasn't too much time to get annoyed about it though, as opening act Lost in Thought came on while the hall was still filling up. I know nothing whatsoever about these guys, but their short set reminded me a little of Dream Theater. The singer had a good voice, the guitar player was excellent but maybe it was a bit too early, I didn't really get into them.

Next up were Austrian metallers Serenity; this set kicked things up several gears, with a very polished set. Vocalist Georg Neuhauser made his grand entrance wearing a greatcoat, and soon got the crowd (by now filling up rapidly) going. They're another band I know very little about but they played extremely well, their music is hard to put into a neat 'symphonic' or 'progressive' box but if you want a reference point, I'd say they weren't a million miles removed from Queensryche. The set included not one but two duets; first up was former Xandria vocalist Lisa Middelhauve to perform 'Fairytales' with Neuhauser before she made way for none other than Charlotte Wessels, to sing 'Serenade of Flames'. Her appearance, with her hair up and dressed in what looked like a business suit, brought about a massive cheer from the crowd, although given that she provided vocals on that track for Serenity's album, it wasn't a total surprise to see her on stage with the guys. Guest appearances aside, Serenity went down really well and will doubtless be back again on their own terms soon.

Delain came on stage at around 9:15 and opened their set with a new song. Provisionally titled 'Manson', it was one of three new tracks performed during the set. The band are due to record their third album after this run of dates, and as well as showcasing Timo Somers it was a chance to see how their new songs would go down with their increasingly-loyal fanbase. The new songs were spaced out throughout the set, with plenty of familiar stuff for the fans to enjoy, such as 'Stay Forever', Invidia', and 'April Rain'. Somers turned out to be a blaze of activity on the stage, headbanging away in unison with the other guys and frequently swapping places with the bassist. His playing stayed quite close to the recorded solos although he managed to find room for a few shreds - verdict, thumbs up!

The other thing I did notice was that the 'growly' vocals previously performed by Pieters and before that, Ronald Landa, have been taken over by 'the Baron'. Only the clean male vocal line in 'Invidia' was sung by Timo Somers, but both guys did backing vocals behind Charlotte Wessels. Regardless of who is on the six-string, it is the flame-haired frontwoman that is far and away the main attraction. Once again she gave an assured performance, that honey-coated voice holding everyone captive. I said last year that she has everything in her locker to become a huge star in her own right; I still believe that now but for the present she is focusing on the next album with Delain.

The new material does seem a bit of a departure, definitely heavier, but we'll only be able to judge properly once the record is released. There were a few changes to the set from what was played at Manchester; they've been performing a cover of the Cranberries' 'Cordell' but that was dropped at Leamington in favour of material from 'Lucidity'; 'Silhouette of a Dancer' and 'Shattered' were played instead. Personally I'd have loved to hear 'Come Closer' but, next time round please folks! The older songs did go down better, although the singer was visibly delighted with the reception she was getting. After ending the main set with 'Pristine', we got three songs in the encore. 'Sleepwalker's Dream' was followed by a Hietala-free rendition of 'Control The Storm' and finally, 'The Gathering' complete with tinsel falling on the crowd. A step up from last year's ticker tape during the same song!

This was once again an excellent performance from a band rapidly growing in popularity on these shores. The element of surprise wasn't present for me this time, last year I came away completely blown away but it was no less enjoyable for that. A vocal talent such as that possessed by Charlotte Wessels deserves much more than a cult following; in a scene with many excellent female vocalists I rate her a cut above them all. Before she does go supernova though, I'd like a few more Delain albums and shows!

One thing I didn't get to do last year was greet the band after the show; unbeknownst to me then they do meet and greets afterwards (provided the venue doesn't chuck everyone out immediately after the show) and this time, sticking around for a while meant I got the chance to meet the whole band. It was a pleasure to meet them all, Timo Somers looked very happy to be there especially. However, meeting Charlotte herself was a huge highlight - captivating when on stage, gracious when off. Definitely something to look back on if as I expect, she does reach the very top.

Just one request though Charlotte/guys: play my home city before you become huge and end up playing in stadia!

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See the full gallery on Posterous

Album Review: Whitesnake 'Forevermore' (Frontiers)

2011-03-25T23:13:00.001Z

There has been a noticeable renaissance from the classic rock acts of yesteryear; many came out of retirement or emerged from extended hiatuses (hiati?) to tour once again for their still devoted but greying fans, alongside some younger faces keen to see some of the greats while they still could.

Some of those classic acts have also returned to the studio and produced acclaimed albums, once again proving they still 'have it'. AC/DC garnered much praise for 'Black Ice' as did Heaven and Hell (the Dio line-up of Black Sabbath) with 'The Devil You Know'. Sadly, for obvious reasons there won't be a follow-up to that record, but Whitesnake have returned with their second studio album since vocalist David Coverdale reactivated the band (and eleventh in total), 'Forevermore'.

The last album 'Good To Be Bad' was broadly welcomed by the band's long-term fans; although it featured a completely new line-up (save for Coverdale, of course) from the band's late 80s heyday, it nonetheless managed to recapture their signature sound. The veteran vocalist has once again rang the changes to his band; despite proclaiming the post-2003 line-up to be the most stable yet, he has changed not one, not two, but THREE musicians from the last tour. He has retained the two guitarists Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach, but bassist Uriah Duffy and drummer Chris Frazier have been benched in favour of Michael Devin and Brian Tichy, respectively. Tichy in particular comes with a glowing reputation as one of the most dynamic sticksmen in rock today, whereas Devin is his regular partner on the four-string. Keyboard player Timothy Drury also quit the band in September 2010, but has still played on this new album. Has the old stager pulled it off again? Time to press the play button and settle back...

From the opening strains of the first track it seems like he has indeed nailed it. 'Steal Your Heart Away' is a storming rocker to open the album, guitars slashing away and big drums pounding in old-school style. Things get heavier with the next track, 'All Out Of Luck' with meaty riffing from Messrs Aldrich and Beach. 'Love Will Set You Free' follows, another rocker in much the same vein and one which many listeners will already be familiar with, as it was released as a preview track on the band's website some weeks ago. The engines are not cooled until the fourth track 'Easier Said Than Done'; a song written with one ear tuned to the radio and featuring a catchy, singalong chorus.

It is a characteristic of a classic rock band that there is a mixture of light and shade, something that tends to be lacking in newer bands. There is so much emphasis on strictly-defined sub genres of Metal that a band that is pigeonholed into one of those genres faces harsh criticism for trying anything that deviates from the accepted norm. No such problems with the Snakes, and after a couple more rockers we get 'One Of These Days', a much mellower track that would not have been out of place on the early Snake albums. Again, this is a natural for radio and a possible summer single. The other mellower track, 'Fare Thee Well' would sit well as a concert ending song, with its wistful lyric reminiscent of 'We Wish You Well' from more than 30 years ago. The majority of the rest of the album is hard-hitting, hard rock performed with power and panache, although I confess I'm not tremendously taken by 'Dogs In The Street'. Most of the songs on this album deal with Coverdale's favourite lyrical theme of love and relationships, but this is more of a throwback to when it was all 'Spit it Out' or 'Slide it In'. He has also overlooked the other thing that 'Dogs in the Street' are notorious for, and who'd want to clean that up (!)

The title track comes last of all, and is probably the best song on the whole album. A seven-minute plus epic in the style of, but not a direct copy of, 'Sailing Ships' from 'Slip Of The Tongue' and featuring some stellar guitar playing, this is one that is sure to be a concert highlight if done live.

While listening to this album two things caught my ear: firstly this album sounds BIG. It was, like the last album, produced by Coverdale, Aldrich and Michael McIntryre but this time around they have managed to make everything sound so much bigger, much grander, than previously (and that was not exactly a sombre record). It may benefit from the fact they went into the studio with both guitarists available this time (Reb Beach was touring with Winger last time out and 'phoned in' his guitar parts; Doug Aldrich played most of the rhythm tracks), or it may be the new drummer and bassist have kicked things up a notch. It could be that the multi-layered vocals on many choruses are adding to the big sound too, reminiscent of Queen's trademark harmonies in some places. Whatever the magic ingredient is, 'Forevermore' sounds more like a proper band than any Whitesnake album since 'Come an' Get It'. Whereas before, Coverdale and maybe one other has dominated proceedings, here it is much more a team effort. The other thing that struck me was that although this album is instantly recognisable as Whitesnake, the band have pulled off the difficult trick of making it sound new, yet familiar. In short, you're not hearing five bars of a song and shouting 'Hey, that riff sounds just like...'. The input of Doug Aldrich may have a lot to do with that, there's a definite freshness to this new set of songs.

All in all then, a stormer of an album. Coverdale is 60 this year and has a fantastic career behind him, but he's delivered an album that will stand up well in ten or twenty years' time. Whether the rest of us will still be standing is another matter, but even if I am being pushed around in my wheelchair sporting my Whitesnake T-shirt, I think I'll still enjoy this album.

www.whitesnake.com

Caught Live: The Lancashire Hotpots (with The Re-Entrants), 53 Degrees, Preston 26 February 2011

2011-03-01T03:05:00.001Z

Video clips from other shows and sources - photos are from this gig!

It was July 2007: just a normal Friday morning, driving to work, radio on and tuned to the local station, when the DJ announced something about a 'chippy tea' song, before playing something not normally heard on a breakfast radio show: folk music! This particular piece of folk was modern, however – a song all about the joys of consuming a good old-fashioned takeaway from the chip shop and a resolute slap in the face for the killjoys who seek to enforce the 'five-a-day' mantra. Intrigued, I had to find out who these geniuses were and whether they had any more songs. A quick search found the MySpace page for The Lancashire Hotpots (for it was they) and they did indeed have more songs on there. Their gimmick was to dress as stereotypical Lancastrian working men, complete with flat caps and neckerchiefs, while singing humorous folk songs about modern life.

As they put it: “21^st Century Folk, for 21^st century folk!”

All it took was two songs ('Chippy Tea' and 'He's Turned Emo') to have me in stitches and immediately proclaim these guys as my new favourite band!

Before long I was heading up and down the highways of Lancashire seeking out where they were playing, on one memorable occasion seeing them twice in the space of one day (!) and buying anything with their name on it – CDs, T-shirts, even a live DVD filmed at the Citadel in their home town of St. Helens. There have been numerous gigs since then too, and their following has grown to the point where they can now play larger places within Lancashire, like 53 Degrees in Preston, and actually venture outside the county palatine, to (gasp) Yorkshire and even (gulp!) London!

They could be forgiven for thinking an act like that would only last one or two years at the most, yet in 2011 and with four studio albums and a live CD under their belts and braces, their popularity is, if anything, increasing. This gig was intended to be their Christmas special, originally scheduled for December it was postponed owing to the weather. So it was that at the end of February the Hotpots and their Hotpotters reconvened at Preston for the rescheduled gig, with the guys promising to play Christmas songs anyway!

Before all that though, we had the Re-Entrants. Two intimidating-looking 'follically challenged' guys in identical black T-shirts and canvas trousers, both looking like they should be on the door rather than on the stage, until they picked up their instruments for their short set. Two little ukuleles! What followed was a remarkable display – the Re-Entrants play covers of popular songs from a wide variety of genres, arranged for ukulele but aiming to recreate as closely as possible (within the limitation of the instruments) the original arrangement. That included 'guitar solos' whenever a rock song was played! The sight of two burly blokes on ukuleles camping it up one minute (when playing 'Poker Face' and not gender-flipping the lyrics!) then throwing shapes like a Heavy Metal guitar hero for the rock songs like 'Ace of Spades' and 'Highway To Hell' was, frankly ludicrous. It was also wonderful! They mixed it up, playing Spandau Ballet's 'Gold' and then doing a full, complete version of 'Sweet Child of Mine' with both solos faithfully recreated, before performing 'Pinball Wizard' and 'Live and Let Die' with incredible accuracy.

Although it might put you in mind of Hayseed Dixie (who do similarly re-arranged covers of classic rock songs) remember, this is just two blokes. To play these songs as faithfully as they do on just two ukuleles takes incredible talent, although they do ham it up they really are fantastic players. Highly recommended – if they're coming anywhere near you go and see them.

A short interlude followed, with 'voiceover man' Peter Dickson's booming tones coming over the PA, sending up both the Hotpots and himself with amusing one-liners in between some utterly dreadful tunes (think 'Agadoo'!) on the tape before the Hotpots came on, to the strains of Erasure
(“I left the real tape in the car!” - Dickie Ticker)

This time round the guys were accompanied by the 'Lancashire Hotpipes' – a horn section dressed in the waistcoats and flat caps – but even with seven on the stage, it looked spacious up there. Kenny Body's drum kit seemed miles back! Sadly for the blokes in the crowd, there were no Lancashire Hotpants (their occasional group of girl dancers wearing tabards and stockings) this time, but the guys soon hit their stride opening with their song all about the simple pleasures of a cup of tea, 'Mek Us A Brew'. From there on in it was the usual Hotpots tomfoolery, costume changes including lead singer Bernard Thresher dressing as a pantomime pirate for 'Cinema Smugglers' (all about defying the high prices for sweets at the pictures by sneaking in your own!), the whole group donning hi-viz jackets and shades for 'Lancashire DJ' – then encouraging congas and hokey-cokeys in the crowd (!)

We even got the band's Robbie Williams pastiche all about Bernard's supposed fling with 'The Girl From Bargain Booze' as well as plenty of favourites off their four albums to date. It wasn't until the main set ended with 'Chippy Tea' that they did any Christmas stuff, coming back in for the encore in Santa hats that lit up to play 'Carry You Home' (the only song of theirs that isn't a parody of something or other) and 'Christmas in Lancashire'. The encore was rounded off with 'Hardcore Quornography', their Chuck Berry-style number where Bernard complains at being forced to turn vegetarian by his wife, the formidable 'Jean', then finally 'Shopmobility Scooter', as ever, segueing into 'Hey Jean' – any resemblance to a well-known song from a very famous pop group also hailing from Lancashire is coincidental (!)

So that should have been the last gig of 2010 for the Hotpots instead of the first of 2011, but nobody present minded. No real surprises for anyone who has seen the guys before (and especially not for someone who's seen them as often as I have!) but you know what you're getting with Bernard, Dickie, Billy, Bob and Kenny – a good laugh and a singalong! It did start to venture more toward rock as the set progressed though, Kenny's drumming was decidedly hard (maybe it was because he was set so far back!) and the sound from my position was dominated by Bob's bass. You don't see too many folk groups give their numbers the Big Rock Ending either, but these guys are fond of it!

The Hotpots are actually in the middle of recording their next album so fingers crossed by the time I see them again there'll be some new songs to enjoy. Provided they can 'keep it real' and find more inspiration from everyday life in Lancashire, that will be something to look forward to!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

The SynthAxe

2011-02-20T15:02:00.001Z

Following on from my last post about Gary Moore, I was watching the video for 'Out In The Fields' again when I noticed a brief shot of him holding what looked like a vacuum cleaner with strings on; this was in fact an early synthesizer controller (played similarly to a guitar) produced in Britain and known, cunningly enough, as the SynthAxe. As is so often the case with something new, it is always the bigger companies that take the idea, run with it and end up getting their products into the stores. The SynthAxe was prohibitively priced at around £10000, which is steep now let alone for 1985! Consequently only established musicians got the chance to try it out; Moore was one of them but although he was renowned for his willingness to try new things, when he played live that year it was with conventional guitars. It was Allan Holdsworth who became better known for playing the instrument; praising its innovation and declaring that he'd been waiting all his life for a device like that. It certainly opened up a lot of possibilities to guitar players, but rock fans are very conservative creatures and to bring one of those out on stage at a hard rock gig would have invited ridicule - no matter how much it could do!

Guitar synthesizers did get more sophisticated as time went on of course, and Judas Priest introduced them on their 'Turbo' album in 1986. They did, however use them wisely and never let the synths dominate; the guitar synths complemented the music rather than dominate their trademark heavy sound. Iron Maiden soon followed suit with 'Somewhere in Time'; again bringing in the synth sounds carefully. It was however Yes who brought the guitar synth to popular view in 1983, with Trevor Rabin's solo in 'Owner Of A Lonely Heart' attracting acclaim and attention. Indeed, Ritchie Blackmore admitted (in an interview with Kerrang!) that he went out and bought one of his own purely on the strength of hearing that solo.

Back to the SynthAxe: because of the high price few were sold and they are now rare. For the time it looked very futuristic; now it appears somewhat dated and the shape of it doesn't really seduce the eye. It isn't what you'd call 'rock and roll'! Maybe it was that as much as the high price which ensured it didn't catch on; it would have taken someone very high-profile like Prince to adopt it for the instrument to have become widely accepted. Perhaps with the 'rock' image in mind, today's guitar synths tend to be in the form of electronic sensors attached to a conventional guitar but which do the same job - control an external synthesizer. There is a company around today however that has taken on the SynthAxe idea and updated it for the 21st century: Starr Labs who produce the ZTar range of guitar/synth controllers. Interestingly, their devices can also be used to control games such as Rock Band!

So, while I remain one of those conservative creatures who firmly believes in the power of nothing more than strings, magnets, wood and electricity, here nonetheless are some video clips of the SynthAxe in action, along with its modern-day equivalent.

Here's Gary Moore/Phil Lynott with 'Out In The Fields' (SynthAxe visible at 2:00)

GARY MOORE 1952-2011

2011-02-10T09:19:00.001Z

It's been a few days now since the news broke that guitarist Gary Moore had died while on holiday in Spain. It goes to show how much he was respected by fellow musicians that tributes from so many greats in rock and in the blues scene have been pouring in. Almost consistently overlooked by critics and those who compile '100 Great Guitar Player' lists, his musical contribution both as a solo artist and band member is nonetheless immense.

Hailing from Belfast, Moore learned to play in his teens before moving to Dublin at the tender age of 16. There he met up with Phil Lynott for the first time, joining a band by the name of Skid Row (no relation to the later US band) and the paths of the two would cross many times from then on. In late 1973 Moore replaced Eric Bell in Thin Lizzy in order to complete that band's tour, but did not stick around. He did, however play lead guitar on the original studio version of 'Still In Love With You' which appears on Thin Lizzy's 'Nightlife' album, as well as appearing on two more tracks.

He released an album under his own name in 1973 but his solo career really started five years later with the hit 'Parisienne Walkways'. A slow bluesy number showcasing Moore's superb guitar tone, and featuring Lynott on vocal, the song was a hit single in the UK and the album 'Back On The Streets' soon followed. The album also included a slower and vastly different arrangement of the Lizzy song 'Don't Believe A Word' featuring the Lizzy main man. With this collaboration, Moore rejoined Thin Lizzy in 1978 and this time actually stayed with the group long enough to record a full album with them, 1979's 'Black Rose'. However the alliance once again splintered on the road, musical and personal differences between Moore and Lynott saw the former walk out mid-tour, forcing Lynott to hastily recruit Midge Ure on guitar to complete the tour.

Moore went on to form the short-lived G-Force, releasing one album, before resuming his solo career. During this period he would work with the likes of Ian Paice and Neil Murray (both ex-Whitesnake), Don Airey (Rainbow/Ozzy/Deep Purple) and he started to taste success under his own name, in the UK at least. Unsure of his own abilites on lead vocal at first, he recruited John Sloman for the road before electing to step up to the microphone himself full-time. His material during this period was straight-up hard rock with emphasis on his virtuoso lead guitar; many songs had political overtones influenced by the events of the Cold War. Such songs as 'Murder In The Skies' (concerning an incident in which a civilian airliner was shot down by the Soviet air force), 'Nuclear Attack' and 'Victims Of the Future' demonstrated his willingness to go beyond mere boy-meets-girl lyrics. He was unable to maintain a stable backing band however, it seemed that there was a game of musical chairs going on with players drifting between Gary Moore, Ozzy, Whitesnake and Deep Purple and so he would tour with a new line-up in 1984, featuring Elf/Rainbow bassist Craig Gruber and keyboard player Neil Carter, the latter doubling up on rhythm guitar. Moore and his band appeared that year at the Donington Monsters of Rock festival on a strong bill headlined by AC/DC, but his major successes still lay ahead.

In early 1985 he announced he would collaborate with one-time Purple bassist Glenn Hughes, but within weeks this was dissolved amid claims and counter-claims. The outspoken Moore left people in no doubt of Hughes' continuing substance issues (which Hughes denied, but ultimately he would clean up once and for all some years later). He did however use the sessions the two did complete for his next album, 'Run For Cover'. A mixed bag of an album, it featured many different musicians and singers, including once again, Phil Lynott who had by this time dissolved Thin Lizzy. The lead-off single 'Out In The Fields', another politically-charged number dealing with the 'Troubles' in Moore's native Ulster, was a UK hit and put Lynott back in the spotlight, performing live with Moore's band on television. Moore would go on to have another hit, with 'Empty Rooms' - a song he had re-recorded for this album after it had originally appeared on the previous record.

Lynott was meanwhile suffering badly with his own substance problems, and despite appearing on stage with Moore and his band at the Manchester Apollo in late 1985 he lost his battle in early 1986, something that affected Moore deeply. That marred what was a very successful year for Moore, his success with the album and tour led to his winning the 'Best Guitarist' award in Kerrang's readers' poll at the end of 1985. Taking most of 1986 out, he reappeared with the 'Wild Frontier' album in 1987. The record displayed heavy Irish influence and produced another hit with 'Over The Hills and Far Away' (covered many years later by the Finnish band Nightwish). Moore was showing his willingness to try different things at this point; the record used a drum machine rather than a human drummer although for the subsequent tour, Eric Singer joined Moore's live band.

By the end of the 1980s Moore was enjoying great success; he was booked into Wembley Arena for the tour in support of his next album, 'After The War'. This would be his last hard rock album for many years; he was starting to feel constrained by hard rock and began to take more interest in the blues. In 1990 he released the 'Still Got The Blues' album; the title track was reminiscent of 'Parisienne Walkways' but the sudden change in musical direction surprised many of his fans. He threw himself into this new style completely, while gaining many new followers who were impressed by 'this new guy' his old fans felt shut out as he almost totally turned his back on the hard rock material of his previous albums. Moore was however always influenced by the 'blues boom' of the late 1960s; his prized Les Paul guitar was once owned by Peter Green and he went on to make an album dedicated to the Fleetwood Mac founder: 'Blues For Greeny'. The blues direction continued for several years but Moore was never one to shy away from trying something different. 'Dark Days In Paradise' was another complete change of direction, aiming for a more contemporary 1990s sound. He ended the millennium with 'A Different Beat', where he strove to mix rock guitar with dance beats. During this time he was probably turning away his fans by following his muse; rock fans and indeed blues aficionados are notoriously conservative and regard anything that strays from the accepted template with suspicion.

Perhaps with this in mind, he returned to his blues style for 'Back To The Blues' and, a brief flirtation with his old hard rock past apart, would stay largely with that direction for the rest of his career. Moore was planning a new album and tour for 2011 when he died; he leaves a diverse and immense body of work behind him and remains a huge influence on many guitar players that followed in his footsteps. He leaves a massive gap; with a guitar sound many other players would have sold their grandmothers for and with a willingness to embrace many musical styles regardless of whether it made commercial sense or not, he was a genuinely creative talent.

Caught Live: Feeder, o2 Academy Liverpool, 7 Feb 2011

2011-02-08T13:42:00.002Z

It's been a long time since last I saw these guys, so long in fact that original drummer (the late Jon Lee) was still with them then. Though they've been round a few times since I've not really kept up with what they've been doing, and expected this show to be fairly low-key. Wrong! The larger upstairs room at Liverpool's o2 Academy was packed out with an expectant crowd, an excellent turnout for a Monday night. Clearly their fanbase has held up well unlike some other 'alternative' guitar bands from the 1990s, although from what I saw and heard they've not really changed that much in the intervening years.

Frontman Grant Nicholas now has his hair long and straggly, not unlike a certain deceased Grunge icon and the comparisons are compounded by the guitars he chooses to play (Fender Jazzmaster or Jaguar, albeit right-handed). Add to that he is singer-guitarist in a power trio that specialises in quiet/loud three-minute power pop anthems, and the link is complete. I haven't even touched on their cover of 'Breed', played in the encore! Bassist Taka Hirose was almost unrecognisable, now sporting long dark hair in place of the cropped peroxide barnet I knew a decade ago.

Once the group came out on stage, they didn't hang about. Short snappy songs came in a relentless barrage, most of which I didn't actually know but it hardly mattered, familiar or not they all fit the same template. Surprisingly, 'Buck Rogers' came mid-set and not at the end as might have been expected, which caused a mass bounce in the packed crowd. Nicholas looked pleased at both the turnout and the reception, many of their songs are made for the live setting and there was much jumping around throughout the set. He kept between-song chatter to a minimum however, the set was only just over the hour mark but in that time they managed twenty songs. Although firmly cast as 'alternative' or even 'indie' (the on-stage keyboard player was sporting a trilby hat, a definite 'indie' trademark!) their songs are very guitar-heavy with powerchords a-plenty. Solos are few and far between though, and many songs end suddenly (BAMM! BAMM! - thank you!) with only a handful given the Big Rock Ending (long-drawn out song ending) treatment - 'Just A Day', played in the encore, was one of these, and their Big Rock Ending segued into the previously mentioned cover of 'Breed'.

I was very impressed with latest drummer Karl Brazil - he joined in 2009 in place of Mark Richardson who has since rejoined Skunk Anansie - he drove along the pounding rock anthems superbly and I often found myself watching him - a definite 'hit 'em and they stay hit' kind of drummer.

For all that, and it was a good gig, I'm not totally sure I really enjoyed it. They played well, they went down great, but something didn't quite hit the mark with me. Maybe it's just that they're the same now as they were in 2001, they've not really done anything different to make me sit up and take notice.
Perhaps also it's just that there are still others like them who are still doing this kind of thing, Ash immediately spring to mind, or perhaps they just do come across too much like a British Nirvana as I intimated earlier. I think it's just that as good as they are live, there's little to mark them out as special.
I'd see them again if they came back to Liverpool, but if it sold out before I got a ticket I wouldn't lose a lot of sleep.

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Caught Live: Taking Dawn, Liverpool University Stanley Theatre 6 Feb 2011

2011-02-07T06:28:00.003Z

The Las Vegas-based rockers have played several support slots in the UK before, most notably when opening for KISS last year, but this is the first headlining tour they've done. This tour sees the introduction of new drummer Carlo Mazzone, who replaced previous skinpounder Alan Doucette late last year.

There was a small but very enthusiastic crowd at the smaller University venue, frontman Chris Babbitt had a very easy job getting the hands clapping and fists pumping. The band stand defiantly for old-school heavy rock; with long straggly hair and dressed in regulation denim cutoffs, from first song to last they set out to blast away the notion that only 'alternative' rock should be listened to. So it was up on the monitors for Babbitt and his cohorts, guitarist Mikey Cross and bassist Andrew Cushing, wielding their guitars like weapons and generally coming across like the bastard sons of Guns 'n' Roses, W.A.S.P. and Skid Row. Their material was traditional heavy metal, bordering on thrash in places, with moshpits a regular occurence. The band seemed pleased with the reception they got, even indulging in a little humour when, just before performing a cover of KISS's 'Black Diamond', they got the bassist to introduce it in the style of Paul Stanley. However, according to the frontman, he sounded more like (South Park's) Mr Hankey!

Not content with merely jumping on the monitors, Babbitt actually abandoned the stage when they played their last number, a gonzoid rendition of Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain'. Any idea of playing the lead solo went out of the window as he jumped into the crowd, and was lucky still to have his guitar in one piece by the time the song finished! The fast bit was performed essentially as a three-piece; the frontman was so busy being mobbed he couldn't play anything. This band really do not hold back; like Aussie contemporaries Airbourne they are strictly old-school, and that is a welcome sight after years of being force-fed indie and alternative rock. Not that I'm saying all that is bad, it's just that when you've not heard a REAL Heavy Metal band for a long time, you soon realise how much you miss it when one comes along. After their set, they immediately gathered at the merchandise stall (no CD on sale, bummer!) to meet and greet the people they'd just played for. That was a nice touch, all four guys were there as the crowd exited and happily posed for pictures, signed ticket stubs and chatted. It was rude not to have a word, so having spoken briefly to the other guys I got the chance to speak to Chris Babbitt, to say how refreshing it was to have a group like his on the scene again, when all we are usualy subjected to is the aforementioned 'safe' indie music. To my surprise, he told me it was worse in America! To my further surprise, he complimented me on my 'Thunder' T-shirt and praised The Union, the band formed by their former guitarist Luke Morley.

With their incendiary live sound and a great attitude, Taking Dawn will win many friends on this UK tour. Whether or not they can revive the Metal scene and rescue it from sinking deeper into a sea of strictly-defined sub-genres remains to be seen, but they certainly deserve to go a long way. Catch these guys when they come back.

http://www.takingdawn.com
http://www.facebook.com/Takingdawn
http://www.myspace.com/takingdawn

Caught Live: Brit Floyd, Liverpool Echo Arena 22 January 2011

2011-01-24T06:21:00.002Z

First gig for me this year and it was a freebie! It was because I won tickets from the local newspaper that sponsors this venue that I was at the Echo Arena, for the debut show from the newly-branded 'Brit Floyd'. The name may be new but many of the personnel involved are not; most of the musicans and crew are drawn from the better-known Australian Pink Floyd Show which has been touring the world for several years. The Aussie show is still a going concern and so we now have a situation where there are two large-scale Floyd tributes doing the rounds; indeed the Aussie act is slated to play this same place in two months' time, whereas this act will return in the Summer. Great news if you are a Floyd fan, and there are many of those in this city.

With it being a new project, and because the event was being filmed for a future DVD release, the organisers were keen to encourage people along. As previously mentioned, I was here because of a prize draw and actually only found out the day before the show that I'd won tickets. However the tickets were on general sale for a tempting £10 and, depending on when you booked, you either got the £10 back in the form of discount for the upcoming Summer show, or if you'd already booked for that show then they included a free ticket for this launch show as well. Given the low price for this show you could be forgiven for thinking it was a low-budget affair, but on arriving at the arena gig-goers were confronted with two huge inflatables outside the venue, of the Teacher (from 'Another Brick In The Wall') and a pig, sadly not flying overhead but tethered to the ground. The sight of these giant inflatables suggested we were in for a full-on Floyd live experience. On entering the arena it became clear that the venue has toughened up its policy in line with other arenas - we were searched before entering and also had to get past a sniffer dog! (The dog would only have found a Raisin & Biscuit Milky Bar on me, and he was not getting that!) Given the reputation of Floyd fans for being fond of 'herbal' substances, perhaps we should not have been surprised that the arena went to such lengths. Once inside, I found myself on the arena floor in the standing section. Only about half the capacity was in use this night, and there was plenty of space to stand in and so I chose a spot about halfway back, to get a reasonable view of the musicians and also of the visuals. The show was meant to start at 8pm, but came on about ten minutes past the hour. A huge roar went up as it became apparent that the show would start with 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', with one of the two guitarists playing a drawn-out introduction to the song. Once the whole band appeared, there were a lot of them! Two keyboard players, two guitarists (one of whom was also sharing lead vocals with the bassist), a drummer and a percussionist/saxophonist, and four female backing singers. Of course there was a large screen overhead showing visuals as the band played. The set was broken up into two parts; they mixed up material from the classic period with later material such as 'Learning To Fly' and 'High Hopes', the latter being accompanied by the original promo video. The rendition was so accurate that you could have been forgiven for thinking you were hearing the record - until you looked away from the video screen and down at the band. Everything was being performed on the stage, right down to the gently-tolling bell that chimes throughout 'High Hopes'. Equally impressive renditions of 'Mother', 'Welcome To The Machine' and the instrumental 'One Of These Days' followed before the first part ended with 'Pigs' - and an inflatable pig duly made its entrance to the left of the stage.

The only real quibble I had during this first part was not with the band; there was a group of lads stood near me who forgot they were at a concert and seemed to think they were in the pub, chattering constantly throughout the set. I fail to see why anyone would take the time and trouble to go and see a band only to pay scant attention to them when they're playing, but clearly their conversation was of paramount importance. So I and my friend moved closer to the stage for the second part of the show to get away from them, hoping there were a few more dedicated fans where we went to. The floor was not jam-packed and so it was no problem to get within a few feet of the front. When the band reappeared they performed 'Echoes' in its entirety, something which went down very well. This part of the show was a real crowd-pleaser; 'Time', 'Wish You Were Here' and 'Money' were just some of the best-loved Floyd songs given an outing here. 'Great Gig In The Sky' was done here, which gave one of the four female singers a chance to do her best Clare Torry impression. The set ended, predictably enough, with 'The Happiest Days of Our Lives/'Another Brick in the Wall Pt 2' (whereupon the second verse of the latter actually had a choir of schoolchildren appear to sing 'We Don't Need No Education'!) and of course 'Comfortably Numb', where the bassist had handed his four-string over to the sax player, and donned a white coat to play the 'doctor'. The solos were split between the guitarists and both gave near note-perfect renditions. That produced huge cheers from the crowd but also a mass exodus; the set ended just after 11pm and many streamed out without waiting for an encore. When they did come back, to perform 'Run Like Hell' (and send out huge black beach-ball things into the crowd) the hall was emptying as people left - presumably to catch trains or buses back home!

Despite the late finish the debut show from this new project was a success; the production was extremely professional, the set ran smoothly, the visuals worked well and the band is obviously made up of excellent, experienced musicians totally familiar with Floyd's work. For a tenner this was a great value night; for nowt it was even better! Brit Floyd's tour proper will commence in April - it calls at many British towns and I recommend checking it out if it's anywhere near you.

Set list:
Shine On You Crazy Diamond 1-5
Learning to Fly
High Hopes
Welcome to the Machine
Mother
One of These Days
Pigs

Echoes
Time
Great Gig in the Sky
Wish You Were Here
Keep Talking
Nobody Home
Us and Them
Money
Happiest Days of Our Lives
Another Brick in the Wall Part 2
Comfortably Numb

Encore:
Run Like Hell

Caught Live: ALTER BRIDGE; o2 Academy Birmingham 26 October 2010

2010-10-26T21:05:00.007+01:00

Because, once again, I left it late to get a ticket for this gig, all that were left on the night were balcony spaces. Which was better than I got at Manchester, because that sold out some time ago and I missed it! Alter Bridge's popularity is increasing all the time in Great Britain and after a two-year absence from these shores there was huge interest in these dates. While they've been away, singer Myles Kennedy has played shows with Slash, raising his profile even higher, while across the pond the other three reunited with Scott Stapp and took Creed back out on the road. That was controversial and enough has been written about it, suffice to say I was pleased that Alter Bridge did return as they promised (!)

The o2 Academy in Birmingham is a new venue to me; it replaced the old venue across town (which was demolished last year) and this new place is sited alongside one of the main roads leading to the city centre. There was an enormous queue at the venue when I arrived and I would guess that the place held close on 3000. What I could see of the downstairs looked completely packed and there were plenty filling the small seating area in the balcony as well as plenty more opting to watch from the back. It's been a while since I was obliged to be seated at a concert so I was unusually comfy and with a clear view of the stage when support Slaves To Gravity came on. They played for around 45 minutes and were good live, but their material didn't do a lot for me. They made all the right moves and their singer (a good vocalist, I have to say) said all the right things, most notably bigging up the headliners, but despite an enthusiastic, energetic performance, I wasn't hooked. Of course, with a crowd as partisan as Alter Bridge's, any band not called Logan are going to have a hard time opening this show (Logan supported in 2005 and 2008, and because they have a similar style, went down well) and these guys were received politely at best.

It was a good half-hour before the headliners emerged, while the increasingly restless crowd chanted the band's name, and a huge roar went up when the lights finally went down and the singer appeared. They opened the set with 'Slip To The Void' from the new album, before giving us TWO tracks in succession from previous album 'Blackbird'. The set was loaded more towards the older material than the new record, which was a little bit surprising as when they toured in support of 'Blackbird' in early 2008, they played a lot of songs from that album. This time round, we got most of the favourites from that album again!

It's not a complaint since I actually prefer the last album to the current one, but I did wonder which record they were promoting! So out for another airing were 'Before Tomorrow Comes', 'Buried Alive', 'Brand New Start' and 'Blackbird' (preceded as ever, by a snippet of The Beatles' song of the same name) among others, but no 'Watch Over You'.

That was intended to be played in the encore, but when the guitar tech brought on the stool only to remove it again almost immediately, it was apparent they'd changed things around a bit. At several points during the show, Kennedy apologised for not being at his best, although he was hitting high notes in places, there were others where he almost 'talked' through the words. I thought he sounded in decent nick generally, though (those songs must be extremely hard to perform night after night), but he was quick to acknowledge the vociferous 'choir', proclaiming that they 'kicked his ass'.

It was noticeable that although the new AB III songs were cheered, the older songs were greeted with a roar that almost lifted the roof off the new venue. Maybe the new songs are not that familiar yet, but perhaps it isn't just me that isn't 'feeling' the newie quite like the previous records. Alter Bridge at their best are capable of raising the emotions in the most hard-bitten rockers, and songs like 'Broken Wings' and 'Brand New Start' certainly do that, while the likes of 'I Know It Hurts' aren't quite at that level. They ended the main set with 'Isolation', before playing what I now know to be a truncated encore, first playing 'Open Your Eyes' complete with crowd participation, and culminating with 'Rise Today'. (They have been playing both 'Watch Over You' and 'Wonderful Life' acoustically on the other dates.)

Nevertheless it was still a long set, with almost everything I wanted to hear performed I had little to complain about. The other thing I observed from high up in my lofty perch was how much Kennedy has become the figurehead of this band; he's no longer the unknown singer in Mark Tremonti's project, he's very much the leading light of the group now. The Slash gig plus those Zeppelin links (it's now known he did rehearse with Page and co) have transformed the previously slightly shy frontman into a rock giant. If the Creed thing does take hold across the Atlantic once again, Kennedy won't be left high and dry.

However such speculation is for the future; for now let's hope they mean it when they promise 'Don't forget we're here to stay' in their song 'Come To Life'. If they are, arenas beckon next time round.

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Caught Live: Lacuna Coil; o2 Academy Liverpool 27 September 2010

2010-09-28T07:30:00.001+01:00

It's just over a year since last time the Italian goth-metallers pitched up in our fair city, and now they're back again - this time at the o2 Academy across town. Last year was a very low-key date; they brought no real stage show for their gig at the Masque (or Barfly as it was still known then), just themselves and their gear. This time they did bring a stage set and a few of those fancy LED strip lights often used by bands in arenas nowadays. However the downstairs part of the o2 Academy is not an arena, just a small venue and the place was absolutely packed as I got in, moments before the headliners hit the stage. The floor was completely full and there were people straining to see through the gaps in the wall near the bar, and on the steps. The turnout was probably sufficient to justify putting them on the larger upstairs floor; I've seen a few bands play that floor with less people present than the attendance this night so I do wonder why they had to play the lower floor. However in future, I'll get there sooner (!)
(In my defence, sometimes they tend to put the bands on late at the o2)

Although I strained to see and was often making use of the handy TV monitors that were showing the onstage action, the band gave a fine performance, crammed as they were on the tiny stage. Once again it was lead vocalist Cristina Scabbia who was the centre of attention, as she appeared on stage about a hundred digital cameras immediately trained on her. (Not guilty this time, Cristina - too far back!) It seemed to me that co-vocalist Andrea Ferro was more involved this time; he seemed a more peripheral figure last year but here he was right up alongside the Goth Goddess and it definitely came over more like a vocal team rather than him backing her up. Unlike most bands of this type, where the male vocal is mainly a 'death grunt', Ferro's cleaner style sat better with me. The crowd were definitely up for this show, Scabbia had no problems getting hands raised and clapping, and singing along, particularly when they played their cover of Depeche Mode's 'Enjoy The Silence'.

The band's style of alternative Metal is rather groove-orientated, built on the drumbeats of 'Criz' Mozzati and there are only limited use of guitar solos in the material, personally I like a good air guitar solo but shredding isn't really what Cristiano Migliore and Marco Biazzi are about. The emphasis is very much on those heavy, rhythmical guitar riffs laying down the foundation for the two vocalists. As a result, it sometimes felt a bit one-dimensional to me however well they played; the only real change in tempo came when Scabbia sang the slower 'Wide Awake' mid-set. The set did feature songs old and new; as well as tracks from current album 'Shallow Life' they did earlier songs like 'Honeymoon Suite' (presumably nothing to do with the 80s AOR band!) and 'Half-life', which went down well with the faithful.

After just over an hour they ended their main set abruptly, so much so the crowd were a bit caught off-guard and didn't know whether or not to cheer for more for a few moments. They did reappear for two more songs, playing the catchy 'Spellbound' and 'Our Truth'. The latter was dedicated by Scabbia to the late Sophie Lawrence, while Ferro also dedicated it to the memory of former Metallica bassist Cliff Burton, pointing out it was 24 years to the day since the bus crash that killed him.

Once again then, a good gig from a band who you might expect to see in larger venues than this; their style is not completely to my taste but what they do, they do well, and in Cristina Scabbia they have a singer who can cross over to more traditional rock fans. Hopefully next time, if they do come here again, it is in the larger venue where they can be seen properly by everyone who shows up!

Caught Live: Glenn Hughes; Picturedrome, Holmfirth 24 September 2010

2010-09-25T21:12:00.008+01:00

Although I knew about this tour for several months, I only decided late on to go to the show at Holmfirth, a picturesque town in the West Riding of Yorkshire best known for being the setting for BBC sitcom 'Last Of The Summer Wine'. This is only the second time I've seen the self-styled Voice Of Rock live too; whenever he's played his homeland in recent years I've either been out of the country when he was around or he just hasn't been near this part of the world. He did play a show at Manchester University the night before, but as I've been there umpteen times I fancied a bit of a change of venue so the decision was made to venture out into Yorkshire to a venue I'd never visited before.

Despite the association with Cleggy, Compo and Foggy, Holmfirth's Picturedrome has been playing host to many top rock artists; Asia are frequent visitors and the likes of Joe Bonamassa have also played the venue. I got into the town at around 8:15 after a journey through some very steep hills to reach the place and found the venue reasonably quickly. Finding the way in was another matter! The front door was closed, and a sign told us to 'enter down the side of Lloyds TSB' (a nearby bank) Entering the venue down a dimly-lit side alley, we had to go past a bar first and negotiate the way past the hordes of drinkers to another room, where the door to the theatre itself actually was. Not the easiest of access, then but once in my impression of the place improved rapidly. The entrance was actually to the side of the stage, so once entering the floor the stage was immediately to my right and, even better, was not yet full! This despite it being close to showtime and the crew were already setting up for the headliner. The main hall is a reasonable size, about the same size as Manchester's Academy 3 but less cramped. There was a bar to the back of the hall, and a balcony, and the place looked appealingly old-fashioned despite being converted from a cinema to a rock music venue.

Glenn Hughes and his band came on just before 9pm, to generous cheers from the mainly 40-something crowd. Opening with the Hughes-Thrall favourite 'Muscle and Blood' he was right on top of his game from the word go; that voice in tip-top shape and his playing excellent. I often found myself watching his fingers - he's a very accomplished bassist although more renowned for his throat than his skill on the four-string. He had with him guitarist and (Scott Gorham circa 1978 lookalike) Søren Anderson, new drummer Pontus Engborg and keyboard player Anders Olinder. The latter looked somewhat out of place at the side of the stage in his white jacket, almost like a fan watching from the side while the other three gave it everything, but there was nothing wrong with his playing. A former colleague of Hughes may well have described that as 'a side order of keyboards' but unlike other side orders, he was fully visible and not placed behind a curtain.

Hughes promised us a 'rock and roll set' as opposed to previous tours where he pledged to be more funky, but when he rocks, he is funky and when he's funky, he rocks. That's just the way he is, whatever he plays his soulful influence is never far from the surface. It's probably that which keeps him popular too; he is a very intense, dynamic performer and your attention is always totally focused on the slightly-built bloke on the bass. He may be the Voice of Rock, the funkmeister, or whatever, but the sheer power of his delivery hits home harder than many current Metal bands who think that just being LOUD is enough.

The set delivered was a real mixed bag; including solo tracks from several albums, a few Purple favourites, a Trapeze number dedicated to former bandmate Mel Galley and even a track from the new Black Country Communion album which he made with such heavyweights as Joe Bonamassa and Jason Bonham. It seems odd that he's touring solo just as the album from his new band is hitting the shelves, but this tour was arranged months ago and Glenn seems to be on a mission to get out as much music as he can do. To quote from one of his own songs, he 'cannot stop the flood'. I would like to see him live with that stellar line-up at some point too, but the guys he had with him tonight gave great service. The drummer was even affectionately described by Hughes as 'Chad Smith's Son'!

The band played for almost two hours and ended with a fiery (pun intended) rendition of 'Burn' where Søren Anderson got to do a terrific impression of Blackmore's solos. He would stand out in most other bands, but here, it's all about the man from Cannock.

So, an excellent performance from the 58-year old Hughes. In a year where we've lost so many greats it's heartening to see someone from that era still at the very top of his game, and let's hope there'll be much more to come.

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Mathew Street Festival Liverpool 2010

2010-09-02T14:06:00.009+01:00

August Bank Holiday rolls around again and here in Liverpool that means the Mathew Street Festival. Seemingly now recovered from the 2007 debacle where the outdoor stages were cancelled at the eleventh hour, this year's event had the streets closed and the six outdoor stages setup on both the Sunday and the Monday. The event has attracted criticism as well as huge crowds, because of the emphasis on tribute bands (it grew from the annual Beatles convention which saw many bands from across the world arrive in Liverpool to play the music of the Fab Four), but this year the organisers have moved to address that by also adding a 'fringe' element showcasing new bands in indoor venues. As well as that they set aside one of the outdoor stages for new or original bands on the Sunday, however the main attraction is that there is something for everyone, and so the traditional line-up of tribute acts drew the large crowds once more. There's so much on that you cannot see it all, and so what I will write about here is the music I got to catch over the two days.

On the Sunday there was a stage devoted to the 1970s; with tributes playing the music of Squeeze, T.Rex, Roxy Music, KISS and even the Bay City Rollers (!) Hotter Than Hell, a European-based KISS tribute played at midday on this stage and drew a decent crowd. They've played this event before and came dressed as 'Love-Gun' era KISS complete with make-up, costumes and axe-shaped bass. Their 'Gene' was almost indistinguishable from the real thing, and they gave a short set even including 80s hits such as 'Lick It Up'. Their 'Paul' sometimes strained to reach the Stanley high notes, but let's be fair - that voice is not easy to pull off! So an entertaining start, even though they didn't have the pyro and effects of a real KISS show, they were fun all the same. However, I still prefer Dressed To Kill! Following that it was a trudge through the crowded streets to the Classic Albums stage; Guns 2 Roses were due on at 1pm and had an expectant crowd (estimated at around 5000) waiting. However they were held up by around 15 minutes (cue jibes at emulating the real Axl a bit TOO much!) and we learned this was because they had been stopped by the police on the motorway heading up to Liverpool! They were literally struggling through the crowds to make it onto the stage and managed to play a shortened set of only about 5 songs. That was a shame they had to shorten it, but it's a tight schedule at this event. We therefore got treated to 'It's So Easy', 'Paradise City', 'Sweet Child Of Mine' and 'Welcome To The Jungle' with hardly any chatter. There was however time for 'Axl' to let us all know they would be performing later that night at 'Revolver' a rock club just across the Mersey in Birkenhead. So yours truly noted that and made hasty plans to head over there that night!

Following that it was a choice between T.Rex tribute 'TooRex' on the 70s stage, or on another stage set up by the Superlambanana, was 'Are You Experienced' - a Hendrix tribute which has become an established act at the event. Hendrix won, and so I headed over there to watch guitarist John Campbell and his pals. When they concentrated on Jimi favourites they were good, but their set fell a bit flat at the inclusion of Dylan's 'Like A Rolling Stone'. I assume Jimi used to perform this song himself, but this was drawn out into an audience participation slot and in a short set, that's a mistake. Just deliver the hits! With all these acts, they're used to playing for longer in bars and clubs, so it really doesn't pay to do something like that. When 'Hendrix' or John Campbell did the favourites like 'Purple Haze' and 'Voodoo Child (Slight Return)' he and his band went down better. After this set I took a break as standing up straight for hours does my back no favours at all, and headed for a bite to eat and a sit down. The last act I wanted to see that day was 'Mercury'; a Queen tribute who were slated to play on the main stage sited near the Mersey Tunnel. This stage was themed on Live Aid and had tributes to many of the well-known bands who played that day. Usually Queen are represented by the Argentinian band 'Dios Salve a la Reina' but this year we got a different tribute band. However, their approach and look is the same as almost everyone else who performs as Queen - put the singer in that yellow jacket and white trousers and give the guitarist a Red Special copy! So many tributes to Freddie focus only on that 1986 look, and from this fan's viewpoint I'd like to see one of them dress as he did, say circa 1978. Anything to change the constant stream of yellow jackets! Singer Joseph Lee Jackson did do a creditable performance as Freddie, he has the moves (and particularly that swishing right arm) down pat, and has a powerful voice. He hasn't got Freddie's range (but who has?) and sounds more like later-era Mercury than the earlier incarnation, but he did do the hits justice in my view. Despite being a Live-Aid themed stage, the set Mercury gave included later hits like 'I Want It All'. To their credit, they, like Dios Salve A La Reina, do the whole of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' live - including the 'Galileo' bit which even the real Queen never did live. It does help when you've got about 50000 backing vocalists in the audience, of course! The crowd at the main stage was enormous, so much so I had no hope of getting anywhere near the stage so I watched it from the back! In fact, I was closer to the stage when Queen played their last gig ever (at Knebworth) than I was this day!

Later that night I did make the trip over to Birkenhead to see Guns 2 Roses; the venue (Revolver) puts the bands on so late though, that it was midnight when they finally appeared! That means that for me, it is necessary to drive to the place as there's no realistic way of getting back over to our side at 2am in the morning. The fact that there was a big stage at the exit of the Queensway tunnel also meant a diversion through the new tunnel further up the Wirral, but the trip was worthwhile to see the band play a much longer set even including a couple of 'Chinese Democracy' tracks! For GnR fans who are disillusioned with Axl's antics and revolving door line-ups, try these guys - you'll get a full set and they will turn up (traffic police permitting!) and play!

The next day turned out to be a scorcher, I'd expected rain but the sunshine brought the crowds out in huge numbers. I was later getting into town than the previous day, and the first act I saw was local blues legend Connie Lush. She's been around the scene for many years, and has won multiple awards. She showed us why during her short set on the 'Female Singers' stage, demonstrating a phenomenal range and power. Although she is a little too purist 'blues' to my Metallic tastes, there's no denying she is amazing. She and her band 'Blues Shouter' play frequently across the country and abroad, worth catching when in the area.

Following that, I took a bit of a chance (!) while resplendent in a Led Zep T-shirt, and headed over to the 'Modfest' stage. This celebrated the 1960s Mod era with tributes to such acts as The Kinks and the Small Faces, but among this line-up was one Bruce Foxton - the genuine article with his sort-of tribute band From The Jam. When he put this band together he had original Jam drummer Rick Buckler along for the ride, but the sticksman has since left the act and nowadays Mark Brzezicki (once of Big Country) is in the drum stool. The crowd at this stage was substantial, with what I suspect were Anfield Road End regulars from the 1980s packing the front! Chants of 'We Are The Mods' emanated from that area all through the set, as the band (featuring Weller soundalike Russell Hastings) ran through a crowd-pleasing set including virtually all the Jam's hits. Fortunately no-one pulled up your correspondent for the choice of T-shirt (although it's long enough ago now to confess, I once saw the Jam in 1981) but, powerchords are powerchords whether played by a bloke in a suit or in denim and leather! The irony of hearing 'Start' (which is a blatant rip-off of The Beatles' 'Taxman') played at an event that has its roots in Beatles celebration was not lost on me, nor was it lost when they played 'Eton Rifles' - David Cameron's favourite song of course and presumably one liked by fellow Eton pupil Iago Foxton - Bruce's son! Those old songs were politically charged but now, it's just a nostalgia trip and one that did go down great with the crowd to be fair. For all that, I wouldn't go and see them live indoors - doubtful the crowd there would be quite so tolerant of a Metal fan - even after all this time!

After that energetic set, it was straight over to the Classic Albums stage for another one - by 'Nervana'. These guys had travelled across the Atlantic to play this event, although not Seattle (they hail from Boston) they played tracks from the 'Nevermind' album to an enthusiastic and large crowd. Their 'Kurt' lost some accuracy points from me though; not because he was right-handed (I can accept that!) but he looked far too healthy to be Cobain, plus he had clearly washed his hair and shaved! Tut-tut, you've got to look like you've been eaten and thrown up to carry off the Kurt look!
That said, they played great - 'Teen Spirit' went over really well as you'd expect and they even did 'Endless, Nameless' (the hidden track). So although I blame Kurt for just about everything that went wrong with the rock scene in the 1990s and since, this was a good one.

Following that, I was going to call it a day but decided to wind down by watching at least one Beatles tribute at the festival they inspired. There were two stages devoted to Beatles music on the Monday; one concentrated on the early period and the other on their later output. The dividing point was 'Revolver' and so the last band on the 'early Beatles' stage were to perform that album. Handily, the band were themselves called Revolver! Hailing from Dundee, they played all the album from 'Taxman' (it was nice to hear that song after hearing 'Start' earlier!) through to 'Tomorrow Never Knows'. As they had a few minutes to spare at the end, the compere allowed them an encore and told them it didn't matter what song they played as long as it was early Beatles - so they ended the day with a rendition of 'All My Loving'. It was noticeably more laidback in this crowd than for the other sets I saw, but that was a good thing from my point of view since I was fit to drop by that point! All the members of Revolver took lead vocals, although not always the ones you expected - the bassist took lead on 'Yellow Submarine' for example, and the drummer sang several songs.

So that was my Mathew Street Festival for 2010; once again it proved to be a massive draw for people far and wide, and it's to be hoped next year is as successful. As I write, I read that the local council are actively seeking sponsorship for next year's event - fingers crossed that a media partner gets involved (I'm looking at you, Radio City and Granada TV!) as that would help push it still further.

Caught Live: Skin, o2 Academy Liverpool, 8 June 2010

2010-06-09T01:59:00.006+01:00

The past month has been the blackest one I can ever remember for fans of our kind of music. We seemed to be losing rock musicians every week including one of my favourites, Ronnie James Dio. After such a depressing time where the music mags were publishing obituaries every issue, what was really needed was a good old fashioned hard rock gig to lift spirits. Enter a good old fashioned hard rock band, in the form of Skin who pitched up at the Liverpool Academy, during a run of dates which will end with them performing at the Download festival, not once but twice!

Despite having their classic debut album and the follow-up, 'Lucky', incredibly this was the first time I'd ever seen this band live. They were active for much of the 1990s but their style of classic hard rock, complete with lead guitar solos, strong vocals and actually enjoying themselves didn't go down well at all with the prevailing doom 'n' gloom mood left behind by the grunge boom. They finally called it a day in the late '90s; guitarist Myke Gray went on to play briefly with a punk band (Schism) before joining Right Said Fred (!) for a time. He then reinvented himself as a fitness trainer and life coach, whereas the others apparently vanished from view altogether. Somewhat surprisingly, the band reappeared last year, initially only to perform at the 2009 Download festival and then to perform a few dates, but the shows went so well that the reunion has continued into 2010, with a new album in the offing.

The band were playing the downstairs part of the o2 Academy, before a small but lively crowd who cheered every move from singer Nev Macdonald. Perhaps in tribute to the recently passed Dio, the intro tape was Rainbow's 'Long Live Rock 'n' Roll', before the guys emerged to a loud cheer. Much of the set was given over to their old songs but they did deliver a few new ones from their recent acoustic album; whether the material was old faves or new songs it was all enthusiastically received by the crowd. This was a band that clearly enjoyed playing live and interacting with the audience, the grin on Macdonald's face never shifted all night and Gray was throwing himself about the stage, geeing up the crowd and putting a great deal of effort in. Just as well he's in such good shape!

However the real star was the singer; he sounds good on record, but live he is really something special. This was a performance from the very top drawer; he has the sort of blues-enriched voice that harks back to the classic era of British rock. He can hold his own with the very best in the business, let's hope that this time around he and his band receive a bit more recognition than they got in the 1990s. He was home with hard rockers but really demonstrated his range with the gentler stuff, such as 'Tower of Strength' and 'Reunited', both of which had the crowd cheering him long and loudly. They played two encores, surprisingly they chose not to do their cover of EMF's 'Unbelieveable' but the songs played were enough to please this crowd. They brought out their support act, singer Matti Alfonzetti for their last song; he is also a fantastic singer as was demonstrated during his own set. For that, he played solo and acoustic, but Skin's Myke Gray and Colin McLeod appeared on stage to accompany him on two numbers, much to the delight of the early attendees. That was a rare thing in itself, the support act being accompanied by two members of the headline act - although the fact that Gray used to be in a band with Alfonzetti (Jagged Edge) may have had something to do with that!

There have been a few comebacks in recent years with the resurgence of old-school rock, make sure you don't miss out on this one and be sure to check out Skin live.

Skinfreak - official website

Caught Live: KISS, Echo Arena Liverpool 4 May 2010

2010-05-05T01:44:00.004+01:00

Kiss openly admit that they have been influenced by many British rock bands from the 1960s and 70s; most notably Slade and they have, like many American classic rock acts, cited our very own Beatles as influences. In spite of all this, they have never really become established over here despite their huge success back home. This tour is their first visit to the UK in several years, they have 'retired' at least once in the meantime but here they are, now without founder members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, but with Eric Singer in the Cat makeup (who has actually been involved with Kiss for almost 2 decades now) and more controversially, Tommy Thayer in Ace's mask and costume. Ace Frehley actually did carry out his promise to retire after the band's 'farewell' tour and so when Simmons and Stanley changed their minds and broke out the Max Factor once more, they recruited former Black 'n' Blue guitarist Thayer in his place.

The last time I saw Kiss was with the original four, headlining at the 1996 Donington festival. The show was typically large-scale, but I was less than enthused with the actual concert. With that in mind, I had few expectations of this show and had in fact only booked it because it stopped off in my city. I cannot claim to be a fully-paid up member of the Kiss Army (Kiss Territorials is probably more like it!), which is just as well, considering that this show was added to the tour some time after the original four dates were announced. Those who are big fans will have booked for one of those shows, and with money being tight these days it would be a big ask to go to another concert which was added later, even if that show was in your town. I fear that's what happened at this show tonight; the turnout was not great, if I'm honest I think it was less than half full. I had little problem finding a nice spot about ten yards off the front, there was loads of room when I arrived and only the lower tier of the arena was being used for seating. Had I been a bigger fan of the band and had booked for, say, the MEN Arena I would be less than pleased that they were coming to my town if I had spent my money already! This is something that does need to be looked at in my view, when there are gigs like this in our town they should be supported but it's made difficult when the date is added some time after the original batch is announced.

The smaller crowd was not lost on frontman Paul Stanley, who very early on in the show declared that although it was obviously not the biggest crowd it could still be the loudest! With that he made a point of involving those who had showed at every turn, getting them to cheer, shout and sing frequently. Despite a recent hip replacement, he looked agile and trim, and was in excellent singing form. Gene Simmons was, well, Gene. Stomping around the stage like he owned it (he probably would do if given a chance!) poking out that tongue, spitting fire and spilling fake blood, he was in his element playing the showman. He was hoisted high up into the arena (at great speed, I must say!) to perform 'I Love It Loud' - how he does that without getting vertigo is beyond me! Not to be outdone, Stanley was flown across the floor in a harness, to a platform near the mixer where he played 'I was Made for Loving You'. If the band were disappointed by the turnout, they didn't let it get to them and they delivered a polished, professional show with everything a Kiss fan could want - pyro, flashbombs, rocket-firing guitars and a set packed with classic songs and some from the new album 'Sonic Boom'.

The addition of Singer and Thayer has actually reinvigorated the band; although they reformed in the 90s with the make-up and the original members, it was soon shown to be an unwise move as the old cracks appeared. With the return of Singer behind the kit, they sound solid and with Thayer handling the lead very well, the old stagers can concentrate on their showmanship. That's not to say Simmons and Stanley hog all the stage; Thayer and Singer are given a spot to play solo and fire some pyro of their own - Singer was given a rocket to fire at one point! Thayer is also given Ace's song 'Shock Me' to sing lead on, likewise Singer with 'Black Diamond'. Despite the old backronym 'KISS is Simmons and Stanley', this feels more like a band now. I enjoyed this show tremendously, they still have it and I would hope Stanley was not just being showbiz when he told us he and the band were having a blast at this gig and that he hoped they would play here again. If they do, they'd do well to list their whole tour itinerary from the off, rather than the piecemeal way it was done this time. Somewhere backstage in the Echo Arena, a tour promoter is applying ointment to his burned fingers...

Support came from Taking Dawn, the Las Vegas hard rockers had a thankless task opening this show before a sparse crowd there only to see Kiss, but acquitted themselves well. They play energetic hard rock/metal in a sort of 80s vibe, a sort of Skid Row meets Thin Lizzy kind of thing. Although they were greeted with near-apathy apart from a handful near the front, they performed with commendable enthusiasm and verve. Well worth catching if they play in the area again.

To sum up tonight then, it was an arena-sized show played before an Academy-sized crowd!

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Caught Live: The Union, Academy 3 Manchester, 15 April 2010

2010-04-16T23:48:00.001+01:00

The timing of this gig was not ideal for me but as this show was the nearest one to me on this, the first full UK tour from Luke Morley and Peter Shoulder's new project, I was keen to go along. I was a massive fan of Thunder, Morley's previous band and was also well aware of the talent of Durham's Peter Shoulder, having seen his old band Winterville on many occasions until their sudden, unexpected split in early 2007.

The turnout at the Academy 3 was respectable, if not totally packed and I arrived in time to catch the last few numbers from openers Voodoo Six. Based on what I heard, they're a fine hard rock band although I thought the vocalist was perhaps not at his best, he seemed to be battling with a throat problem. I'd see this band again if they are playing anywhere near me, it's old-school hard rock of the sort I used to enjoy in the 1980s.

The Union came on some time later, to the sound of the Strawbs' song of that name; the irony of hearing that old song in an era when being 'part of the union' means nothing like it did when it was recorded wasn't lost on me (not to mention the fact that the first of the 'election debates' was taking place across town at the same time!)

That's about as political as this blog gets, on with the show!

Although billed as a collaboration between the former Thunder guitarist and the young gun from the North East, the live line-up is a four-piece which includes drummer Phil Martini and former Thunder bassist Chris Childs. The atmosphere at this gig was noticeably relaxed; even from my spot a few feet from the stage there was never any possiblilty of a moshpit developing! Peter Shoulder is no longer the slightly starstruck kid he was back in his early Winterville days, he's now matured into a confident frontman with a very easygoing stage presence. I'd almost forgotten just how good a singer he is too, he has that rich bluesy tone very much in the tradition of great singers from his part of the world.

I was unfamiliar with much of the material presented tonight, although they have made one or two songs available on MySpace or as downloads, and apart from the cover of 'Proud Mary' in the encore all the songs played were new. So, no Thunder or Winterville covers! That was probably a good thing, as this is a totally new project and although the rockier songs played certainly do display some of the Morley songwriting trademarks, there were also more acoustic/bluesy ones which were very suited to Shoulder's vocal. The band did note how quiet the crowd were in between songs (although the reception given to each song was warm); that may have been partly due to the audience's unfamiliarity with the songs but also it may have had more to do with the informal atmosphere. It was more of a club gig than a big production, though no less enjoyable for that.

If you were a Thunder fan then this band is well worth your time; however do not expect it to be Thunder Mk 2. There seems to be more scope in this band to explore different avenues, and I look forward to hearing the finished album and seeing the guys again soon.

Caught Live: Theory of a Deadman, o2 Academy Liverpool, 7 April 2010.

2010-04-08T13:17:00.000+01:00

About the only thing I knew of this band prior to their gig in Liverpool was that they sounded like Nickelback. It turns out that the connection is far deeper than that; also Canadian, they were actually signed to Chad Kroeger's label and he had a hand in writing the material from their first album, released in 2002. A four-piece band, with vocalist Tyler Connolly using a two-microphone setup (one 'clean', one distorted) in similar fashion to the Nickelback singer, and with him also taking much of the lead guitar work, the focus is very much on Connolly and his throwback 1950's hair (!)

Their songs have much the same structure as their multi-million selling countrymen, with many singalong anthems made for the arena. The main issue I had with them was that they do not really stand out; it's not just that they sound like another more famous band (after all, the last group I saw at this place are also criticised for sounding like a much better-known band from their own land!) but that they could be just one of any number of North American groups playing this style. I could imagine their songs being used in a soundtrack to the latest drama on CBS, or as a backing track to a commercial aired on TV across the pond. The fact that their guitar tech wore a 'Late Show with David Letterman' shirt spoke volumes; it's that sort of pseudo-alternative rock that seems to do so well over there.

They do have some good songs, but nothing that really latches onto the brain the way Nickelback have done. For all their detractors, Kroeger and co have the knack of writing that song which hits the spot. If they can break through with one song in that manner they will probably take off, but for now it's strictly a cult following. The crowd at the o2 was a reasonable turnout, maybe just short of a thousand and many present knew the songs. They did play well, although I thought Connolly's vocal was a little lost in the mix, but as stated before there is little to mark them out as special.

The same cannot be said for the support (Halestorm). A four-piece fronted by female singer/guitarist Lzzy (that's not a typo - she does leave out the 'i'!) they rocked up the place in fine style, after finding themselves opening the show with the withdrawal of Heaven's Basement from the bill. Lzzy introduced herself with an extended bout of shrieking and hollering, this slender dark-haired figure was not afraid to show off her impressive vocal range. The band play old-fashioned hard rock (comprising lead guitarist Joe Hottinger, bassist Josh Smith and Arejay Hale - Lzzy's brother - on drums) but their singer is far and away their best asset. She has power, range, and stage presence; it was like hearing Jody Turner (remember her?) in Suzi Quatro's shoes!
After hearing this band - again, a band I knew nothing about prior to tonight - I and many present were very impressed. They went off to a great reception, the best I've heard from a support act in years. After their set they conducted a signing session at the merchandise stand; the crowd they drew just for that illustrated how well they went down. Luckily for me, I got the last copy of their CD on sale at the gig for a bargain £2 - just because it was the display copy and the case was broken. Result - and all the band signed it! Speaking to Lzzy afterward, she was delighted with the way the band were received.

So then, a good night; although the headline band were good, their support blew me away. Look out for Halestorm, they deserve to go a long way.

Caught Live: Airbourne, o2 Academy Liverpool, 2 April 2010

2010-04-03T15:12:00.005+01:00

One of my favourite bands of all time is Bad Company; when the three surviving members of the four-piece announced a reunion tour last Autumn I was keen to go and see them. A bunch of scruffy Aussies put paid to that plan however, when they went and scheduled their gig at Liverpool for the same night as Bad Co's show at the MEN Arena, just up the M62 in Manchester. As someone who is constantly complaining at the gig situation in what is, after all, one of the most famous cities in popular music (plus the tickets for Rodgers and co were a wallet-mugging £35-£40!) the odds were stacked in favour of this hard-drinking, hard-partying lot from Down Under.

The o2 Academy was very busy this night, with three bands on this bill plus another show happening in the downstairs part (Airbourne had the larger stage upstairs) but I was delayed getting into the city, so I had missed both support bands by the time I got into the hall. The place looked very full, even the upper balcony was open and I reckon this show sold out on the night. Impressive stuff considering the competing gig happening 35 miles or so away.

Having seen Airbourne twice before, I knew what was coming, but they still stunned this crowd into silence with their relentless pounding anthems. I don't think half of them knew what had hit them! They've changed hardly at all since their last visit, every song is written to the same straightforward formula, with singalong choruses so that even if you do not know it when it starts, you certainly do by it's end! The subject matter is also pretty simple: songs about boozing, women, or boozing AND women! All delivered at an unrelenting pace so the effect is of being pummelled into submission!

About the only change to last time (apart from the substantial number of songs from new album 'No Guts No Glory' played) was when frontman Joel O'Keefe did his 'Angus' walkabout into the crowd. Not satisfied with merely walking through the audience like last time, he showed Antipodean disregard for health and safety by climbing up to the balcony - from whatever he could find for footholds - and walking along the FRONT of the balcony in front of the barrier, where he could have fallen at any point! Of course, once back on the stage he proceeded to do his favourite trick of bashing beer cans open with his head before lobbing the still-spraying can into the crowd.

Two albums in and those AC/DC comparisons have still not gone away; having seen the masters last year though I can testify that this is a completely different experience. It's a raw, primal, brutal gig as opposed to the polished professionalism of the Young brothers. The brothers O'Keefe are totally unreconstructed rockers, along with their partners David Roads and Justin Street on guitar and bass respectively. Both stay in the background, headbanging away as the play, but are integral to the monstrous sound cooked up. It could only come from Australia!

Like their illustrious countrymen, Airbourne prefer to call their sound simply 'rock and roll' - but this was heavier, louder, harder and more brutal than many bands I've seen who DO consider themselves 'metal'. There was even a moshpit forming towards the end of the set!

Before too much longer these guys will be playing arenas; whether they can keep the hard edge to their show when that happens remains to be seen. Until then, it is strongly recommended that this band be seen while they're still up close and personal.

Caught Live: Delain, Leeds Rio's 25 March 2010

2010-03-26T15:01:00.004Z

Four months ago I'd never heard of this band, now I'm taking a long drive across the Pennines into Yorkshire to see them play live. What's the deal here then?

Delain are a band that started out as a studio-based vehicle for Martijn Westerholt, formerly the keyboard player of Dutch symphonic metallers Within Temptation, and brother of that band's guitarist Robert. Recruiting vocalist Charlotte Wessels, the duo recorded their first album 'Lucidity' using a substantial number of guest musicians, including Sharon den Adel from Westerholt's former band and the ubiquitous Marco Hietala, who appears on many projects but is best known for his role in Nightwish.

When the album became a success, Delain were forced to rethink their ideas and eventually formed a full band to tour with. Their second album 'April Rain' came out in early 2009 and it was later that year that the line-up began to stabilise, with the band touring Europe including some UK dates in support to Sonata Arctica. They feature a conventional symphonic line-up, with Westerholt and Wessels joined by a guitarist who doubles up on the inevitable 'cookie monster' vocals (Ewout Pieters, since 2009) a new bassist (Otto 'The Baron' Schimmelpenninck van der Oije - I think 'Otto' will do!) introduced only on this tour and drummer Sander Zoer. This tour sees the band headlining the regular rock club venues where previously they were supporting, and if the turnout at Leeds was anything to go by, drawing a good crowd where they play. Rio's is a rather small venue; set in a shopping mall it is not the easiest place in the world to find if like me, you're not a Loiner*

After three circuits of the area (the sat-nav kept misdirecting me!) I gave up and parked where I could, and walked. In the wrong direction! I had no clue where I was although the place was not far away, and in the end it was only when I spotted a long-haired guy wearing a laminate walking down the street that I thought I'd find the place. He was carrying a McDonalds meal in a paper bag, he must have been sent out to find some food, rock 'n' roll!

Sure enough, he led me right to the venue although he was probably unaware he had a lost metal fan tailing him (!) When I got in, the place was already fairly full. The inside reminded me a bit of Liverpool's Carling Academy (the downstairs part) but in reverse; the bar is to the right hand side and there are steps onto the main floor, with a raised part at the back. All of the decent viewing areas looked full while support Achilla were on, so I watched them on a handy TV monitor for their last two numbers. They didn't leave a lasting impression on me, apart from reminding me a little of Doro Pesch and Warlock from the 80s. However two songs was probably not enough to judge them on so I'll reserve judgement until I see them properly another time.

When they finished I did manage to sneak onto the main floor and get a fairly decent spot over to the left hand side of the stage. As is so often the case at these places, there were two beanpole fans in the middle of the crowd so it was a job to find somewhere to stand which was not directly behind them! The crowd settled and before too much longer, Delain came on stage, led by their guitarist and splendidly-named new bassist. The crowd (mainly comprising 30/40-something blokes like me!) roared in approval when Charlotte Wessels appeared; with long flowing dark brown hair and a long black dress, she made me think of a young Charlotte Rampling! Opening with 'Invidia' from the new album, the sampled backing vocals made me wonder if the set was going to be peppered with samples as so many bands of this type tend to do. However this band were far less reliant on the machinery; there was room in the music for Wessels to express herself vocally and for guitarist Ewout Pieters to play lead guitar, again more than other bands of this genre tend to do. What really impressed me was that when they did songs which on record, featured guests ('Control The Storm' featured Marco Hietala on the chorus, for example), rather than using a sample of the recorded vocal it was in fact Wessels who would sing it. She is no Hietala (thankfully, with all due respect to Marco!) but it was good to see the band tackle the material live as they were, as opposed to hitting the play button when the part required someone who was not on the stage with them. For the song 'The Gathering' Hietala's vocal parts were covered more than adequately by Pieters.

Wessels was a revelation; she had the crowd in her spell throughout, her rather honeyed vocals excellent and she appeared delighted at the reception given to her band by the crowd. With her movie-star looks she has the lot - in fact I'd go as far as to say Delain will do well to hang on to her, since she is destined for stardom with or without this band. Her style of vocal - silky smooth and seductive - is not what you'd think of as a typical Metal voice, but it works and marks out Delain from their symphonic metal contemporaries. They left to prolonged applause and cheers, with the singer promising that the band would return soon. If they keep that promise, let's hope for more dates this side of the Pennines, and I would guess that they will follow in the footsteps of Within Temptation and be playing much bigger venues next time round.

It's been a long time since I was this impressed by a band I'd never seen before but Delain's gig is an early contender for gig of the year. Just remember that name: Charlotte Wessels - you'll be hearing a LOT more from this lady!

*someone from Leeds!

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Caught Live: Winger, Manchester Academy 3, 24 March 2010

2010-03-25T14:51:00.001Z

I seriously considered getting a plain black T-shirt and a fabric paint pen, and scrawling 'WINGER' on it in crude letters in a tribute to Winger's biggest fan (Stewart from 'Beavis and Butthead') before going to this gig, but as I didn't much fancy a bass guitar wrapped around my head I played safe and wore my favoured Whitesnake T-shirt, in recognition of the fact that guitarist Reb Beach was back with the band that first made him famous.

It's well known that band leader Kip Winger was less than pleased with the constant ribbing of his band all those years ago, and especially at the sight of Metallica chucking darts at a picture of him in one of their videos. Considering all that, it's ironic that in 2010 it is Metallica who are the unapproachable stadium rock gods, whereas Winger are playing small venues on this tour such as the Academy 3 at Manchester University, a far more down-to-earth and up-close and personal gig. The turnout was actually quite disappointing; the Academy 3 (formerly the Hop and Grape) is small but still by my estimation only around 60% full. A shame, since those that stayed away missed a very good night of rock.

The opening act (Darkhorse) were on as I entered the hall, with few people here at this stage I was able to get a spot just a few metres off the front with no problems. The band played well, but their music was unspectacular hard rock which owed a lot to Lizzy, AC/DC and early Leppard. They certainly looked like they'd come from the early 80s too. However I've seen far worse, and they've got time yet to improve.

The support drum kit stayed in place after they finished and before long a band that really WERE from the 80s came on. I had no clue who they were, as six blokes obviously well into middle-age appeared on stage. One of their guitarists was a ringer for darts player Simon Whitlock (!) and the other looked like he should be playing prop for Sale Sharks! Fronted by a slender (but still older) gent with a strong voice, I was intrigued, since it was clear from their first song they were a very good band indeed.
It turned out that this band was Airrace - who made one album almost 25 years ago ('Shaft of Light') and disappeared soon after. Back in 1985, they got press attention mainly because of the fact they had Jason (son of John) Bonham on drums; he is not involved with the band nowadays but that didn't matter much to me since this was pretty much all I knew about them before tonight! The Simon Whitlock ringer was Dean Howard, who has appeared with many other bands including T'Pau, and the prop forward on the other guitar was Laurie Mansworth, once of More, who played at Donington almost 30 years ago. Both played very well as indeed did the whole band, and got a fine reception from a crowd which had swollen at the front.
They say that after 25 years, they are finally to make a second album ('Shaft of Light' has been reissued and was available at the gig) - a gap that makes Boston seem prolific (!) but based on what I heard tonight, it should be worth checking out.

After a prolonged break Winger finally emerged at 9:40 pm, with the bespectacled frontman reminding me of cricketer Daniel Vettori (there's a bit of an Antipodean sports theme going on here!) and, as yours truly was not wearing a crudely-improvised Stewart-style T-shirt, my noggin was quite safe from any basses! My main reason for coming was of course to see Reb Beach; I have only one Winger album (the second one, 'In The Heart Of The Young') and then only on vinyl, so it's fair to say I'm not exactly knowledgeable about their output. From the word go Reb was a totally different character to that I usually see with Whitesnake; much more to the fore and pulling endless guitar gurns as he shredded like crazy, he was clearly enjoying this gig, in a far more intimate setting than the huge stages he's been treading over the past two years. He seemed to be having a laugh and a joke with several members of the crowd too, and his singing was top-notch along with that of fellow guitarist John Roth. The band played a set that featured most of their fan favourites, with 'Easy Come Easy Go' appearing early on. It seemed to me that Kip's vocal was noticeably lower in pitch than in years gone by, but in any event it was subdued somewhat by a sound mix that was surprisingly heavy. Anyone who dismissed these guys as wimpy should have been at this gig - they definitely rocked hard!

Kip Winger is renowned as one of rock's premier bassists of course, and from my centre position I could clearly see how much he puts into his playing (all the while singing too) - he's not just tapping the bottom E string all the time, there's a lot of fills going on there and to see that up close was very impressive. He gave all his band members featured spots; first John Roth got to show his own solo skills and then was given a country-style lead guitar showcase, then Reb Beach was given the stage to shred to his heart's content. He kept it short but packed a lot in, and towards the end drummer Rod Morgenstein got his chance to do a similarly short solo. I prefer to just hear the songs rather than solos, but I suppose that is a part of an old-school gig and this was certainly one of those!

For the ballads, Kip played keyboards and the band did without bass altogether; an unusual approach I thought considering there were two guitarists, normally you'd expect one of those to take over a bass where keyboards are involved. It didn't seem to affect the live sound, though.
They didn't leave us without playing '17' of course, but I couldn't help but think that if 'she was only 17' all those years ago, surely she must be pushing 40 by now?

All in all then, a very good gig; two very good bands and an opener with potential. Well worth the trip up the M62, even if the band were and still are perceived as 'uncool' by those daft enough to be fashion victims still (as opposed to victims OF fashion as Kip and co were!). I'd go as far as to say that even Beavis and Butthead would have enjoyed the gig (even if they insisted on staying hidden throughout, huhhuhhuh!)

Next time you get a chance to see this band, take it.

Caught Live: Rammstein, MEN Arena Manchester, 2 February 2010

2010-02-03T02:23:00.001Z

These German nutters have got to be Beavis's favourite band; the amount of fire (FIRE! FIRE!! FIRE!!!) that goes off during one of their shows is enough to kick-start climate change all by itself!

It's the fourth time I've seen this band now and so I had a good idea of what to expect; more fireworks than on November 5th, enough pyro to make the fire brigade extremely nervous, plenty of carefully-choreographed but spectacular stunts and some of the heaviest music around to act as the soundtrack for all the firey mayhem. I'm not familiar with the current album 'Liebe Ist Für Alle Da' (with the exception of the controversial single 'Pussy') but that hardly mattered; the new songs sat comfortably with the older ones and as my grasp of German is limited at best, it still all worked well. It's been almost five years since the band last visited the UK, but although the set contained most of the new album the basic principles of a Rammstein show remain in place: blast the audience's ears with the music and toast them with the pyro! So out came the flamethrowers for 'Feuer Frei', vocalist Till Lindeman and both guitarists (Richard Z. Kruspe and Paul Landers) donned the firebreathing masks and spat huge jets of flame high into the arena (but not TOO high!); if that wasn't enough, Lindemann brought out a petrol pump (which of course threw more flame out) for 'Benzin', they almost torched themselves during 'Sonne' with flame coming from the front AND the back of the stage, and in the encore, 'Engel' was performed with Lindemann wearing a large set of 'angel wings'; needless to say THESE shot out fire too! But the craziest part was when a bathtub was brought on stage for 'Ich Tu Dir Weh'; the bathtub was intended for keyboardist 'Flake' Lorenz who, after a staged tussle with Lindemann, was dumped in the tub while the vocalist grabbed what looked like a milk churn and began to ascend from the stage on a platform. When he was high enough, he poured the contents out - not milk, but a flaming concoction that sparked as it fell into the tub, before the tub itself exploded! We were meant to think that Flake was still in it, of course, but once Lindemann and the rest of the band left the stage, he emerged from the tub unharmed, but now resplendent in a sparkly suit! Once back at his keyboards, he played while running on a treadmill that was set up where he stood!

The show owes a large debt to Alice Cooper and his rock theatrics; when watching Alice you're often wondering what is next in his box of tricks, and the German band's show runs in the same way. It's one stunt after another and you begin to understand why they have such a massive stage setup (the stage area was much bigger than anticipated; our seats were to the side but the stage was so much further forward than we expected that we were sat at a 90 degree angle to the front of it). We could see technicians behind the stage setting up the next prop throughout the show. The Alice thing was subtly acknowledged when during the song 'Wiener Blut', there were rows of babies (dolls, I hasten to add!) suspended from the ceiling, all shooting out lasers. At the end of the song, they all exploded and fell to the floor in pieces - still shooting out lasers!

I've gone on a lot about the show and the theatrics, but the music was delivered with precision and power, despite all that was going on around them. The band are often categorised as 'industrial' among other things, but this was as Metal as it gets for me. I was impressed in particular with drummer Christoph Schneider, much of the raw heaviness of the band's material is derived from his hard-hitting beats. The two guitarists tend not to show off with lead solos all the time, they play hard but never hog the limelight - apart from when fire-breathing! During the encore, Flake Lorenz got to do his crowd-surfing routine once again with the dinghy, unveiling a Union Flag for the British crowd while out there. A nice touch, seeing as the band had us all reciting German for the best part of two hours!

All in all then another spectacular from Rammstein, let's hope it is not another five years before we see them again. They did of course do their politically-incorrect song 'Pussy'; I did fear what they might do for that song based on that video (!) but it was a straight performance, until the end. The sight of the vocalist atop a flesh-coloured cannon will live long in the memory, but I'll leave you to guess what that cannon actually did!

Combichrist were the support act; four heavily-tattooed guys with no guitarists and a neat line in 90s industrial music. They gave a short set packed with incident; their drummer kept kicking his kit onto the stage and when he wasn't doing that, the other percussionist (playing bongos and toms) was lashing his own gear off his platform! With such an approach their material was heavily beat-laden, and they did make you think of early NIN, but they did a good job warming up a crowd there for one reason only. They even did a bit of a Who tribute in trashing their gear at the end of their set! They were good but probably with a longer set their material might have worn thin, 30 minutes or so was enough for me.

Set list:
Rammlied 
B********
Waidmanns Heil 
Keine Lust
Weißes Fleisch 
Feuer frei! 
Wiener Blut 
Frühling in Paris 
Ich tu dir weh
Liebe ist für alle da 
Benzin 
Links 2-3-4 
Du hast 
Pussy
---
Sonne 
Haifisch 
Ich will
---
Engel

Caught Live: Nickelback, Echo Arena Liverpool 17 January 2010

2010-01-18T17:25:00.001Z

Nickelback vocalist Chad Kroeger was clearly enjoying his visit to Liverpool, hollering the city name long and loudly at frequent intervals. This date, one of only two UK shows on the current leg of their tour, came so soon after their last batch of arena shows that I thought they may have had trouble filling the venue. As I was able to get a standing ticket on the night, I expected to find a half-empty hall. However, upon entering the arena floor it was apparent that they had indeed sold well; all the seats looked in use and the floor was already filling up. I can only assume that they had a substantial walk-up crowd on the night, and that those who had bought in advance had elected to go in the seats. The show itself was broadly similar to that given in Manchester last May; the full production complete with pyro, lights and video screen was present and correct, as was the stage ramp with rotating drum kit. They did change the set list around a little, and they displayed a nice touch in performing 'I Ran (So Far Away)' for the local crowd; recognising the fact there's more to Liverpool's music scene than the Fab Four they delivered a much-rocked up rendition of A Flock Of Seagulls' 80s hit.

As with their previous show last year, there was a lot of humour and joking about between songs, both with the crew and the audience, in particular their guitar tech 'Timmy' is getting a following of his own, with five audience members decked out in T-shirts which spelt out 'T-I-M-M-Y' pointed out by Chad Kroeger. It is good to see a band of this stature involving their crew in the show, although Timmy is often seen adding additional guitar and keyboards. It was once again a professional production, this band are not claiming to be the saviours of rock, and it's unlikely they'll be remembered in revered tones in twenty years' time, but they do know how to put on a show, and they do have the songs which make it all possible. For the ten thousand or so who showed up at the Echo Arena, that is more than enough.

Support was from Daughtry, a band about whom I knew absolutely nothing. Their set was shortened, as I learned later, owing to technical problems, but their lead singer (after whom the group is named) had a good strong voice, well suited to the arena-friendly anthemic rock they peddle. They were decent live, but a little bit too polite for me. Their main problem is that there is already one Alter Bridge, and they do this sort of thing much better. That said, although I had not previously heard of them before, there were plenty present who had, and they did get a decent reception from the crowd. They do lack that killer song though, one which will lodge itself in the mind and strike a chord with the public. Nickelback have managed to do that more than once, hence their arena status today. If their openers can come up with something that has a similar effect, they will succeed.

Caught Live: Quireboys, o2 Academy Liverpool 17 December 2009

2009-12-19T03:08:00.002Z

It's not a good time of the year to be pulling pranks on a train, but that was what happened last night when I was waiting outside the venue. It didn't affect me, directly but a mate who was going to the gig also (and for whom I had the ticket) was detained by a daft kid who decided to pull the emergency brake some distance from Liverpool. That caused a l-o-o-o-n-g delay, and as I did not have my phone on me that night (sod's law, the one time you forget to take it, something happens!) I could only guess at the problem while shivering my extremities on a rather cold December night.

As a result, we missed Wolfsbane who, with their full original line-up including Blaze, were supporting. I would have liked to see them but it will have to be another time, if they keep it going. We only just made it in time for the headline band and the lower floor of the Academy was very full. (Local heroes Echo & The Bunnymen were also playing at the larger upstairs part, so the place was very busy this night.)

The Quireboys opened with 'Mayfair', one of their really old songs that even pre-dates the 'A Bit of What You Fancy' album, which this tour is celebrating. After a few newer songs then, the band proceeded to deliver every track from that album in the correct sequence. It went down great with this crowd, many of whom were probably of a similar age to myself and when singer Spike mentioned the club 'Stairways' in Birkenhead, he got a bigger cheer than perhaps he bargained for (!) It's his down-to-earth charm which holds the crowd in thrall, you cannot help but like the guy. When it comes to singing, his voice is a little more gravelly even than it was 20 years ago, but it is strongly imbued with passion; he is a soul singer in a rock 'n' roll band. It's that quality which makes him so compelling live, when delivering ballads such as 'I Don't Love You Any More' you really believe in it. Between songs, of course, he is cracking jokes and revelling in the crowd banter.

It's as well he connects so well with the crowd, since I reckon most of us couldn't see him properly! I was about two-thirds of the way back and could only see glimpses of a red bandana; the lower floor is not too great for viewing unless you're up at the front, and it doesn't help when the crowd all appear to be tall and lanky! (I'm 5' 11" so not exactly short, even so I struggled to see!) After playing the entire 'Fancy' album they ended the main set, before the encore which included Blaze reappearing for a none-too-serious rendition of 'Sex Party'.

A lot has happened in the 20 years since that album was recorded, but for those couple of hours, it was 1990 once again. Most professional rock writers review gigs such as this with a dismissive statement: 'like Grunge never happened'. It was indeed, but that, in the opinion of this unprofessional writer, is far from a bad thing. Excellent gig and it's great to see Spike and his mates still enjoying themselves.

Caught Live: Dragonforce, o2 Academy Liverpool 12 December 2009

2009-12-13T01:37:00.001Z

I'm kinda confused after watching this gig from the UK-based 'extreme power metallers'; on the one hand, playing the way they do with such intensity and precision really takes some doing but on the other, it's all a bit one-dimensional, if you know one song you know the set. On top of that, they actually acknowledge it - as demonstrated by guitarist/songwriter/stage clown Sam Totman, when telling the audience 'they (the songs) all sound the same anyway!' He and fellow speed-shredder Herman Li were ribbing one another all night, when not swapping hyperspeed lead solos they were taking the mick out of one another between songs!

The impression that they leave me with is that of extremely talented musicians 'slumming it' playing Power Metal; there is no question that these two can really play (especially Li, without doubt the star of the band even over vocalist ZP Theart) but that they just regard a Dragonforce gig as a platform to show off. It's kinda like when an old-school Metal band lets the guitarist take a solo while the rest of the band go off stage, except they just solo all night while the rest of the band stay on stage and bash away behind them! They are surely capable of more than whammy bar dive-bombing and sweep-picking - it's just that this is all we are treated to.
Totman is perceived as the clown, he often takes swigs from beer cans (left on the mike stands for him to grasp at various points) or pulls faces, and jumps about while Li takes the solo, but is always in place to take his own turn when it comes. They'd like the crowd to think they're just goofing around, but you cannot play that way without a lot of practice. Their drummer (Dave Mackintosh) left me gaping open-mouthed; song after song it was badda-badda-bam-bam-bam - not just fast playing but hard fast playing! How he kept that up for the entire set is beyond my comprehension, how he does that night after night especially so! If you can imagine Usain Bolt running the way he does for 100 metres, but being able to keep that going for 10000 metres instead, that's how hard I imagine that to be! Not forgetting bassist Frédéric Leclercq and keyboard player Vadim Pruzhanov, both were up at the front frequently alongside the guitarists and the singer, all competing for the spotlight and the crowd.
Maybe that's their appeal, it is not so much a live gig as a race to see who can be the fastest!

They are incredible players live, but they have little concept of 'light and shade'. It's 'light and even more light' with these fellas! Consequently one song seemed to run into another, when Totman mockingly threatened that the band would not be playing 'Through The Fire and Flames' (their best-known song) it hardly mattered. Almost all their songs are like that, it was a genuine shock to the system when they slowed it down in the fourth song (briefly!) So, even if they had not played it (of course they did - in the encore when joined by what looked like the support band and all their crew) a casual observer wouldn't have noticed and probably thought that they had!

The guitars were dominating the sound to the point where I couldn't always hear vocalist ZP Theart properly, he is a good singer and would probably flourish in another band where he could express himself. As it is, he's totally overshadowed by the Li/Totman antics.

Consqeuently then, I'm not sure whether I enjoyed the gig or not - they strike me as just playing like that 'for the lulz' (to use awful internet terminology). You can't see how they would evolve from this style, they're painted into a corner. And they're far too talented to stay in the corner forever.

I only caught the end of support Sabaton; the Swedish metallers went down great with the early attendees although what I heard sounded very much like Priest/Maiden influenced Metal. I'd probably give them another go if they're around again though, since two songs isn't really enough to assess them with. However, hearing just one Dragonforce number will tell you all what they're about!

Caught Live: The Answer, o2 Academy Liverpool 10 December 2009

2009-12-12T03:24:00.001Z

Midway through this gig, the Answer's frontman Cormac Neeson urges the audience to tell their friends that this show was the "best one they've ever seen, whether or not you believe that yourselves!" I wouldn't go quite THAT far (in actual fact, the best show I saw this year was AC/DC, who were supported by The Answer), but it certainly was an excellent gig.

It's been too long since the Downpatrick lads were in Liverpool; their star has steadily risen in the past three years and tonight saw them play the larger upstairs room at the o2 Academy. When they were here last, they packed out the downstairs and it looked to be a similarly-sized crowd here. Although they did not pack the larger place out this time, those present made a lot of noise and gave enthusiastic support to the guys. The set contained many numbers from the 'Everyday Demons' album alongside selected favourites from debut album 'Rise'. Shamefully, I only got the new album at the gig so I've yet to hear it properly (!) but based on the live performance, it promises to be another goodie. I do feel the band are better suited to a live setting than they are on record; 'Rise' felt a little bit over-produced to me whereas the same songs performed live just kicked that bit harder.
Watching them play again after a prolonged break (apart from the short set I saw them give in Manchester, opening for AC/DC) illustrated how they have stepped up a gear; although they were always powerful live, there's that sense of maturity in the band now; Neeson has the audience in his pocket from first song to last. The real improvement for me though comes with the rhythm section; both drummer James Heatley and bassist Micky Waters are rock-solid, the latter fills in beautifully behind lead guitarist Paul Mahon. Watching them made me think of a far more aggressive version of Free, they are steeped in the same blues tradition as Kossoff and co but they interpret it in a much harder way.

A year on the road playing the big arenas with Angus & Co. has transformed the band; no longer are they just another group of young hopefuls, now they are the finished article, an accomplished live act ready to inherit the mantle of the UK's best rock band. The crowd present tonight will certainly pass on how great this band are; they may not say it was the best show they've ever seen but it was definitely enough to ensure that when they tour again, they'll have yet more along for the ride.

I look forward to seeing the band headline at the Echo Arena in a couple of years time - Sláinte!

Caught Live: Hard Rock Hell (Saturday) Pontin's, Prestatyn, Wales 5 December 2009

2009-12-08T01:53:00.002Z

Before I go any further it's time for a correction: the Hard Rock Hell event actually commenced Thursday night so the previous blog should really refer to the second night, even if it was my first night there! Anyway, the Saturday was the third and final day/night in Prestatyn, and my second trip into Gogledd Cymru* in as many nights.

As I was being driven this time (I drove the night before) we'd arranged to meet up early evening. As we were coming from different places, it would have been difficult to get there during the day. Anyway, by the time we got to the resort and headed back to the main stage, we caught the end of Rogue Male's set. Based on the one song I heard (Crazy Motorcycle) it sounded loud, proud and ultra-heavy! They're a band I only gave fleeting attention to back in the 1980s but this rendition kicked ass! We then decamped to the second stage in order to catch a few numbers from another 80s band, Demon. They had a pretty dismal crowd for their set, to be honest, as they ran through their old back catalogue including 'Night Of The Demon' and 'The Plague'. A little unfair, as they were giving a decent account of themselves, but their set clashed with that of W.A.S.P. over on the main stage. So we left them after three numbers, and found the floor at the main stage completely and utterly packed out! It seemed like the entire HRH crowd had decided to come over for Blackie and his crew's set, so we were obliged to watch from the sides where the merchandise stalls were and see as best as we could. Considering only Blackie Lawless himself is left from the 80s band, that has to be considered a personal triumph for the W.A.S.P. mainman. They played plenty of the old favourites including 'L.O.V.E. Machine' and 'Blind In Texas' alongside some newer songs, and although only one of the band was an original it really felt like 1986 all over again. They played great, went down a storm and probably were the talking point of the entire weekend. Superb.

Queensryche were the designated 'headline' act for the night and were up next on stage, but once W.A.S.P. had finished there was a total exodus from the main hall. Before they came on we decided to see what was going on over on the second stage, and caught the last number from Onslaught. That also took me back, but high-speed thrash long since lost its appeal to me and we quickly headed back for the Seattle prog-metallers. We had little trouble finding a nice spot in the crowd this time and we settled back as the intro tape began... then stopped again. The start was plagued by a technical problem which caused guitarist Michael Wilton to emerge, then scuttle back off stage again while they sorted it out.
After a short delay they started up again and this time all was well. They played very well, and singer Geoff Tate gave arguably the vocal performance of the entire event, but after the W.A.S.P. set they had a tough act to follow. Their more cerebral brand of rock was probably best suited to either a later slot or a different night after the pure bombast from Lawless and co. Although the vocalist declared early on he'd keep chat to a minimum, as they had a lot to get through (they played tracks from most recent album 'American Soldier' alongside material from 'Rage For Order' and 'Empire'; significantly no 'Mindcrime' stuff), he did actually talk quite a lot between songs, which didn't go down well with everyone. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt though, since those songs are tough to sing even for a vocalist of his calibre and he probably needed a short breather! They did deliver a good if shortened set, and played with the expected precision but the substantially thinner crowd told its own story: the real headliners played during the previous hour.

Following that set we once again decided to check out the other stage; another thrash act were reliving 1985 as we entered and quickly exited. They sounded almost exactly like Onslaught to me, but my moshing days are long behind me!
The last band we wanted to see this night were the New York Dolls; now although I've read plenty about them, and have seen countless bands who cited them as an influence, I'd never seen this band before nor was I particularly well-up on their material. Not that it mattered, since they looked and sounded exactly like I expected, with the frilly shirts, the hats, the posing and pouting from vocalist David Johansen and the sleazy guitar riffs from Sylvain Sylvain and Steve Conte all making up the complete trash rock experience. They managed somehow to show both how much they influenced subsequent bands and also display their own influences; you could see where Hanoi Rocks nicked their look and sound from straight off (notwithstanding the fact that one-time Hanoi bassist Sami Yaffa is now a fully-fledged Doll himself!) and you could also see how much a certain M. Jagger had influenced the stage act of Johansen. Whether or not you consider it a proper revival, considering there are more Dolls pushing up the daisies than there are kicking out the jams these days, it was an entertaining hour of sleaze from the originators (or at least two of them!)

I was ready to call it a night after the Dolls had finished, but once again there was another act to come and close out the night: Lauren Harris was last act up for this year's event. I've seen her before and was surprised when the lads I was with thought they would at least check her out, despite the fact all they knew about her was that her dad is in a very famous Metal band (!). Anyway I elected to take a 'comfort break' at that point, when I came back, she had started her set and the two guys immediately saw me and shouted 'Let's go!!' - with that we made a sharp exit!
It's fair to say I'm not a fan of Ms Harris's singing and, having sat through an entire set of hers once while she opened for another favourite band of mine, I was all too willing to make tracks.

So that was my Hard Rock Hell for 2009, given that I didn't stay on site I cannot comment on the accommodation facilites (which have been slated in some quarters!) but, when you hold a rock festival at an old-fashioned holiday camp straight out of 'Hi-de-Hi', and in the depths of Winter too, you're not gonna please everyone. Fortunately for me the site is reasonably close by and so despite that, I hope they have it here again in 2010 with more great bands!

*North Wales!

Caught Live: Hard Rock Hell (Friday) - Pontin's Prestatyn 4/12/09

2009-12-06T23:38:00.002Z

For the second year running my luck was in for this event, held at a holiday centre in North Wales, not too far from Ronsterland. Last year I got to see Black Label Society (plus Clutch and others) thanks to some connections
and this year, a friend of mine won tickets to the 2009 renewal.

So it was that we headed over to Prestatyn late Friday afternoon; we were unable to leave sooner owing to commitments and we got to the main stage to find Gun already on and playing. (We'd missed Logan, unfortunately, and had no hope of catching Voodoo Johnson as I might have liked, so you'll both just have to come back to Liverpool!)

I've never seen Gun before but have seen their new singer Toby Jepson on numerous occasions; it did sometimes feel a bit like Little Angels but Toby is a fine frontman and has been accepted warmly by Gun's fans. Being an Englishman fronting a Scottish band, that in itself is worth a pat on the back (!). A pleasant hour reliving Gun's hits, then, ending of course with 'Word Up'. Quite what that song's writer (Larry Blackmon, of Cameo) may think of his song being played at a Hard Rock event, one can only guess at, but here, it was delivered well, and Toby sounded close to original vocalist Mark Rankin.

A quick 'fred durst' later, we were back in the crowd for what we thought would be Terrorvision. Instead, what looked like Steel Panther's dads emerged - I failed to recognise any of them at first and it was only when I heard the song that I twigged: it was Ratt next on the bill, not Terrorvision! A closer look at the line-up revealed former Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo in place of the late Robbin Crosby, and as it had been 23 years since last I saw this band I had few expectations. However, I really enjoyed them! Admittedly Pearcy's vocal is not the best, (then again he never has claimed to be a Dio) but they delivered a short set full of their favourite old songs, mostly from the 'Out of the Cellar' and 'Invasion of your Privacy' albums from their mid-80s glory days. Guitarist Warren deMartini still sounds fluid and they went down very well with the crowd, probably all of whom still have the vinyl LPs in their attics (!)
A pleasant surprise, then and upon double-checking the programme, Terrorvision would follow Ratt (or should that be 'Quiet Ratt'?)

When they came out, I was surprised to see them dressed in suits (apart from drummer Shutty) - Tony Wright was looking very resplendent, as was bassist Leigh Marklew. Guitarist Mark Yates held up the rock look though, wearing suit trousers and a waistcoat with no shirt, showing numerous tattoos! The band ran through all their 90s favourites, yes, that included 'Tequila' (but played properly with the guitars intact - yah boo sucks to Zoe Ball! ) Their set was a short snappy party, Wright was unable to keep still all night, bounding around the stage with commendable energy for a forty-something! They've split and come back a few times now, if they're still capable of this kind of performance they ought to stick around a little longer this time.

Next up were the headliners and a band I'd been looking forward to seeing: Monster Magnet. I've been a fan of these 90s stoners for years but have only seen them live once before, and this promised to be a highlight of the weekend. I got a shock at the sight of vocalist Dave Wyndorf when he came onstage though; he's now a Monster by nature as well as by name! The formerly slim figure has been replaced by a seriously chubby Dave; not so much Stoner rock as 16-Stoner rock!
That said, having been through all manner of drug addictions in the past, if his present addiction is just pies, that is probably the least of his troubles! The band were still awesome, still weighty (in the right sense of the word!) and still produce a 70s-style, satisfyingly sludgy Metal sound that nobody else seems to do any more. They did a long set including an encore with (by my reckoning) 4 songs, so we got the full value here. I'd love to see more from the Magnet, even if Dave stops at every branch of Waterfield's in the UK along the way!!

The crowd had evaporated after the headliners' set, but they were not the last band on. Hard Rock Hell has an unusual setup where they have another band afterward, and this slot was given to Sonata Arctica. I'd actually planned to go to one of their other gigs during this brief UK stop but as I'll be at the second night of Hard Rock Hell instead now, that will have to be postponed. I've seen the Finnish band several times now and thoroughly enjoyed them each time; and I was really looking forward to this especially as they now have a new album out: 'The Days of Grays'. I had managed to grab a spot on the barrier for this set as many of the crowd had left, so I was in a prime spot. They delivered a typically energetic and technically excellent performance, with the expected great playing from guitarist Elias 'E.Vil' Viljanen and keyboard player Henrik Klingenberg. The sound wasn't the best from my spot though, the drums tended to dominate. My only real problem with the set was that it was just too short! They played four songs from the new album, with the only oldies being '8th Commandment', 'Full Moon', 'In Black and White' and 'Don't Say A Word' (with 'Vodka' ending). With it being such a short set I'd have liked one or two more old songs, but I got the impression the band thought that as they were not so well known to this crowd, they may as well play their new stuff as it would all be unfamiliar to the crowd.
Judging from the between-song chat from vocalist Tony Kakko, that seemed to be the case. I still enjoyed it, but it just was not enough for me and I hope that they return to the UK in 2010 for some more dates.

So that was the first night of Hard Rock Hell; a report on the second night will follow, if I can remember it!

Caught Live: Magnum - O2 Academy, Liverpool 29 October 2009

2009-10-30T02:11:00.000Z

Another midweek night, another gig from a veteran band. This time it was melodic rock survivors Magnum who pitched up at Liverpool's O2 Academy, and it was a substantially different gig experience to the Y&T one of two nights earlier. For one thing, the turnout was only OK - they used the larger upstairs room, but to be honest this crowd could probably have fitted in the downstairs part without too much trouble. A far cry from their arena-headlining days of the late 1980s, but full marks for perservering long after the musical trend shifted away from their style of rock.
However the band have a lot of kit and so the bigger stage did suit them. I only got in around 15 minutes before they were due on, but had no problem finding a nice spot in the middle.

The other thing about this gig was the fact that Magnum chose to play a lot of songs from their new album 'Into The Valley of the Moonking'. It's not a CD I have got hold of yet, and so I was unfamiliar with much of the set played tonight. It seems a brave move from a band with a substantial back catalogue and many classics to choose from, to push their new material so heavily but it does show confidence in what they are doing now, as opposed to what they did 20 years back. In fact, it was at least an hour into the show before I heard anything I recognised, that being 'Les Morts Dansant'.

This did not detract from the band's performance; they still feature three of their classic line-up in keyboard player Mark Stanway, guitarist and songwriter Tony 'No Hat' Clarkin (!) and singer Bob Catley. Now into his 60s, Catley still sounds in good vocal shape and is backed well by bassist Al Barrow. The new songs were well received by those that did show, the crowd once again looked to be full of middle-aged blokes (looks in mirror here!) but there were quite a few women present too, and there were some younger fans in among the oldies (yaaay!) The drum stool is now occupied by everyone's favourite Bald Eagle, Mr Harry James. Harry was in fine form tonight; loud but not overwhelmingly so, he drives this band expertly. Tony Clarkin, although the creative force in the band, prefers to leave the spotlight with the singer; never looking to dominate proceedings with long solos, he always plays for the song.

The crowd really roared their appreciation once the band dipped into their oldies; 'Les Morts Dansant' was enthusiastically cheered and set closer 'Vigilante' ensured they left with loud roars ringing in their ears. Despite leaving out many of their favourites, such as 'The Spirit', 'Soldier of the Line' and 'Sacred Hour' they still delivered an entertaining set. As said earlier it was a brave move to do that and probably one that will irk some of their more long-term fans, but hats off (sorry Tony!) to them for taking the gamble.

Caught Live: Y&T - Academy 3, Manchester 27 October 2009

2009-10-28T01:04:00.003Z

Another gig that I left up until the last moment before deciding to attend, and I cut it rather fine when getting in to find the guys on and playing. As they were due on at 9pm and I had only got into the venue a few minutes later, I guess I didn't miss too much.

There must have been a substantial 'walk-up' crowd this night, since I was able to get a ticket on the door but once inside I found a very full Academy 3. Admittedly this is the smallest of the venues at Manchester University but still, a very good turnout for a midweek gig as acknowledged by singer/guitarist Dave Meniketti. Of the current line-up I recognised only him and bassist Phil Kennemore from their glory days of the 1980s; I've not really stayed up to date with this band and in fact this was only the third time I'd seen them at all, the first being an appearance at the 1984 Donington festival.

Despite that however, I knew almost all the songs played in the set. They'd obviously decided to concentrate on the fan favourites, and so the set was heavily weighted in favour of material from their early 80s heyday. So we got all the classics, including 'Dirty Girl', 'Mean Streak', 'Barroom Boogie', 'Hurricane' and an excellent 'I Believe In You', allowing Meniketti to showcase his more bluesy guitar style. Their only UK hit 'Summertime Girls' was delivered mid-set also; I know they had to play it but even so, it invokes uncomfortable memories of Jonathan King and his 'Entertainment USA' programme from the 80s (!)

Dave Meniketti impressed with some sublime guitar playing; he mainly sets his guitar to kill but when he chooses to, he can play with real subtlety and feel. His voice held up pretty well too considering he told the crowd he'd been hit by a bug just days before. He handled most of the lead playing but was backed well by fellow guitarist John Nymann, who did occasionally get a chance to show his own leads (unlike the Joey Alves days, who preferred to concentrate purely on rhythm)

Late in the set, bassist Phil Kennemore was given the microphone to perform 'Squeeze' from the classic 'Earthshaker' album; he and Meniketti were lauded with football-style chants but Phil chose to get the crowd to chant back 'F**k You Phil' – that, he explained, was because while on tour, he missed hearing that from his wife (!) There was a brief drum solo from Mike Vanderhule during this song but by the time it came, most of what we had come to hear had been played so it was not too intrusive.

There was not much in the way of stage banter from the frontman, the guys had a lot to get through and just got on with it. Consequently it sometimes came over more like a pub gig, but nobody came to hear Dave Lee Roth-style joking around. However, one request from the crowd to play 'Lipstick and Leather' was granted; they had obviously not rehearsed it and just about managed to busk their way through it, to big cheers.

The main set ended with 'Forever' before they came back to do just the one song as an encore, what else could it be but 'Rescue Me'. The night ended with Kennemore getting the crowd to chant 'F**k You Phil' some more, much to his amusement!

All in all then, an excellent gig; a throwback to the days when Metal was allowed to have melody and musicianship. The operative word being 'throwback'; that was the only thing that left a slight downer with me. The audience tonight was almost exclusively male 30/40-somethings, apart from one or two who were there with their fathers there were absolutely no younger fans that I could see. I cannot complain about the set being full of songs that are at least 25 years old either, since they all hold up extremely well and will probably still sound good in another 25 years (will we still be saying that about the latest hotshots... draw your own conclusions!) but, this show was definitely preaching to the converted. Maybe it's just me, but I really think bands such as this shouldn't be reliant on a fanbase that is ageing with them, they should be attracting new ones to go with the existing fans. I suppose you have to be a really massive name like AC/DC or even Whitesnake to do that but, if this kind of music is not attracting younger fans to rock then I dread to think how the scene is going to look in years to come. Surely it can't be as bad as the dark days of nu-metal... can it?!?

Y&T official website

Caught Live: Black Stone Cherry (with Loaded) Apollo Theatre, Manchester 20 October 2009

2009-10-21T00:55:00.002+01:00

I ummed and ahhed about going to this gig up to the last moment; the venue is not my favourite in the country (not even my favourite in Manchester; the Academy is a far better place since its recent revamp) but as it's been a while since my last 'proper' gig and as I'm currently not able to get to as many as I might like, the decision was taken to check this show out.

I got there in plenty of time to catch Loaded, and a decent-sized crowd was already standing in the stalls awaiting Duff and his crew. 22 years ago I saw Duff McKagan play this same place with Guns 'n' Roses when their star was very much in the ascendancy. Only last year, he was in Liverpool with this band and went down a storm with a small crowd, who had come mainly to see the big name. However this time around his band had a much harder job with the crowd, despite Duff's status he had his work cut out to get anything going beyond the first dozen rows. The band's set was mostly the same sort of punk 'n' roll delivered last year, but there were some songs which slowed things down a bit. That was probably not a great idea when supporting; with a limited time you have to keep it short and sharp, and hit hard. It was when they did the harder songs, including covers such as 'Attitude', 'New Rose' and even set closing treat 'It's So Easy' that they went down best. So not quite the stormer they played last year, but I did note the great performance of drummer Isaac Carpenter, and was especially impressed with bassist Jeff Rouse, he possesses a better singing voice than the main man and was given a chance to show it just before the end.

Up to now I've only seen Black Stone Cherry as support for bigger bands; they got their break last year as openers on the Whitesnake/Def Leppard arena tour and it's clear from the turnout tonight (a close-on full Apollo) that they've won a lot of friends since then. When I first saw them last year I wrote in an earlier blog that they were 'solid but unspectacular'. That's still the impression they leave me with now; all the ingredients are there, a great singer in Chris Robertson, energetic sidemen in guitarist Ben Wells and bassist Jon Lawhon (they never stood still all night, frequently swapping sides and climbing the monitors) and a sound drummer in John Fred Young. They also have some good songs to back all this activity up, but something for me doesn't quite hit the mark, they don't send the shivers down the spine, they don't leave me walking out of the venue in a near-trance, blown away by what I've just seen. That is not to say they were bad; not at all, they were very good live, they make all the right moves and they say all the right things. They just don't seem to be quite matching up to the status they now find themselves in, headlining large theatres like the Apollo.

Perhaps Black Stone Cherry are just one of those bands you have to stick with and watch them grow into their role; or perhaps it's simply me who doesn't get it. There were certainly enough there who did, Robertson was often able to leave the singing to the crowd and most notably so on the poignant 'The Things My Father Said'. But for me, although those ingredients are in place, the cake isn't quite fully baked, they're not yet the finished article.

One last thing; the sound in the theatre once again did neither band any favours; the bass was so loud especially during the headline set that I'm still buzzing from it now! As said at the top, this place is not my favourite venue and I don't make a habit of going there these days. Just a shame so many acts choose it! Perhaps if they had played the Academy I may have enjoyed it more, but as it was, the air guitar remained in its case.

Caught Live: Livewire (AC/DC tribute) with Limehouse Lizzy, o2 Academy Liverpool 11 Sept 2009

2009-09-12T05:32:00.000+01:00

It was through every fault of my own, but I got there when Limehouse were already on, and they had played over half their set already! The gig was held in the larger upstairs part of the venue, which surprised me but it seems that Limehouse had brought along a large following of their own. Although a tribute to Thin Lizzy, they're highly regarded in their own right and these days have a totally professional setup, with a large illuminated sign just like the one Phil and his mates had. They play supremely well too, you really can close your eyes and imagine the dulcet Dublin tones of Philo, although when vocalist Wayne Ellis does talk, it is in flat Lancastrian vowels!

The Limehouse lads were roared off stage and almost immediately cheered back on it again, overruning their alloted hour to play an encore of 'Whiskey In The Jar'. Despite missing over half the set, I enjoyed what I saw immensely. It's not the first time I've seen the boys and it certainly won't be the last, their incessant touring has brought them many friends.

They were quick in setting up the stage for Livewire, the AC/DC tribute band and with hardly a fanfare, they ran on stage. Opening with 'Shot Down in Flames', they ran through a repertoire of Scott-era material. Their vocalist dressed as Bon right down to the cutoff denims; he didn't have the menacing presence or charm of the genuine article, then again who has? He did sing the material pretty well, though and his 'Angus' was suitably energetic on stage. 'Angus' did look a bit like (local indie hero) Julian Cope though!

After around 40 minutes of classic 'DC, the vocalist departed, and the bells rang out to signal 'Hells Bells'. I expected him to make a quick wardrobe change here, but when the song struck up, we were greeted by a new vocalist! Dressed almost exactly like Brian Johnson, and sounding like he did almost 30 years ago too, he made a great impression performing 'Beano'-era songs. We even got two 'Black Ice' tracks ('War Machine' and 'Rock and Roll Train') I actually enjoyed this part of the show more; replicating an iconic figure such as Bon Scott is a near-impossible job but taking off the more down-to earth Johnson sat better with me, and his vocals were very close to the real thing. They were a little pushed for time tonight, and so the cannons which were sat atop the amps remained unused. They did fit in as much as they could, closing with 'Bon' returning to play 'Whole Lotta Rosie' before being joined by 'Brian' for a duet version of 'Let There Be Rock'. That in itself, was a surreal spectacle!

As I say, they did play well, and went down great with a crowd hungry for classic 'DC. However, having seen the real thing only a few months earlier, this was always gonna fall short. Their 'Malcolm' was struggling to make his rhythm guitar heard, which didn't help the band's sound. The drummer was a bit too hard-hitting for me too, not quite that metronomic beat of the great Phil Rudd. But these are relatively minor gripes, basically they came to play 'DC songs to an appreciative audience and in the main did a fine job.

On an entirely unrelated note, I noticed on the way out that Airbourne are coming to play this venue again next year... must get a ticket for that!

Mathew Street Festival 2009 - the rains came!

2009-09-03T11:38:00.024+01:00

August Bank Holiday weekend came around again, and that means it's time to close off the roads in Liverpool City Centre, set up some stages, get some bands in, and enjoy the music! It's the 'Mathew Street Festival' in name only these days, as there is live music happening across the city centre during the event, not just in that one street. The 2007 debacle is now a distant memory, with a full line-up of bands scheduled to play across town at both the outdoor stages and the many indoor venues. A new element to this year's event was a 'fringe' festival, which aimed to showcase unsigned local acts, and this came about as a consequence
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 who 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

Caught Live: Pearl Jam, MEN Arena Manchester 17 August 2009

2009-08-18T14:30:00.006+01:00

If you've seen the Simpsons episode 'Homerpalooza' you'll relate to Homer when he realises that he is no longer young and trendy as far as music is concerned. (Not that he ever was, but in his mind he felt so, until brutally informed otherwise by Bart.)

My own Homer moment came in early 1992; I remember flicking through the TV channels late one night and caught this band playing live in the studio, for a BBC arts programme. The band were Pearl Jam, and I'd never heard of them before. Their performance (of the song 'Alive' as I later learned) was excellent, it reminded me of the days of 'The Old Grey Whistle Test'. Having been suitably impressed, I soon found out via the next week's issue of 'Kerrang' mag (when it was still worth buying) that the band were playing UK dates, and that they would appear at Manchester's International 2. Shortly after that, I went along to the show, expecting it to be a low-key affair. Of course the place was completely packed that night, and I suddenly realised that this
'obscure' band I'd never heard of were actually rather popular! At that moment, I realised I wasn't 'with it' any more (not that *I* ever was really, but even so, where rock was concerned, it was obvious things had moved on and I'd missed it).

That was then and now, Pearl Jam have emerged as the sole survivors of that scene, coming through everything which has come since and are now regarded as a 'classic' band themselves. That show at the International 2 was the only time I saw them up
until 2000, by which time they were arena-status. Fast forward another nine years, and we are back at the MEN Arena for the band's return, one of only two arena dates in Britain. I must own up to not having really kept up with the band's output in that
time so I had little clue of what was to be played. They came on at around 8:50, and the packed crowd (they were even seated in the sections that reach BEHIND the stage, there must have been around 18000 in the arena) erupted. Opening track 'Long Road' was a Springsteen-esque anthem, but the harder stuff soon followed. Although they went down very well, I thought the band blew hot and cold during the main set. They were playing to a massive, packed arena but at times they did not project themselves; just five fairly anonymous figures on a big stage (six, if you count the Jon Lord lookalike who was on occasional keyboards!)

I was reasonably close, but having experienced that place from the very back, it is easy to feel disconnected from the stage action. You have to involve the crowd, even using the big lights to illuminate the stands helps. That was something they only
did in the encores; the band eschew big stage sets or other gimmicks but when in a venue this size, you really need some way to connect with the fans in the upper tiers. I didn't feel they did that enough, it was as though they were still at the International 2. The first bit of showmanship they produced was during 'Even Flow' when guitarist Mike McCready played an extended lead solo with the guitar behind his back. That was something, but it took until well into the set to even give that. Vocalist Eddie Vedder was static on the stage for much of the show, he only ventured to the edges later on.

Towards the end of the main set, things picked up, even shrugging off a messed-up song intro ('This is only our fourth gig as a band!' - Vedder) and a storming 'Rearviewmirror' ended the main set. They came back to play not one, but TWO encores (something else which is far from 'alternative'!) and in the first, played 'Alive'. The second encore saw bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard swap instruments, and also included a cover of The Who's 'The Real Me' (also covered by W.A.S.P. once - teehee!) before they went over curfew, playing the final song 'Indifference' while the house lights were up!

Overall, although it ended triumphantly and they DID play well, it was at times lumpen, the set meandered in the middle. In fact, they sounded quite like the Kings of Leon (who Vedder plugged by wearing their T-shirt). They should play more to their strengths and acknowledge they're an arena band, they've been around long enough now to cast off that 'alternative' cloak.

Support came from Southport indie scenesters Gomez, I'd never seen these before and knew only one song beforehand. After their set, I still feel I need only 'Whippin' Piccadilly' from them. They CAN rock out, their best asset is guitarist Ben Ottewell, who is also a great singer - he possesses a really rich throaty voice. But their set came over as trying too hard to be unconventional, to be different. It does not work in an arena, just plug in and rock out! There was one song where the drummer came out from behind the kit, he and guitarist/vocalist Ian Ball appeared to be wielding iPhones while a weird assortment of sounds raged. To be honest, they were going down like a lead balloon until they played 'Whippin' Piccadilly' which brought about a mass sing-song. That literally saved their set, the rest was almost instantly forgettable. They have three members who split the vocals, but they should put Ottewell more to the fore, he is far and away their best singer. Perhaps their quirky approach would work in a smaller venue, but here, in this cavernous bowl, it fell flat.

Pearl Jam Set list (taken from www.pearljam.com):

Long Road
Last Exit
Why Go
All Night
The Fixer
Low Light
In Hiding
World Wide Suicide
Not For You(Modern Girl)
Even Flow
Present Tense
Save You
Grievance
Sleight Of Hand
Got Some
Given To Fly
Rearviewmirror

Encore 1:

Go
Daughter
Do The Evolution
Alive

Encore 2:

Smile
Black
Leash
The Real Me
Indifference

Caught Live: Lacuna Coil, Barfly, Liverpool 1 August 2009

2009-08-06T14:25:00.000+01:00

I only found out about this show a few days ago, when flicking through a copy of Kerplunk! rag in the local Asda (not gonna buy the thing, not when the only thing worth bothering with IS the gig guide!) The Italian metallers were here as part of a short series of low-key dates; usually they're seen in larger venues such as the Manchester Apollo, so it was a pleasant surprise to see such a band in a small venue at this end of the East Lancs.

I was later than intended getting to the venue, by the time I'd finished all my chores for the day and had my tea, it was already 8pm. So it was a dash into town with the Pugmobile, and I was almost there when I ran slap bang into a parade that was passing through at the exact moment I got to the junction. Two minutes earlier and I'd have missed it, as it was I was stuck while a procession of dubiously-dressed characters (slowly) made their way past. I was conscious of the time ticking on as this seemingly endless parade sauntered its way across my intended route, so I decided just to forget it and do a quick U-turn. It wasn't quite as quick as I'd hoped, since by this stage traffic had built up behind me and almost everyone else had the same idea! By the time I'd worked my way around the parade and rolling roadblocks, it was close on 9pm. I parked up and hurried through the streets to the Barfly, entering the venue to find it already very full. I'd no sooner got myself a halfway-decent spot, than the band hit the stage.

I'll be honest here; I'm not very well up on this band at all. When Evanescence broke big some years ago, this was one of the bands they were compared to and it was easy to see why when watching this gig. Their material does sound somewhat 'nu'; lead solos are at a premium and most songs are built on rhythmic drum beats. Of course nobody was here for guitar shredding; they were here for lead singer Cristina Scabbia. Undisputably the star of this band, she sounded in great voice live; she elevates this band almost single-handedly to something far above the alt-metal norm. The packed crowd were in her command throughout, though co-vocalist Andrea Ferro played his part in getting the crowd involved it was Scabbia who held the attention. They played for just over an hour, and at the end Ferro probably hacked off half the crowd when he held up a Liverpool FC scarf over his head, but there was little dissent. The band were very well received by the Barfly crowd.

All things considered, it was a good night, with the rare opportunity to see a 'name' band play a small club gig. I wasn't totally convinced by the out-front sound, the guitars were audible but not exactly prominent, but on hearing that voice you can forgive almost anything. They left promising to play a full UK tour next year with the complete production; it is unlikely to be at the Barfly but at least they made the effort to come to our city on this occasion.

Caught Live: Thunder, Manchester Academy 1, July 3 2009

2009-07-04T16:16:00.000+01:00

A week has passed since the enforced cancellation of a high-profile series of farewell concerts from one of the world's biggest stars, but scheduled for around the same time (and with a lot less hype) was this farewell tour from Thunder, one of Britain's best-loved rock bands. Fortunately all five guys were present and correct to be able to play this tour, and the Manchester Academy was packed out on this very hot summer night. Thunder announced they were to call it a day (for the second, and presumably now, final time) at around the start of the year, causing much disappointment to their loyal band of followers. After my own initial disappointment at the news, I dealt with it by regarding everything they did since 2002 (when they came back from an earlier split) as a bonus, and figuring that after 20 years as a band, they really do not owe us any more. So it was with calm acceptance that I booked tickets for this tour, and given that my own circumstances have changed substantially since then also, I can sort of understand where the band are coming from.

The audience in the Academy were out to have themselves a great time, the atmosphere was charged from first minute to last and when the band emerged (led by bassist Chris Childs) the newly-refurbished venue was in danger of needing another new roof. The set was substantially different to their previous visit only last Autumn, this time they rolled out many of their best-loved songs from across their back catalogue, rather than pushing the 'Bang!' album as they did last year. Surprisingly, it took until relatively late in the set before we got anything from their legendary first album; the fact that this did not affect their reception one jot shows the strength of the band's material. They could play for about four hours and still leave out somebody's favourite song, they have so many good ones. Once again it was singer Danny Bowes who conducted matters supremely well, he could come on and recite the telephone directory and still be cheered to the rafters! He sang well, as always, but to me not quite at the level he was last year, when he was in spine-tingling form. This time he was at around 80% but even at this level he is still a cut above many other rock singers. He will be a massive loss to the scene. The set seemed to be chosen with a party in mind, there was little respite in the form of ballads and instead it was mostly uptempo stuff delivered. My only real quibble was the out-front sound, I was dead centre about 30 metres off the front in a prime position, but even I found it LOUD in this fairly large hall. At times the sound simply bludgeoned the ears, it could have done with being a little less intense I thought, and I'm not having that I'm getting too old for all this (!) - it really was a bit heavy. The sound out front was almost matched by the audience noise however, they were really up for this and even Danny Bowes was forced to concede it was louder than Glasgow the night before!

Support came from the increasingly-popular Scottish band Logan; the venue was filling nicely as they played, and it was gratifying to see them get a good reception from Thunder's infamously partisan crowd. Vocalist Kenny Collins managed to squeeze in a slagging for Kerrang! magazine, winning some loud cheers (including one from your correspondent) - but it was their playing and especially the vocalist's performance, which won over the crowd. The guys are going places, whatever Kerrang! might think!

Good though Logan were, tonight was all about Thunder. Despite the sheer volume, this was a triumphant night, and definitely they are going out with the BANG! suggested by their last album. The rock scene will be the poorer for their demise, but they have given us a whole lot of studio and live material to enjoy in years to come.

Set list:
Loser
Dirty Dream
On The Radio
Low Life in High Places
Somebody Get Me A Spin Doctor
Empty City
The Devil Made Me Do It
Love Worth Dying for
River Of Pain
Just Another Suicide (You Wanna Know)
Love Walked In
I Love You More Than Rock 'n' Roll
______

A Better Man
An Englishman on Holiday
Dirty Love

Caught Live: Nickelback, MEN Arena Manchester 22 May 2009

2009-05-23T17:11:00.000+01:00

Way back at around the start of this decade, you could not switch on your radio or put a music TV channel on, without hearing 'How You Remind Me', which introduced Canadian hard rockers Nickelback to the UK. It got pushed initially on Kerrang TV, before being picked up by many other outlets. I've often felt it's that which has caused the negative press the band has suffered here; that instead of them being played on 'rock' outlets and only being known to the 'Kerrang crowd', they broke free and crossed over, where their song instantly connected with a different audience. An older one. Once they were accepted by the 'older' crowd, the backlash began in earnest. Kerrang (the magazine) infamously branded singer Chad Kroeger a 'c**t' for having a heckler ejected from a show, something which caused resentment with the band, and only served to help Kerrang! paint them as 'uncool', in the process turning their backs on a band which their own channel broke over here. The further success of 'Rock Star', another song which lodged in the public mind for many months, did little to change that perception as once again, one of their songs crossed over and achieved mainstream success.

No doubt to the irritation of Kerrang!, and the rest of the UK press, Nickelback have achieved big, and consistent success in the years since. Their latest tour sees them once again hit British arenas, less than a year since last they played here. Clearly they're doing something right, as a large crowd showed at the MEN. They didn't sell it out, but made a good fist of it, with only the upper tier at the very back unused. Watching this band perform, I could find little evidence of 'c**t-ish' behaviour from the frontman, instead I saw a consummate professional easily take command of a big crowd, and connect with them as though it were a club gig. I was impressed with his live vocal, no croaking and no straining at the seams, although he is well backed by guitarist Ryan Peake and drummer Daniel Adair.

They performed a set packed with singalong rock anthems, some semi-acoustic of the type that made them famous, others all-out Metal. Not being that familiar with the band's work myself, it was slightly surprising to hear them really rock out, but they do so with style and can kick ass with the very best of them. Their stage show skimped on absolutely nothing; all the lights you want, pyro and fireworks of the sort not seen since Rammstein last came to town, an elevated platform for the drummer to perform his solo (yes, they do a drum solo!) and the obligatory stage ramp extending deep into the arena floor. Only when the band came to the front of this ramp did they reveal a second drum kit which was hidden underneath, and a section of the ramp turned over with the kit in place! They even brought out their crew, armed with air cannons with which to shoot T-shirts into the crowd! Those things were incredibly powerful, as the band played, T-shirts flew high into the upper tiers of the arena. I feared a 'Maude Flanders' moment for a while there! Every arena rock cliché in the book was used by Nickelback during this show, but they would not be able to do any of it if they did not have the songs to back it all up. They do, and plenty of them. To my surprise, their two biggest hits 'Rock Star' and 'How You Remind Me' were delivered during the main set, not in the encores. A further example of non-c**tish antics from Chad Kroeger was given when he brought out Chris from openers Black Stone Cherry to play a cover of AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell'.

All in all then, almost the perfect arena show. They put only one foot wrong for me throughout the night, and that was when they played 'If Everyone Cared'. Accompanied by a preachy-looking slide show esposuing the humanitarian work done by the likes of Bono, Mandela and others, it was all a bit U2, a bit CNN, and not really in keeping with the rest of the show, which was pure rock 'n' roll entertainment.
Thankfully it was only for that one song, but that sort of thing is best left to Bono and co. What we hard rockers crave is escapism from the real world! I will forgive their other minor faux-pas, when during 'Photograph', their montage of slides on the video screen featured a girl wearing a 'Sun' t-shirt (but if you ever play the Echo Arena guys, leave that slide out - ta!)

Kerrang! will sneer, but Nickelback didn't get to this status by making their music for critics, and such press bashing didn't stop Queen, it didn't stop Kiss, and it won't stop Nickelback. An excellent show, and a great live band.

Caught Live: Stratovarius (& Firewind/Eden's Curse), Manchester Jilly's Rockworld, 19 May 2009

2009-05-21T11:17:00.001+01:00

Most bands hate it when they are pigenholed into rigid 'genres' of music; I dare say the bands on tonight are no exception. That said, they are all firmly categorised as 'power metal' and that gives the listener a very good idea of what they will sound like, especially since your correspondent knew little about any of these acts. It mattered not, since the music was exactly what I'd come to hear; soaring vocals, speedy drumming, widdly guitar solos and lots of keyboards in the mix. Power Metal, as a genre, can be traced directly back to the glory days of Rainbow when Blackmore and Dio reigned supreme, so despite not having been well-briefed on any of the bands I expected to enjoy the fare on offer.

I had, however, reckoned without the venue's facilities! It's been a long time since I last visited Rockworld, and I soon remembered why once entering the venue. The view from the main floor is badly obstructed by a large pillar, the stage itself has little elevation, so unless you are Peter Crouch (or better, Reed Richards) you won't see a lot on the stage. In addition to this, when openers Eden's Curse were on, they were themselves cursed by a PA that was doing a passable impression of the Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town (google it, those of you who are not British/under 40 years old!). Every time a bassy bit kicked in... FRRRRPPPPP! It frustrated vocalist Michael Eden to the point where he and the band decided that enough was enough and abruptly ended their set, with an angry broadside at the sound system.
That was a shame, they were playing well and I thought he was a decent singer, when not being thrown off by the flatulent speakers.

Firewind were up next, it did appear that the sound system had improved for their set, but it was still hard to make out vocalist Apollo Papathanasio over the deluge. Once again, they played exactly what I expected, with lots of opportunities to break out the air guitar.
They were also experiencing technical difficulties though, and they also cut their set short. They promised to return soon and play a full show, if that happens let's hope it is at a different venue!

There was a long delay in turning the stage over for the headliners, a cynical observer (raises hand!) might have concluded that the venue management had gone back to Cash Converters to get a refund on their dodgy PA system! They did spend a long time in preparing things, so it was close on 10pm by the time Stratovarius came on the stage. As said at the top of this blog, I know little about the band, other than they feature one-time Yngwie (and Dio) keyboard player Jens Johansson, and that their guitarist and main creative source Timo Tolkki controversially exited the band a few years previously, not only that but he signed over all rights to the band name to the remaining members! To an outsider, that's akin to David Coverdale leaving Whitesnake and telling the other guys to get on with it! Nevertheless, what matters is the band today and so I settled into my spot close to the dreaded pillar, to watch the guys go through their paces.

Vocalist Timo Kotipelto had been suffering from illness during this tour, but sounded in good voice tonight. Not being familiar with their material, I found myself constantly searching for and finding reference points; e.g. the singer's moves were Dio-esque, but bassist Lauri Porra was reminiscent of Iron Maiden's Steve Harris, up at the front of the stage with the singer, getting the crowd going. Jens Johansson looked more like he should be lecturing a class of computer science students at Manchester University, but his playing is a large component of the band's sound. He and guitarist Matias Kupiainen added the 'nerd factor' to the stage, resplendent in their glasses (so speaks a nerd-fan, LOL!). Finland must have a factory somewhere which produces these lightning-fingered shred guitarists, it seems that they can interchange one for another and barely miss an arpeggio! There really does look like there's an endless supply of these guys coming out of the land of a thousand lakes, it's an air guitarist's dream!

The band played for just over an hour, mixing new songs from 'Polaris' with classics, but the only moshpit of the whole night came at the end, when they closed with 'Black Diamond'. I stayed well clear of it, not mixing it with that lot in this place where you're only one slam away from a concrete pillar, not at my age! They went off to big cheers, and as a parting gesture Kotipelto got the crowd to count to four... in Finnish! (I've forgotten the lesson I'm afraid, if any of my Finnish friends are reading!)

All in all a good bill of Power Metal, but I really wish this gig had been held at the Academy 3 in the nearby University. The facilities there are infinitely better, their PA is reliable, and you can see the band from anywhere in the hall. Rockworld is totally inadequate as a music venue, and it does take away the enjoyment of a gig when you can't see properly and worse, suffer a sub-standard sound system. We pay enough to see gigs in this day and age, is it too much to expect we get a decent facility in which to see bands?

As a footnote, I grabbed a quick word with Eden's Curse vocalist Michael Eden while buying his band's CD; he once again apologised for the bad PA and also expressed a wish to play another show soon. Being cheeky, I told him to come to our end of the M62!! ;-)

I do recommend all three bands, but do not recommend Rockworld to see them in!

Caught Live: Limehouse Lizzy, St Helens Citadel 1/5/2009

2009-05-04T00:58:00.000+01:00

One of the hardest-working acts on the tribute circuit, Limehouse Lizzy never seem to stop touring, bringing the music of the late Phil Lynott's band to fans the length and breadth of the country. It's been a while since I saw them last, so it's about time I did a write-up of one of their gigs! They played at the Citadel, a small theatre in St Helens (traditionally Lancashire, so it's a near-homecoming for Lancastrian frontman Wayne Ellis). The venue is cosy to say the least, a small standing area but with a seated balcony above, it probably holds about 400 people at the most. The evening started with support act Evenhand; just two guys, one on double bass, one singing and playing acoustic guitar. They went over well, and played great, but not really to my taste.

With it being such a small place, it was pretty easy to get right up to the stage. The guys came on and ran through a set of Lizzy favourites and hits, usually they do one or two more obscure numbers but on this occasion it was classics all the way. All played superbly well, although I was never lucky enough to see Thin Lizzy when Phil was around I can understand why so many say it's the next best thing.
Guitarist Greg Alcock nails Robbo's iconic solo in 'Still In Love With You'; frontman Wayne Ellis, although not looking particularly like Lynott, has that same easygoing stage presence. Having seen the 'other' Lizzy fairly recently, and noting that their drummer Tommy Aldridge tended to play so hard that it impacted on the Lizzy music, it is a pleasure to report that Limehouse drummer Andy Fox is more attuned to the true Brian Downey style. It's a far more natural groove. The only non-Lizzy song they do is 'Out In The Fields'; a hit for Gary Moore and Phil Lynott back in the mid-80s. Here, Tim Read sings the Moore parts, although the lead solo is handled by Greg Alcock.

They left to tumultuous cheers, high-fives exchanged between band and audience, although not before Wayne made sure we all remembered why we were here, namechecking 'one of the greatest rock 'n' rollers who ever lived' to another big cheer. Limehouse are doing a cracking job of keeping alive Lynott's music, long may they continue to rock!

Limehouse official site with tour info
Limehouse Lizzy on MySpace

Caught Live: Heaven's Basement, Liverpool Barfly 30/04/09

2009-05-02T19:53:00.000+01:00

I never learn: whenever I go to the Barfly I always get there handy and drive down. I should get the bus, head for The Swan (a well-known real ale pub popular with bikers) and sink a few scoops instead, before heading into the venue. That way, I'd miss the support bands that they always have on, and they are nearly always utter cak! Tonight was no exception, I got in to find a bunch of kids on stage (they called themselves Tied Up - they should be. And shot!), attempting sleaze rock when they can barely string three chords together! They couldn't string much of a lyric together, either. Even an old sleazedog like me cringed in embarrassment at their effort which celebrated the well-endowed woman (chorus went: 'she's got tits, she's got tits, she's got GREAT BIG F**K OFF TITS!'). Have a listen to 'Whole Lotta Rosie' kids, and learn from the master how it should be done.

Mercifully that ended, and before long I had an Ashes To Ashes moment: looking up at the stage I could have sworn it was Vince Neil up there! With a band that all sported haircuts last seen on the Strip circa 1981, it really looked we'd gone back in time. I half-expected Gene Hunt to walk in! They went by the name of Hollywood Tease; although they were a vast improvement on what came before, it still wasn't great. All the right moves were made by 'Vince' and they did, to be fair, get a bit of a crowd going, but it was just clichéd trash rock of the kind that went out with spandex. I feared for the health of their guitarist, I think his instrument weighed more than he did and he looked like a tattooed toothpick! The timewarp only lasted around 30 minutes, before they took their coiffured barnets off the stage to make way for the headliners.

Where most bands endure line-up changes, Heaven's Basement endure name changes! Known previously as Roadstar, and before that Hurricane Party, they have demonstrated commendable resilience in the face of some trying times. Effectively they started over after a managerial split, with a harder-hitting sound and less emphasis on the 'glam rock' image. Tonight they were in great form, I was especially impressed by vocalist Richie Hevanz. He is singing well (ably backed by guitarist Jonny Rocker), and is now a far more accomplished frontman than he was in the Roadstar days. Whereas before, he came across as looking pleased even to be on a stage, he is now more commanding, more assertive, in short he looks the part! The band played a short set of around 45 minutes, during that time they easily won over the small crowd and displayed poise and professionalism, something that only comes with extensive gigging experience.

Heaven's Basement and in particular their singer, are already stars. They just have to show it to everyone else now!

Caught Live: ASIA, New Brighton Floral Pavilion, 22/04/09

2009-04-23T23:34:00.000+01:00

Sorry, no pics! In my dash to get out I left the camera at home... doh!

By way of complete contrast to the night before, the four original members of Asia returned to this area, appearing at the newly-rebuilt Floral Pavilion. New Brighton is more associated with sticks of rock than rock legends; the UK tour was dubbed 'A Night At The Theatre' with the band playing all-seater venues. With the venue being so new, I half-expected to have to wipe my feet at the door (!)

Although I've seen this band a few times now, and know that they come on early, I still was caught out by the start. After a quick dash through the Wallasey Tunnel, I got there bang on 8pm. I got in to find them already on and playing the Yes song 'Roundabout'. I reckon I missed about ten minutes of the show then, and as I didn't hear the parp-tastic 'Only Time Will Tell', I'm assuming it came very early in the set! Still, all things considered, I'm not complaining ;-)

I do find seated gigs are harder to get into; I much prefer to stand in a crowd, and it does have a completely different atmosphere. After each song, the guys were given generous applause then it was total silence, as though everyone thought that they had to be on their best behaviour in a posh new theatre! Not quite the rock 'n' roll experience of the previous night's AC/DC gig then, but the sheer quality of the music more than made up for that. The set I saw was a similar structure to that played on last year's tour, broken into two parts with a short intermission. As with last year, the Asia favourites were interspersed with one song from each of the four members' previous bands. There was one surprise when it came to Geoff 'Buggles' Downes's turn; I expected the lamé jacket and shades for 'Video Killed The Radio Star' but instead, they chose to play 'Living In The Plastic Age'. Some songs from the recent 'Phoenix' album were played too, and as ever, both Steve Howe and Carl Palmer were given extended solo spots. One highlight for me was that they chose to play 'Don't Cry' from the 'Alpha' album semi-acoustically, in a format similar to that performed in 2006. I like the 'full' rendition too, but this version does work well live, involving the crowd in the chorus.

When I saw the band last year I raved about their musicianship and the way they seemed to enjoy playing off each other. It was the same this time around, they just belong together on stage. Bassist/vocalist John Wetton looked and sounded in great shape, now totally recovered from his heart scares he is probably playing and singing better than ever.

So, although it could not have been more different a gig experience to the raw AC/DC show of the previous night, it was just as enjoyable.
Another high-quality performance from an excellent band made up of top-drawer musicians, ignore the other high-profile 80s stars who are reforming for one last hurrah and go and see a proper 80s band!

Caught Live: AC/DC, MEN Arena Manchester 21/4/09

2009-04-23T00:52:00.004+01:00

In this day and age, a 54-year-old bloke dressed as a schoolboy, doing a striptease, would normally be arrested on the spot.
Not so for Angus Young, whose antics are a regular part of any AC/DC concert along with the Hell's Bell and the cannons, and of course the massively inflated 'Rosie' figure (!)

AC/DC have been away for far too long, and there have been strong hints from 61-year-old vocalist Brian Johnson that he is ready to call it a day. After this terrific show, let's hope he is reconsidering! He was in magnificent form, putting to shame many much younger guys. There was tremendous excitement in the MEN Arena this night, it had been the best part of a decade since last they visited the venue and demand for this show, as with all the others on the tour, far outstripped supply. I was fortunate enough to be able to buy tickets immediately when they went on sale last autumn, so avoided any dealings with scalpers. The atmosphere was charged further with an animated film, showing a 'runaway train' driven by a devilish caricature of Angus, heading at great speed towards the city. It being AC/DC, this film was packed with saucy innuendo which I won't describe here, but wouldn't have been out of place in a Benny Hill sketch (!) The film ended, the screen parted and revealed a large 'locomotive' which served as the main stage prop for the night. Of course, they then opened their show with 'Rock and Roll Train'!

From start to finish there was an atmosphere of celebration in the crowd, the band played a set which included (by my reckoning) FIVE songs from the current album 'Black Ice'; that's unusual for AC/DC who normally play two or three new ones, then pack the set with classics and a few from more recent albums. This time, with the exception of 'Thunderstruck' and finale 'For Those About To Rock', everything else played was from the albums up to and including 'Back In Black'. Even so, with a set so packed with familiar material, they still left out such gems as 'Sin City', 'Bad Boy Boogie' and 'Touch Too Much'. This was probably my only issue with the show, that even approaching two hours, it wasn't long enough! All the usual boxes were ticked, the aforementioned strip from Angus (including flashing the 'AC/DC' emblazoned boxer shorts), the Hells Bell descended from the ceiling for Brian to swing on, the cannons fired, and when it came to 'Whole Lotta Rosie', there she was, larger than life, actually sat astride the 'Rock 'n' Roll Train'! There was an enormous stage ramp for Brian and Angus to run up and down on, the end of which elevated for Angus to do his lying down soloing bit. Needless to say, the other three (rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, bassist Cliff Williams and drummer Phil Rudd) were stationed at the back 'all night long', providing the solid platform for the two frontmen. The only real evidence of the passing of years was with Cliff Williams, whose long brown hair has now turned completely grey!

All in all, this was an exhibition in how to do an arena rock show. I've seen many bands on the MEN arena stage, and plenty pack the place out, but very few can exhiliarate a crowd so totally the way AC/DC can. They're the ultimate stadium rock act, and it is to be hoped that this is not quite the 'end of the line' for the 'rock & roll train'.

Support was provided by Downpatrick's finest, The Answer. They've done pretty much this whole tour with the Aussie legends, gaining more valuable exposure along the way. They played this show with a stand-in drummer, as regular sticksman James Heatley is sidelined with a tendon injury. Considering that he must have only had a day or so to prepare, he did well. The band only get half an hour and I was just getting started, when they ended their set! The Answer are starting to look more at home in the big venues themselves, with the support slots they've had allied to their strong work ethic, I see no reason why they should not be playing such venues in their own right within a few more years.

Caught Live: Status Quo - Blackpool Opera House 29/1/09

2009-01-31T00:13:00.001Z

In a week when one of the UK's finest rock bands announced that they were to call it a day (Thunder), it's good to see that another veteran British band is still going strong, even after coming back from a retirement of their own - long before Thunder even started!

Quo are part of the furniture; they've been around that long that you see several generations in their audiences, from pensioners to poppets. Admittedly it is the older crowd that is the majority here, so much so that even I felt young at this gig! They play around 200 shows a year still, incredible when you consider that mainmen Rossi and Parfitt must be pushing 60 now, and have a history of rock 'n' roll excess that is up there with the likes of Ozzy! Nowadays totally clean and sober, they're probably playing better than ever. They should be, since they're getting enough practice!

The band came on stage at around 8:30, opening with perennial favourite 'Caroline'. They've changed their ways a lot since I first saw them in the 1980s; time was they would trot out the same set regardless of the album that they were meant to be promoting, now it encompasses almost their entire career. They even do 'Pictures of Matchstick Men' and 'Ice In The Sun'!! They tried to fit in as much as they could during their two hours, that did mean resorting to a lengthy medley of some of their classics but it was a real effort to please as many as possible. Some things don't change though; 'Frame' (Rossi) still has his silly ponytail (cut it before it goes completely, Frame!!) and his onstage banter between songs rambles as wildly as ever! He still can play that Telecaster, though; he's not exactly Jani Liimatainen but is nevertheless very underrated as a guitarist.

It's Parfitt though, who is the heartbeat of the band (term used advisedly given his well-publicised health scares!) It's those hard-charging, driving riffs that make the band still sound surprisingly solid. He is joined on guitar occasionally by keyboard player Andrew Bown, a relative newcomer to the band having joined officially in 1976. When not tinkling the ivories or strumming another Telecaster, he plays harmonica (whatever did happen to Bob Young? ) Matthew Letley does seem to play well within himself though, it's as though he is holding back so as not to overshadow the main men. He does just enough to drive the band along, as though he were driving a classic car but never swamps the sound. Only when he played a short drum solo did he really open his shoulders and cut loose; I'd prefer a little more of that in the set itself personally but I do accept that too much can ruin the live sound. It's just a touch too polite for me!

They finished the main set with 'Rocking All Over the World' (of course) and a short encore included 'Bye Bye Johnny', just as it did in Milton Keynes 25 years (gasp!) ago. All in all it was an entertaining evening, as you'd expect from a band who must be regarded as living legends. I still wish they'd played '4500 times' though!

Status Quo, not just a Great British Institution, but a bloody good live act!

Caught Live: Thunder - Academy 1 Manchester, 22 November 2008

2008-12-03T21:11:00.002Z

On the eve of this tour, the unthinkable loomed: Thunder were to tour without Harry James! The band's website had announced that the irrepressible sticksman was forced to withdraw from the shows, he'd been diagnosed with kidney stones (owwwwieee!).
At extremely short notice, the band recruited John Tonks in Harry's place, and played the first date at Exeter. The next night, the band were due to play a sold-out show at the Manchester Academy, this was the only date yours truly could make this time around. Word came through that Harry was *in the building*, and so it proved, shortly after 9pm when the guys came on stage, and that familiar figure took his spot at the drumkit, Harry - back!
They were greeted like homecoming heroes, Harry especially, as they commenced their set.

This time around, Thunder have a new album 'Bang' to promote, and played their customary solid set, mixing old and new material. They opened with the lead-off from 'Bang', a rant set to music called 'On The Radio' which takes aim at the 'business' in general for not giving the band much in exposure down the years. The packed crowd were into it from the off; this song contains a 'f- you!' which was delivered, with relish, by the crowd after some 'wait for it!' prompts from singer/master of ceremonies Danny Bowes. It was one of those nights where Thunder could do no wrong, MC Bowes once again had them in the palm of his hand. It never ceases to amaze me how good he is at controlling a crowd, as well as being one of the best singers in the business he is a born showman, a leader.

I rave-reviewed their last show at this place last year, when the Academy was a building site. It was essentially more of the same this time round, but in a completed (and much-improved) venue rather than a hard hat area!
The new songs went over as well as the oldies, suggesting many present had already got the 'Bang' CD, but they brought back some of my personal favourite old songs in this set, including the stunning 'Don't Wait For Me', the epic 'Empty City' and the one that tops my favourite songs list: 'Higher Ground'. I only wish I could have seen more of the shows on this tour; I always enjoy Thunder's shows but this one especially so. Basically, see last years' write up and multiply it by two, you might have an idea of how great it was! ;-)

Support came from Get Vegas and Heaven's Basement; I'd missed Get Vegas by the time I got to Manchester (sorry lads, but that's what happens when there's a home game at Anfield!) but I did see Heaven's Basement. Previously known as Roadstar, they've started again after some business-related hassles. They played to an already full crowd, and went over very well. I never really got Roadstar until I'd seen them a few times but this was a definite step up. Singer Richie Heavnz has matured into a more assured frontman and the band are a notch or two heavier than in their previous life. I would like to see the guys again in the near future.

All in all then, a great night for lovers of rock like it used to be; to think that less than a decade ago, Thunder were calling it a day after repeatedly bashing their heads against the music business wall, now here they are, selling the Academy out with very little publicity. If this upward trend continues, they could well be doing the arenas soon, this time as headliners! (We've got one here now lads - oh you know that, you played it in July!)

Go and see Thunder next time they come anywhere near you!

Set list (thanks Thinny!!)
Backstreet Symphony
On The Radio
Carol Ann
Low Life In High Places
The Devil Made Me Do It
Empty City
Dirty Dream
Love Walked In
Stormwater
Can't Keep A Good Man Down
Don't Wait For Me
I Love You More Than Rock 'n' Roll

Encore:
Candy Man
Higher Ground
Dirty Love

Caught Live: Joe Bonamassa, Manchester Academy 1, 17 November 2008

2008-11-18T22:02:00.001Z

Halfway through this set, Joe Bonamassa is teasing the crowd by playing a short burst on the guitar, waiting for a cheer, then flicking his guitar pick into the crowd. After about five of these 'play a lick, flick a pick' moments, a joker in the audience challenges Bonamassa to chuck his guitar instead of just the plectrum! Playfully, Joe flipped the bird to the audience member, but we all knew what he was thinking: 'in your hands mate, this Les Paul is just a lump of wood with wires on it' (!)

Fortunately for the rest of us, when a genius like Bonamassa has that 'lump of wood' in his hands, he is capable of producing pure magic. He has only recently returned from a bout of illness, one that forced the cancellation of the original date. He told us the story of how he felt quite bad when in Birmingham, only to be 'reassured' by a fan in a Motörhead T-shirt that it was only 'the English Flu' and nothing to worry about. When he couldn't move the next day, he soon saw that it WAS something to worry about! That was about the only time he spoke to us during the show, he and his band spent the majority of the two hours rattling through a cracking set. It was as though they thought that they had a lot to get through, so they'd better get on with it. The main man was in sparkling form with the fingers all night, and considering he was unable even to speak just a few days before, he was singing superbly too, if not quite at the level he was at Liverpool then that was understandable.

The Academy was packed out that night, this was the first time I'd been there since its extensive refurbishment was completed. The entrance has been totally rebuilt, with a brand new and much bigger bar. The venue looks a lot bigger than I remember it being previously, plus they have installed a balcony at the rear of the hall. The sound was very good, and according to the man himself, 2300 of us showed up. Although very much steeped in the blues, Bonamassa is not averse to a touch of Metal in his playing, throwing the horns frequently. He also threw in a touch of Deep Purple's 'Perfect Strangers' in 'Bridge To Better Days', as well as mixing up 'Just Got Paid' with Zeppelin's 'Dazed and Confused' just as he did at Liverpool. There was not as much acoustic as we got in July, although what was played was as dazzling as anything on the electric axe.

When I reviewed the Liverpool gig in the summer, I said he would be back playing larger venues. I still think that, but at this rate it will be arenas very soon. 2009 will be his year, let's hope that the media in his RnB-obsessed homeland don't catch on just yet to how special this guy is, because once they do he will be a superstar. A few more UK and European tours before that happens, please, Joe!

Do not miss this guy when he does come back.

Caught Live: ALTER BRIDGE, Manchester Apollo 9 November 2008

2008-11-10T19:51:00.000Z

I was not expecting to be writing about Alter Bridge until later in the week; I'm going to see them on Tuesday in Wolverhampton. Joe Bonamassa, who was down to play at the Manchester Academy last night and for whom I actually bought a ticket, cancelled owing to illness. I only found out once there, when two Academy staff were stood on duty informing disappointed JB fans of the news. I also got told that the news of the cancellation was only passed to them two hours before! So, having travelled up the M62 I wasn't gonna waste the evening and immediately took off for the Apollo, hoping that there were still Alter Bridge tickets available on the door. There were, and so I got in just after support act Logan had finished their set.

The bill originally included Hot Leg, Justin Hawkins's current band, but following a throat infection to lead singer Justin Hawkins they withdrew from the tour after the London show. They received a mixed reception at best throughout, not everyone was pleased to see them by all accounts and after some coin-throwing antics at some gigs, it was probably for the best they pulled out. Speaking as a big AB fan myself, I'm immensely disappointed but that's for another blog, tonight was just about Alter Bridge.

I was some way back in the stalls for this show, although not sold out the gig had attracted a big turnout; I would guess I was not the only Bonamassa punter who made a diversion to the Apollo!
Alter Bridge came on to huge cheers from the crowd, opening with 'Come To Life'. They were getting a fantastic reception from a partisan crowd, with a set that included plenty of songs from the 'Blackbird' album, but more this time from previous albuim 'One Day Remains' than they played last time I saw them, at the Academy earlier in the year. The 'ODR' songs were particularly well-received I thought, the crowd were frequently taking over the vocal from Myles Kennedy. I did have to wonder why he left his guitar off for the older numbers, particuarly when a guitar tech came on to play rhythm behind Mark Tremonti during the track 'One Day Remains'!

The majority of the set was the anthemic, chunky rock AB are known for, although they broke it up a little halfway through, when Myles Kennedy sang 'Watch over You' acoustically, accompanied as ever by about two thousand backing singers! The AB choir were in full voice too, for 'In Loving Memory'; restored to the set this time around, the poignant song obviously resonates with many.

This is the third time I've seen Alter Bridge and once again they played a great set to an adoring crowd. The only real problem I had was with the out-front sound, it was crap! The Apollo is a large theatre, its ceiling is very high and I don't know if this is the problem but the whole sound just seemed to swirl around, it didn't hit as hard as I was expecting. It was almost like being in an arena, you expect big boomy sound in one of those places but not so much in a smaller venue. The drums just didn't thud, the guitars sounded almost apologetic, it just lacked impact. The band didn't let that affect them however, Kennedy in particular was in top form with his voice and his ability to reach the audience. Let's hope those Zeppelin rumours are just rumours!

They encored with my favourite AB song 'Broken Wings', then after a bluesy interlude with 'Lemon Song' (an in-joke, Myles?) they ended with 'Rise Today'.
I was straight out of the door once the gig ended, only to encounter the boys from Logan at the door! I sneaked a quick chat with Kenny from the band and dashed back to the car.

So, not the gig I was intending to see, but good nonetheless. I do wish they had played the Academy though, since I think the sound suits that place far better than the Apollo. I will be seeing AB once again at Wolverhampton and I hope the acoustics there are better!

Caught Live: AIRBOURNE (and STONE GODS) - Carling Academy Liverpool 7 November 2008

2008-11-08T01:46:00.001Z

'It's OK now, they've all gone, the city is yours again', I told myself as I headed into Liverpool, the night after the MTV award show took over town. It was certainly great publicity for our city, but the fare on offer was not my thing, plus I hate all that 'celebrity' stuff. I much prefer a hard-hitting, kick-ass hard rock show such as what was on at the Carling, just 24 hours after Perez Hilton and his mates all skedaddled.

I'm making a habit of spotting the bands outside the venue at this place; as I arrived at the Carling, Dan and Toby from Stone Gods were stood there, ciggies in hand, so I took the opportunity to find out the time they would be playing, straight from the source! As it turned out I had 1/2 hour before they were due on, which was good since I was waiting for a mate, whose ticket I had. Once he turned up we had enough time for a swift pint before heading into what was an already crowded upstairs room at the Carling. Stone Gods came on at around 8:45, and wasted no time in ramping up the volume. This was the first time I'd seen this band, they were meant to play the same venue back in June but were forced to cancel owing to health issues relating to then drummer Ed Graham. Since then, Robin Goodridge (ex of Bush) has taken over the drum stool, now I did see Bush a few times during the late 1990s and after, I don't remember him being THIS LOUD and THIS POWERFUL!
The Stone Gods sound is about as subtle as a sledgehammer, as heavy and as hard as the name suggests. Richie Edwards proved to be a great front man, easily getting the crowd clapping, bouncing, and shouting. Dan Hawkins has swapped his Thin Lizzy T-shirt for a Deep Purple one, and has set his guitar to KILL, not stun!
They played for just under an hour, it was HARD, BRUTAL, LOUD HEAVY METAL - just like it used to be! I've yet to hear the album; if it captures even a fraction of their incendiary live sound, it will be quite something.

After the Stone Gods left the crowd reeling, we had quite a wait before the headliners took to the stage. The Carling Academy had filled up quite nicely by this stage, a great turnout in Liverpool this night for the new Aussie heroes. I suspect many present were AC/DC fans disappointed at not being able to get tickets for their upcoming shows, however this tour is selling like hotcakes too with 'sold out' signs a common sight. The comparisons with AC/DC have been ongoing since 'Running Wild' hit the streets earlier this year; since then of course, the masters have returned with their own new album. It was with eager anticipation then, we awaited the apprentices! Once they came onstage, the crowd erupted as they began with 'Stand Up For Rock and Roll'. It was unrelenting for the next hour, as they blasted through all the tracks from the album, complete with the synchronised guitar swings from David Roads and Justin Street, Joel O'Keefe's abrasive vocals, backed by Ryan O'Keefe's pounding drums. Joel did an offstage walk during 'Heartbreaker', coming right past me while still playing! When not taking a walk, he was smashing cans of Stella against his head until they burst open, then lobbing them into the crowd!

There's nothing complicated about Airbourne, it's straightforward hard-hitting hard rock played by guys who really mean it. It's that which has won over sceptical, hard-to-please classic rock fans, the sort of crowd which can spot fakers and chancers a mile off. These guys are anything but fakers, they are the genuine article. Catch them now, while they are still on the way up, while you can still get up close. They're destined for far bigger things, provided they can keep the unit together. Absolutely awesome.

Caught Live: Bryan Adams, ECHO Arena Liverpool, 28 October 2008

2008-10-29T18:39:00.001Z

It's not like yours truly ever had any credibility to flush away in the first place but the truth is, this gig was far from the first time I've seen the Groover from Vancouver. I first saw Bryan Adams live back in the 1980s, at the NEC in Birmingham and in all honesty, he has not changed much from those days. Still in shirt and jeans, still with the short cropped hair, and still playing no-frills rock music to large arena crowds. The things that HAVE changed though, are his audience, and his public perception. Back in the 1980s, he was considered 'rock' enough to merit coverage in Kerrang! magazine; the few outlets for rock on the radio also gave his music airplay then.
It all changed in 1991 (as it did for many 80s rock acts), but in Adams's case it had nothing to do with checked-shirt clad scruffbags from Seattle. 1991 was also the year of '(Everything I Do) I Do It For You', his biggest hit single by a country mile. The song reached Number One in the British Charts in July of that year, and stayed there for what seemed like forever (in fact 16 weeks). From that point on, he was regarded as a soft rock balladeer in the eyes of the public, and nowadays he is probably second only to Nickelback in the uncool rock stakes!

His audience nowadays has a very strong female presence, there were a lot of couples in the crowd at the Echo Arena. The seated part was virtually full when I arrived, but significantly, the standing still had plenty of room. It did fill up later, but this was probably the most civilised standing crowd I've been in since I saw the Eagles back in 1996! Moshpits then, are certainly not the order of the day at an Adams show!

I found two of my friends in the arena while the opening act were on, they had located what appeared to be a small stage on the arena floor. On the main stage, support Black Daniel were on stage. They were not my thing at all, a bit 'alternative, a bit NME for my tastes. They were all clad in black hoodies, one guitarist (no bassist) playing over-distorted riffs, and two keyboard players, one of whom was also vocalist. I'm afraid I didn't enjoy them at all!

The lights dimmed at 8:30 for the main act, the screens showed Adams walking from the dressing room on his way to the stage. Those of us who know the arena well (teehee) looked across to the door halfway up the left-hand side, the small platform was almost directly in line with that door and I knew then that Bryan was to start the show on that small stage. Sure enough he climbed up, and a surge from the crowd further forward ensued as they realised that he was behind them. With just an acoustic guitar and a microphone, he kicked things off with 'Can't Stop This Thing We Started', to tumultuous cheers from the audience. 'Please Forgive Me' followed, then he left the small stage (still holding a microphone) to head over to the main stage, where his bandmates were waiting for him. They had a long wait, they played on while Adams was virtually mobbed on his way to the stage. He took a path down the side of the arena floor, we could see him giving high-fives' to the crowd as he passed, occasionally pausing to sing up close to (female!) audience members.

Once on the stage, the crowd cheered even louder, and it hardly let up all night. He kept the stage banter to an absolute minimum, pausing only to swap guitars over in betwen numbers. This time around he has restored a full band behind him; I saw BA at the MEN Arena in Manchester some years ago, that night he was playing bass and was accompanied only by his long-time sidemen Keith Scott (guitar) and drummer Mickey Curry. Both were present at the Echo Arena, but Adams has given the four-string over to Norm Fisher, and keyboard player Gary Breit is now an integral part of the band. Keith Scott is an effective foil to Adams, the two of them were all over the stage, trading guitar licks and swapping stage ramp positions. Adams does like to give his guitarist opportunity to cut loose, Scott's immediately recognisable tone is a big part of the Adams sound.

Although this tour is billed as a promotional jaunt for his latest album '11', there were plenty of oldies played. No less than SIX songs from his classic 'Reckless' album made the set (though we did notice you cut out the second verse of 'Somebody', Bryan!). The radio favourite 'Summer of 69' was played mid-set instead of in the encores, a sign that he was completely confident in his material. Needless to say, the cheer that resulted almost tore the roof off the Echo Arena! He didn't hang about either, following that up with '(Everything I Do) I Do It For You', accompanied by what I estimated at 5000 female backing singers! ;-)

No Adams show is complete without his take on audience participation; he selects a woman from the crowd to accompany him on 'When You're Gone', in the Mel C role. I did half-expect the one-time Sporty Spice to show up here, as it was in Liverpool, but instead Bryan chose a very excited woman called Phillipa from the crowd. She lapped up the monent on the stage, though her vocal performance was, well, interesting!
After she told all present that she loved drummers, Bryan sent her to go and give Mickey Curry a kiss before she made her exit back to the crowd. That part of the show is always hit and miss, but is also a lot of fun.

The last stretch of the show saw yet more hits, including 'Cloud No. 9' and the older song 'Cuts Like A knife', before BA encored with just himself and his acoustic, ending as he started it.

A textbook arena show, even shorn of pyro and elaborate stage sets, Adams may be the king of soft rock and about as cool as a vindaloo, but there's a reason he has lasted this long, his consistently good live show. He even found time to mention how much he liked our new arena (bonus brownie points for that!) - then again, he did mention that last time he was here, he played in a tent (!)

Hopefully he'll be back to play this new venue again, damn the credibility, I'll be there!

Nightmares in Nottingham: or how the Ronster saw at least some of Saturday's Firefest

2008-10-27T23:33:00.001Z

Although I've been to Nottingham a few times now, I always have a hard time of it once there.
The drive over is pretty long but straightforward, until you actually hit the city centre. The city is compact, with narrow twisty roads and filter lanes everywhere but the real problem is the sheer AMOUNT of traffic that is always trying to get through these roads. I had brought along the sat-nav hoping it would guide me to my hotel, which I booked the night before (or so I thought - more later); it did, but there was absolutely nowhere where I could park the Pugmobile nearby, meaning a search for a car park! I know that there is one close to the Rock City venue itself, but it was hard work finding it. You make one wrong choice and you're worse off than Mark Thatcher in a desert, it is so hard to get your bearings. I must have spent at least an extra 30 minutes just trying to find my way back to where the hotel was, then trying to get to Rock City's car park from there. Anyway, after a tortuous half-hour in the Pugmobile I eventually parked up and set out for the hotel. It's just a short walk away, but once out of the car and on the street, once again I found myself walking the wrong way! I don't know what it is about the city, but although I'm the first to admit I've a poor sense of direction, I don't have this much trouble in other towns!
(That said, I even managed to walk straight past my hotel in Tampere this past summer, on the straightest street you could wish for!)

Once I found the hotel, my troubles were just beginning. I had printed out my reservation form before setting off, and presented it to the young lady on reception. She then informed me there was no reservation in my name!! Gobsmacked, I pulled up the copy of my email on my phone (dont'cha just love the N95!) which gave me the link of the company I used in order to book the room. With this information, the receptionist gave me a telephone number to call, but ultimately I was faced with either taking whatever room was available there, or sleeping in the car park! So I checked in, using my emergency cash to pay for the room and set about calling this company to make sure they'd not hit me for another charge. After two attempts, I did eventually speak to a (real!) person who was most apologetic, he assured me that they had not charged my debit card when I booked online, and assured me that this would not happen again. It DID happen to me though, and I was lucky that there was still a room available.

In short - do not use Active Hotels when booking rooms online!!

With two bags on me, I was glad to get into the room eventually. By this time it was already close to 5pm, and I'd missed a few bands already. I had intended to see two acts above all: Jeff Scott Soto and that day's headliners, Tyketto. These two acts were yet to come on stage when I eventually entered Rock City, so despite the eventful arrival in the city, it was not a disaster.
Firefest is a two-day event, now in it's fifth year, specialising in the melodic rock sub-genre. The already packed venue suggested to me that this kind of music is far from dead, and I could just imagine a stray Kerplonk! journalist walking in, sighing 'it's as though Grunge never happened', then walking out again having decided it was not cool enough!

(As an aside, and it's my blog - I can go off on a tangent if I want! - I love it when the rock press come out with statements like that, as though only the current approved style should be permitted. What a load of bollocks, you failed to stamp out classic rock with Punk, you failed again with Grunge, and you failed spectacularly with Nu-Metal - get it through your heads, you report on music, not dictate what we should all like! Rant over!)

For all that, I can't call myself an aficionado of Melodic Rock specificially; yes I do like some stuff in this genre, but I've always been a bit of a headbanger at heart, and do like my Heavy Metal as well!
So for once, I didn't feel 'part' of this scene; I certainly couldn't name every member of every band there!
Put it this way, I felt my Alter Bridge t-shirt might well have been frowned upon had I worn it that day!
One of my other reasons for wanting to attend was to meet some friends I rarely see; however the place was extremely busy (and dark! There was a band on as I went through, I only caught the end of their set but their singer must have been gutted to miss out on the gig singing for a much better-known Melodic Rock band - he had all the moves and the look of that band's most fondly-remembered singer ;-)

I found my friend Janette on the steps to the side of the stage; it was packed in that area but I managed to find a good spot on those steps for the JSS set which was next up. It's been a long time - almost 2 years - since I last met Janette and it was wonderful to see her. It's been even longer since last I saw JSS!
This was only the second time I'd caught the former Journey (and Yngwie!) singer live and in truth, I'm not well up on his music. For the Firefest stage, he brought out the funk, much of the material played was new even to this crowd but it still went over well, much to Soto's relief! He did make sure they got some songs they knew, performing material from 'Prism' (the only album by him I've got!) before ending with a light-hearted cover of Wild Cherry's 'Play That Funky Music'. This was padded out with snippets of other songs, including the Commodores' 'Brick House', and even New Kids' 'The Right Stuff' (changed thus: 'Wo-oh-oh oh-oh, THIS SONG SUCKS!') JSS guitarist Howie Simon is equally at home gettin' funky as he is shredding, he was excellent. I should look out for more from Soto really, he was electric onstage, and had the crowd in his hand throughout.

Following that set, I went for a wander round the venue - having got myself a beer, I almost took a tumble down the steps from the bar to the floor. I wasn't drunk (honest) but it was dark, and it is very easy to misjudge that first step. The floor is black, but subsequent steps are covered in that steel floor stuff, and I almost took down some poor woman when desperately trying not to tumble head first! I think it's something that should be looked at, I actually misjudged the step twice that day, but that time was pretty dangerous. From the back of the venue I watched some of the set given by Pink Cream 69. They were not bad, but not terrific either (and I really hate that name!), they just didn't *grab* me as anything special. As I say, I'm not a specialist in this music, so I'm sure a MR expert would be able to point out where I'm wrong here, but I just didn't get them. So I finished my beer and headed to the steps outside, whereupon I met Janette, and also Eleanor chatting outside. At around this time a minor commotion took place when Tall Stories singer Steve Augeri showed up. He signed a few things and greeted fans, he even greeted me! I'd not sought him out (his band were playing the Sunday, which I was unable to attend) and had nothing to sign, but he still gave me a cheery handshake on his way in! Shortly after that, we filed back in ourselves, in order to catch Tyketto, the headliners that night.

I decided to go into the main crowd for this set, the others headed back onto the steps for the vantage point. The band were billed as Tyketto, but this line-up had more resemblance to the Vaughn line-up of the early 2000s. PJ Zitaroza lined up on guitar alongside long-time Vaughn collaborator Tony Marshall, with Michael Clayton Arbeeny back on drums after 'the shortest retirement ever' according to the singer (!)

The set was a pure nostalgia-fest, Danny led the band through their best loved songs and delivered everything magnificently. It's not the first time I've seen Danny Vaughn perform, but whereas before when I've seen him, I've been impressed with his singing, this time I was totally blown away. He was absolutely fantastic, when in this form he can wipe the floor with almost anybody. It really was one of those times when you're watching a guy at the top of his game, wondering why he is not a massive star. On introducing the song 'Standing Alone', Vaughn himself joked about his own standing ('I'm not driving a Ferrari, in fact not even a Fiat Punto!'), before stunning everyone present with an exemplary rendition.
The gig flew over, and it went down an absolute storm. One thing I didn't get was the sporadic booing of Tony Marshall; I suspect it's some sort of in-joke because he did nothing wrong, and was far from put off by the booing, in fact he seemed to play up to it!

As I said earlier, I was unable to make the Sunday event and so trudged back to my hotel via the nearest branch of Subway (!), the city was in full swing for a Saturday night but I was tired, and so hit the hay!
Whatever was served up on Sunday however, it would have had to go some to top the performance of Danny Vaughn on the Saturday night. Hopefully he will get the recognition he deserves - even though that would mean we would no longer see him in intimate venues, he is worthy of top billing anywhere.

As a postscript to the night, I found one of my friends from Finland outside the club - Ede had travelled over for this event and I'd spent quite a while trying to find her while inside, to no avail. It was great to catch up, albeit briefly and I hope to meet her again when in Helsinki for Whitesnake's concert in December. That's not too far off now, but there are still a lot of gigs to see between now and then in this country! :)

Caught Live: Hot Leg - Barfly Liverpool 21 October 2008

2008-10-22T19:48:00.002+01:00

During the encore of this set, frontman Justin Hawkins could not stand the heat any longer... and ditched his top. Not that remarkable, maybe, but last time I saw him live in this city (July 2006, with The Darkness) he was far less willing to lose his shirt!

The reason for that of course, is that he is now back in shape after his well-publicised stint in rehab. That night in July, he was noticeably tubby and the shirt remained buttoned up. Now looking trim once again, he has lost several pounds, lightened his hair, ditched the catsuits in favour of 1980s style ripped T-shirts and headbands, and gained more tattoos. All I know about the new band is that he sings for it, so I attended this gig having heard none of their music before.

I arrived at The Barfly (a small converted theatre) to find around 200 there and the band had just started playing. Despite the different setting to the old Darkness days, it soon became clear Justin had lost none of his showmanship, and none of his humour. He had little trouble getting the small crowd to roar and shout when required, and a really bizarre moment came when they began to play a power ballad (I don't know ANY of their song titles yet!) - he stopped it one verse in, having spotted a few people at the front linking arms and swaying. Sure enough he got the whole audience to do the same, and the band even tried it themselves!
Justin and fellow guitarist Pete 'Liquid Guitar Hands' Rinaldi were climbing all over each other and attempting to play each other's guitars, while performing the song! This soon caused another stoppage since it made their axes go out of tune, but nobody minded! The gig was appealingly ramshackle throughout; they often drew out the endings to songs, one even ended up with an impromptu bass solo from Sam 'SJ' Stokes!

The material was exactly the kind of Glam Rock suggested by the outfits, the falsetto is present and correct, as are the squiggly lead solos. I thought it was a lot harder-hitting than the later Darkness days; there were no keyboards, precious little effects, just straightforward rock 'n' roll.
Even shorn of the big stage set, the stuffed white tigers on which he used to sit and play guitar, and without seven different sparkly Les Pauls, Justin Hawkins remains a star. Fingers crossed that this time around, he keeps himself together for the success that beckons for his new band.

Hot Leg will be supporting Alter Bridge on their October UK tour, and will return the next month with Extreme. If you're going to see either band, get there early and catch Hot Leg, they'll put a smile on your face!

Caught Live: Queen + Paul Rodgers - ECHO Arena Liverpool, 18 October 2008

2008-10-19T22:12:00.002+01:00

I go to a lot of gigs and have been writing about them to my MySpace blog for a while now.
Starting from now, they will also appear here.
__________________________________________

The Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University paid a visit to the city last night with some colleagues, not something that would normally draw more than 10,000 people to an arena you might think. When you discover that the aforementioned university head is Dr Brian Harold May, CBE, you soon see why it did!

Brian (or should I say, Dr May!) has been a frequent visitor to our city over the past year, mainly in that capacity, but here at the Echo Arena, he was in his more famous role as guitarist, along with Roger Taylor and Paul Rodgers. The Queen + Paul Rodgers collaboration has split the Queen fanbase down the middle since it was launched; although May and Taylor have been at pains to say that Rodgers does not, and never would wish to, imitate the iconic Freddie Mercury, still the fact that he is up there singing Mercury's songs on stage does not sit well with everyone. Others take a more pragmatic view: why should Brian or Roger pack their gear away when they feel they still have something to offer? Even with such polarised views from Queen die-hards, there were still plenty who wanted to come along and see this band, and the Echo Arena was just one of the string of sold-out dates they are playing in the UK.

The new album 'The Cosmos Rocks' was more Paul Rodgers than Queen to this listener, however in the live setting, the Queen + Paul Rodgers billing makes a lot more sense. It's a full stage production featuring a high-tech lighting rig as befits a Queen show, and a giant screen over the stage providing visuals. The set was heavily weighted towards the harder-rocking Queen hits, presumably chosen to suit Rodgers' bluesy delivery.

The set is broken up so that all three main men get some time in the spotlight (and some time off stage!), Rodgers gets to play the Bad Co song 'Seagull' (dedicating it to the recently-departed Levi Stubbs) before giving the stage over to Brian May, he came to the front of the ramp for the traditional 'Love of My Life' singalong. After a rousing '39' during which he brought the band over, including Jamie Moses on guitar, keyboard player Spike Edney, and returning bassist Danny Miranda (now recovered from illness which ruled him out of two shows, replaced by Neil Murray), he left it to Roger Taylor to play a bizarre drum solo. Starting off with just a bass drum, he had a kit built around him, all the while playing the expanding kit! Finally he got a microphone, in order to sing 'I'm In Love With My Car' with the band back on the main stage.

Brian May's solo spot was a little different to the 'Brighton Rock' improvisation of old; it was shorter, and included a short burst of The Beatles' 'I Feel Fine'. He also included 'Bijou', from the 'Innuendo' album. When the voice of Freddie Mercury came through the PA the crowd roared, as May played on.

'Bohemian Rhapsody' closed out the main part of the show. As was the case in 2005, they used video footage of Freddie for the song, while the band played below. It is very spooky indeed to see a huge projection of Freddie on screen while May and Taylor are playing in front of you. I can only imagine how spooked out the guys must be themselves! During the 'Galileo' bit (always on tape, the original band never performed that bit live) the screen showed a montage of Freddie photos, to another loud cheer. They also put in several slides of John Deacon, Queen's bassist who elected not to participate in this project. The 'headbanging' bit sees Rodgers come to the stage and sing that part, before he 'trades vocal' with Freddie at the end. That was the main set, and it was a long one. They were not quite finished of course, returning to play 'The Cosmos Rocks', then 'All Right Now', and ending with the traditional 'We Will Rock You' and 'We Are The Champions' pairing.

All in all it was a triumphant night for Queen + Paul Rodgers, Rodgers in particular looked delighted with it all, he is in his element playing to such large crowds. My only real quibble was the shortening of some songs, it was a long set still and I realise they have to fit as much in as possible, but still it was a shame that stuff like 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' - a song that takes on a new life when done live, was shorn of its usual jam at the end. It's not 'Queen' as they were, it never could be, but those that came along had a great night with three legends of rock. Perhaps it's this which keeps them going, all three represent a golden era of music unlikely to be replicated in the current 'c-lebrity' climate. On this showing, there is no reason why they should not carry on for as long as they wish.

Set list (from www.brianmay.com)

HAMMER TO FALL (Short Version)
TIE YOUR MOTHER DOWN
FAT BOTTOMED GIRLS
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
I WANT IT ALL
I WANT TO BREAK FREE
C-LEBRITY
SURF'S UP… SCHOOLS OUT
SEAGULL
LOVE OF MY LIFE
'39
BASS IMPROVISATION / DRUM SOLO
I'M IN LOVE WITH MY CAR
IT'S A KIND OF MAGIC
SAY IT'S NOT TRUE
BAD COMPANY
WE BELIEVE
GUITAR SOLO
BIJOU
LAST HORIZON
RADIO GA GA (Short Version)
CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE (Short Version)
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
COSMOS ROCKS
ALL RIGHT NOW
WE WILL ROCK YOU
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS