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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!