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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.