Tag Archives: Live Reviews

Re-seen, re-touched and re-tasted – The Darkness return

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Months had passed since the last known sighting of either Stone Gods or Hot Leg. Years since the Mothership Darkness had crashed landed in a permanent-looking blaze.   But on a night in June 2011, the once impossible became reality.  Now that a little time has passed, the impact faded, and the tendency to scream has passed, the words to describe it might just flow. There is a lot I want to say, but I will try and keep it to the point!

It was a night that had been analysed and deconstructed a thousand times before the day had even dawned. What they’d play, wear, say, do… but really, did it matter? Surely all that was needed was for the faith to be rekindled? Waiting for that was tense.

Max Raptor as support were more than equal to the impatient Darkling crowd, and got it bouncing and eager. Far better than a lot of supports, they deserved their slot and are worth watching in the future. However, this Norwich crowd was only there for one thing. To celebrate the four men on stage – fans, friends, family. The necessary interval was interminable, and by that time, the God of Rock must have been knocked off his perch by prayers. The realisation hit that it was really really definitely going to happen. Deep intakes of breath – not just mine. It was an emotional moment, shared by a good many around me. So many people at this gig had supported the Hawkins boys through the last 5 years, on stage and off. Read Frankie’s book, seen Ed play with KFB. Once Arrival began, there were a few hastily stifled sniffles – not now, this is not the time – but the damn tune has set Darkling spines tingling for years, and tonight it has a special extra overtone.

There’s no huge fanfare arrival. Just Ed, then Dan, then Frankie assuming the position for Bareback, then Justin striding on to complete the lineup. The reception nearly lifted the roof, and that was only the very beginning. No one had started singing yet, and everyone was just savouring the excitement, on both sides of the barrier. Finally, the irrevocable step was taken into real Darkness. No more wondering about Justin’s voice, the boys’ chemistry, how it will sound. For the rest of our time in that hot, sweaty, perfect atmosphere, we got our answers. It was everything we hoped and more. Fast, hard rock served up with skill and aplomb. Guitars sang, bass and drums thundered, and Justin… well. I don’t think his voice has ever sounded so completely under his control. Note after perfect hard high note glittered like crystal and just kept coming. It all seemed so bloody easy and effortless, and it couldn’t have gone any better. The crowd lapped it up. All the old trademarks were there. Guitar playing behind head, Thin Lizzy Tshirt, bandanna, crowd banter, acrobatic vocals for the crowd to copy – it was all there. We’ve not had black confetti before, though, and it’s still coming out of my boots…  Everything that nostalgia and expectation required was delivered.

The new songs were delivered with equal polish to eager ears. ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us’ is a very old song that’s not been heard live since 2002, so I understand, but it fit perfectly with the rest of the material. Appropriate, too.  ‘Concrete’ was a grower, for me – perhaps I was listening too hard and went into a Darkling daze – I needed to hear that again. ‘Cannonball’, though, was an instant attention grabber with all the Darkness hooks latching onto brains. If these new ones are anything to go by, we’re all going to be rather stunned by the album. Out of breath and aurally blasted. Excellent!  It all ended triumphantly with ‘Love on the Rocks’, crowd walk a given. Everything was bang on, like there hadn’t been a 5 year gap, nothing had been forgotten.

There were no signs of nerves from anyone. Here, in Norwich, they were sure of support, but it was more of a tsunami than a wave. How could it possibly get any better? HOW?

Well… actually, it could. Still astounded by how very good TD are (better than before, in my opinion) I went to London 3 days later. Max Raptor again giving great rock service and much appreciated by the crowd. This is a much bigger venue, with much more press exposure. No nerves for me this time, anyway, and I’m not sure there was any need to worry much on Sunday, either.

The set was the same, the crowd jampacked with moving anywhere difficult. Less rough than Sunday, though.  Sunday’s gig was intimate and the atmosphere dripping with goodwill. This one isn’t as intimate, nor does it have the family feel, but everyone in that hall was rooting for the lads. It was less of a warmup gig than a tour show oddly separated from the rest of the dates. Warm WHAT up? Cold toes? The Darkness are on FIRE tonight and if it had gone on much longer there would have been no Shepherd’s Bush Empire left. This gig blew everyone away. Quite honestly, it was the best I’ve seen TD on stage. Lots of gigs I’ve been to have memories attached, little moments savoured, to make them special. But… what I saw on stage that night outdid everything. Tight, hard rocking band. The interaction, the sound, the lights, the naileddowndead execution of their music. The complete and utter joy of being there on stage together performing was plain to see, and that was worth every penny it itself. I listened hard to  ‘Concrete’ and decided that it is actually a better song than ‘Cannonball’, which is catchier, and both are TD in the extreme.

I am a Darkling, it’s true. I saw them a lot back in the last day, and saw as much Hot Leg, Stone Gods and KFB as I could manage. I can’t write this without some bias. However, I am not going to say that they were brilliant just because it was them. I’m going to say it because they were bloody brilliant.

To The Darkness – I salute you.

 

 

Celine and Nite Wreckage / The Savage Nomads

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Alaska Studios, 20.8.2010

Nothing like a gig in London to go to – and this one was redhot, though I didn’t know it at the time of asking.

I knew nothing about either band playing at this showcase, put on by label Alaska Sounds, and by the time I’d decided I could go I’d left myself precious little time to check them out.  A little knowledge can sometimes be a bad thing, so I didn’t worry about it and set off in beautiful ignorance. And with perfect hair, which could well be the first time ever I’ve been able to say that.

At the back of the studio warren, Celine and Dave Ball were just finishing up soundcheck, and pondering the lighting vs visuals conundrum. Easily sorted with the help of small lamp and tall bloke! Both are polite, friendly and softly spoken, which sure as hell gives no clues for later. Calm more or less reigns with the protagonists, though prayers are being offered elsewhere that this all goes to plan. No signs of problems anywhere. Celine’s preparations are unhurried, and she still shows few signs of what’s to come.

To the tiny, warm room that’s tonight’s focus, then, glass of pink fizzy in hand.  The Savage Nomads, first. The four lads know very well what they’re doing, and do it very well, too. Clean, bright shafts of guitar dance across darker punkpop, illuminating and contrasting, allowing a flash of a 60’s vibe to escape every now and then.  They have a strong following already, and a residency at the 12 Bar Club, Denmark Street. EP coming out soon – listen and get more news on myspace.

A short break, much needed. It’s getting VERY warm, and people are buzzing. They really want to see this. Nite Wreckage  – collaborators Dave Ball and Rick Mulhall – are joined by drummer Terry Neale to provide visual and aural backgrounds for Celine, who is not so much of a singer as a protagonist.  When she arrives on stage, she’s not the same woman I met earlier. She’s transformed, and not just by clothes and makeup. Celine is now a denizen of the seamier side of London, switching through centuries as she makes sure you know where she’s at. Aggressive, contemptuous, funny and scary/scared – perfect portait of a Lady of Soho, don’tcha know?  She’s could be the Poly Styrene of THIS decade, but she is most decidedly Celine. Perfect electropunk swirls round her tempestuous lifelook, two sources of hardedged noise complementing each other lustily. Jane Austen is famed for her portrayals of society in miniature – Celine has it down pat, with grit and beats. Oh… and a hammer.

What a performance. Rapt hot sweaty audience, hot sweaty room.  There was humour, there were grins, there was dancing to damn infectious music. When Celine and Nite Wreckage are on stage, you pay attention. I am forever grateful to myself for taking up my invitation.  Entertain me? Fuck, Yeah.

Celine and Nite Wreckage’s single Popabawa is available for download on 5th September. The album Evolution? Revolution! is due out early 2011. Keep an eye on myspace for gigs and other news.

Many thanks to Martin Tibbetts and all at Alaska Studios.

Karaoke For Beginners – 8.8.09

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giginthepark, Halesworth, Suffolk

Back in the Park again. Another hot sunny afternoon, and I love this event. It rocks! A little shopping in the town yields a pair of gold lamé lined purple velvet knee boots, and meeting the rudest second hand bookshop employee you’ll ever come across. DON’T go in there.

Ahem. Anyway… although I come every year, when I can, this year I came to see this band. Ed Graham back on stage after illness and his departure from Stone Gods is not something to be missed if you can get there. Sadly missed the first ever gig, but very pleased to make this one. MySpace provided plenty of idea of what to expect.

It was, in the way of GITP, a very short set, but there was plenty I liked. This is  rather more my bag of stuff than most.  Fields of the Nephilim versus The Cramps,  a dash or three of humour and a bloody good rocking dark sound. Ben’s voice gives Carl’s a good drubbing.  Tbh, this ain’t a band who are going to be seen at their best at 5.45 on a sunny afternoon, in full daylight. They need dark places. And dry ice, though there was a puff of smoke that surprised everyone (FOTN in mind, a bag of flour was also called for, but that’s just my 80’s goff thing and not a dig).  They also need a crowd! They’re a getdown/get sweaty and dirty in the pit sort of band, and THAT, I like.

It can’t have  been their best gig, and too short. I want to see them again, indoors, in a place where sweat runs down the walls and the crowd are UP. Natural habitat.

Ed fans – He’s looking well and drumming like a good ‘un.

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SixSister on Tour – Hot Leg and Hot Nights

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Justin Hawkins’ first gig since the demise of The Darkness, with his new band. Proud Galleries, Camden, August 6th. That was my goal as  I set out on an overly airconditioned train to the heats of the capital. After a few false starts, I ended up in the pub with like-minded eccentrics, having got changed at Liverpool Street Station. I can’t drink, I find, or eat much. Too hot, and I’m nervous for the lad.

 

WTF is this ticketing arrangement? If I’ve bought a ticket I don’t really want to have to wait whilst my name is found on a list of people who’ve bought tickets, at the door… Boo hiss to that, on both nights.

 

Once in, I wander around a lot, bumping into a lot of people and having a natter. Can’t really stay still though till it’s time to take my place (and camera) at the front. Tonight I can’t watch the support, even if Justin excitedly informs me (again!) that he produced them. Tomorrow, I will.

 

The crowd here is pretty much partisan. Most are the faithful, or on the 200 strong guest list of family and friends. The rest are press, and with a few exceptions (Mr Price, I mean you) are felt to be rather parasitic. Hyenas, even. We’ll ignore them, mostly, shall we? That’s ever been the way of darklings. Here in this room is gathered an enormous amount of goodwill, affection and hope – for the whole band, but mostly for Justin. It is an emotional moment for very many in the crowd.

 

He bounds onto the stage, plain black shirt and tight trousers of the kind that he was born to wear. Blonder than ever, looking good and healthy and fit. The rest of the band are similarly clad in jeans that surely must have been sewn on, and all in the headbands that HL followers have been giggling over for weeks.

 

From the minute they start with ‘Theme from Hot Leg’ to set the scene of defiance and mayhem, it’s pretty clear that this will be FUN. It’s a nervous start, with understandable tensions. I don’t imagine that having photographers up your nose for the first three songs really helps your concentration or nerves. Doesn’t help the audience either, dammit! Caught in the glee of rocking out, it’s not an issue though. After the lenses have gone, relaxation sets in and Justin settles in to his natural habitat. That’s the defining moment, when Justin became JUSTIN again. From then on, it was showtime. He’s lost nothing of his talent, presence and tricks. The tight jeans are revealed as slutpants when the shirt comes off, as well as a pair of startling manpants – yellow and hotpink. Lord above, boy, wear low rise thongs… knickers made of kiddy sweets are a bit much for one of my age. The tennis outfit proves popular too. I swear, there’s no VPL on my photos… Plenty of superb new and old tatts, though.

 

Back to the music. Most of the songs were familiar to those who’ve been around for a fair while, and engendered a fair amount of singing along. They’re all damn catchy anyway, so it’s possible to join in after a chorus. Try it!  ‘Trojan Guitar’ is better live, I think, but Justin’s songs generally are – you need to bop, and in company is better. ‘I’ve met Jesus’ is a real jump about anthem – in fact, so many of them are! ‘Heroes’ too. The two versions of ‘Power of Love’ (Jennifer Rush, Huey Lewis and the News) create surprise, grins, and singing. All good things. The big surprise is ‘IBIATCL’ – Justin starts a speech about being away for a while, and we listen intently, expecting a quite emotional round of thank you’s and the like – but true to form, he does nothing the usual way, and the band launch into The Darkness’ tour de force. The crowd goes wild, and then, it’s all over. Far too soon, because it was a breathless rollercoaster of manrock, manpop, and mansweat.  Yes, it is Darknessy. Some of those songs were written back in TD’s early days. They have the hooks, and the voice that overlays everything IS the voice of TD, so the comparisons are hardly unexpected. It rocks harder than people will expect though. Tough, bright guitarwork ensures that, and the Powerzone keep the  

 

 Hot Leg, then, are perfectly suited to each other. Consummate professionals all, they’re not kids starting out and learning their trade, and it shows. They’re as tight as their trousers musically, and their stagecraft finely honed. This quartet are most definitely on the same  wavelength. Somehow, Justin is a star, but not THE star. He has a rival in straightfaced silliness in Pete, and in Sam, a bundle of energy and rock jumps to compete with. Darby’s drumming is assured and beautifully energetic. Samuel J Stokes, a fine bassist, is going to find himself with a little flock of Samlings, thanks to that wicked grin in an otherwise fairly demure demeanour. Pete indeed does have liquid hands. He’s FAST! And knows his stuff. There’s not many who can touch him – the accolades I’ve read about his playing aren’t hype. The ego that Justin was labelled with and fell prey to during his problems isn’t going to be nearly so much in evidence from now on, I feel. However, Justin remains true to his innate daftness, and the others share it. The stage set pieces flow naturally, and the incidentals fit together like a jigsaw.

 

Tonight was a triumphant return by Justin to show that he can still do it. There’s not much doubt about that, he can. Now that the first gig is over, the worries and the nerves about those first few steps back onto a stage he left so precipitiously, it’ll get even better.

 

Birmingham Barfly 7th August. After little sleep, thanks to the King’s Cross pile drivers, it’s off to Brum. More quick changes, then time for a leisurely stroll to the venue and to the pub to wait. The venue opened late, and it was raining, so there weren’t many happy bunnies in our part of the queue. Pish. Funny how you need a wee more, when it’s raining…  I did catch Saving Aimee. A rock indie boy band? They have a lot of energy, they know what they’re doing, and they’ll grow into this, I’m sure. Justin’s influence is very much there to be heard in their songs. Good luck to them.          

The crowd is not filled with friends and families tonight, so it will be tougher. There are some familiar faces from last night, though. From the minute they arrive on stage, the difference from last night’s performance is obvious. Justin owns the stage from the minute he steps onto it, and the crowd about a minute later. This gig is far less fraught, and relaxing and enjoying is the order of the day. The band’s rapport shines through yet again – they are a close-knit unit. Hot Leg’s serious musicianship and giddy, breathless, funfilled delivery are a delight, in so many ways.

 

Highlights – Rita Peachey, aged 71, was invited onto the stage after Justin had received a letter from her. She hadn’t been able to listen to music properly since Justin left TD, and missed him badly… until one day, the redoubtable Mr Peachey tossed a newspaper in her direction with the words ‘He’s back!’. She now has the kind of memories she can treasure forever. Take heart, ye young rockers. Your time will come!  As well as that, Van Halen’s ‘Hot for Teacher’ appeared unexpectedly from nowhere, which went down a storm. I’m sure that wasn’t played for me, no. Oh, and Sam being carried off stage. That was a moment…  The gig also contained a very public and very sincere dedication to Sue Whitehouse – thanks, respect and acknowledgement. 

By the time we got to the rendition of IBIATCL, Hot Leg had the crowd in their pocket, with their own creation, talent and energy – as last night, and as it was for the remaining two nights. They don’t need this song, though. It’s not what people came to hear, it’s not  going to be their springboard. It was, however, bloody good to hear again live. It doesn’t bother me that he’s singing it. But when you’re already standing on your own two (eight) feet before anyone knows that you’ll play it, it doesn’t need to be a must on the set list.

 

And so endeth my short tour. Manchester was by all accounts the crowning glory of the four dates, the coming together of all those good things. Glasgow had a crowd that was wanting to be impressed, but I think it was managed in the end. More Hot Leg is on the horizon, but not yet confirmed. Manrock launched, ahoy!

 

Many thanks to: Hot Leg, Mr Paige, Karl, and the legends that I was pleased to meet.    

  

          

 More photos available on album 1  and 2

       

 

 

STONE GODS – WATERFRONT, NORWICH

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29th June 2008 

Saturday 28th

Well…..It’s slightly out of the ordinary to start a review of a gig before you have even been to it, but I’m going to do it anyway. I hope this will give you an idea of the expectations I have. You may wonder why I, as a member of Sixsister/Optimum Impact and a Priestess of the Stone Gods Temple, have not been to see them live yet. The answer is simple. I was either heavily pregnant or had not long given birth and so was in no fit state (mentally or physically) to go anywhere! Anyway, baby Gray number 2 is now 6 months old and as the boys are playing so close to home I am going to get my arse in gear. I have been listening to as many SG songs as I can get my hands on (repeatedly lately due to excitement!) and in fact am listening to Knight of the Living Dead as I type. This SG virgin is counting down the hours and the excitement is building. I just hope I am not disappointed…….. 

22 hours to go…… 

Sunday 29th 

Oh. My. Effing. God.

I said I was hoping not to be disappointed but you know what? I am…. Disappointed that I haven’t seen them more that is! Those boys ROCK! 

It took military planning to get out of the house on time and even then I almost left with the price tag still on my new belt – yeah great look eh! I picked up two other Priestesses (Angie and Jo) and after the Sunday roast was finished we all made our way back to the car through pouring bloody rain. Me with a plastic sheet on my head I might add! 

We got to the Waterfront for just gone 7pm and through chatting to people and standing outside in the smoking area, we managed to completely miss the support acts Hellcat and Big Linda, sorry guys (and gal!). 

As 9.15 approached we made our way down to the front and were lucky enough to get a spot centre of the stage, albeit next to some guy who wouldn’t stop moaning about people who suddenly appear just before the band come on, but this failed to dampen our mood! I must admit to feeling slightly nervous as the guys appeared, I was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy this gig as much I did for a certain other band. Needless to say I had nothing to worry about, the guys sound and look completely at ease with each other, as if it were “meant” to be this way. Richie has such a powerful voice, and sounds amazing live and he, Dan and Toby seem to interact brilliantly with each other and the crowd, especially towards the end when it was time for the head banging competition (Jo and Angie never entered due to severe hangovers and I was not going to stand there doing it alone!)! There were some truly great moments, such as “Lazybones” which is an absolutely beautiful song and sounds awesome live, but I think my favourite for the night was “Start of Something” due to the arms round the waist of your friends and sing along moment that we Temple girls had, being as this is our “official” Temple song!  

I was so pleased that I was lucky enough to catch them on the last night of the tour, especially as it was on home ground for Dan and Ed (who sadly wasn’t there due to injury, his replacement did a great job tho *thumbs up*) which obviously made the gorgeous “Magdalene Street” even more special. I cannot wait to do it all again and I am really looking forward to the acoustic set at HMV for the album launch. For those who don’t already know, the set list was 

Burn the Witch

You Brought a Knife to a Gunfight

Makin’ it Hard

Magdalene Street

Knight of the Living Dead

Don’t Drink the Water

Lazy Bones

Start of Something

Defend or Die

I’m With the Band

Whiplash

Oh Where ‘O my Beero

Sherilee

Stone Gods 11.1.08

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by Guest – Babzz

Stone Gods live @ Eurosonic festival 11-1-2008 Groningen, Holland

A fan’s first Godstricken experience…

It just seemed a very short while ago that I sat in a boring class and received a text from Aimee saying ‘The Stone Gods have a song up on their website, Burn the Witch! And they’re playing a gig in Groningen!’ First thing I did when the class was over was run to the computer room to check it out. I immediately decided I loved it, and that there was no way I was going to miss their first international gig, even when it was in the city that’s the most for away from where I live as possible in this little country! There was of course also no way that Heidi was going to sit at home in Finland when there was a gig to go to in Holland, so flights were booked and tickets were bought.

Finally the day came, I got up ridiculously early to be able to do a silly test in school and then pick up Heidi from the place of horror that is Schiphol Airport. We got offered a ride to Groningen from the lovely Daisy, so after we changed to our custom made (by me) Stone Goddess shirts, we were soon in a comfy car on our way to the north. Since it was a festival there were more bands playing in several venues across the centre of the city, the guys wouldn’t be on until 1.15 so we decided to check out Von Hertzen Brothers, a Finnish band that I would describe as psychedelic rock. They were quite good. We also caught a few songs of Palladium, but we were getting a bit anxious about the huge queues we had seen in front of some of the venues, so we decided to head for Vindicat Mutua Fides. Hope to see more of Palladium if they play Amsterdam sometime!

It turned out that the long Latin name was a bit fancy for a venue that seemed to be built of cardboard and smelled of piss more then your usual public toilet… First thing we spotted when we got in was a few huge flightcases saying The Darkness, yay, they’re actually there! But what we didn’t know was that we still had to survive the band that played before them… Some Portugese metal band that was really so bad we had to cover our ears. When they had finally finished the enormous load of amplifiers, guitars, effect pedals and bits of the drumkit had to be put on the tiny stage, which took much longer then was planned. Because it was such a small room, this all had to happen via the front of the stage, so we couldn’t reserve our front row spots just yet. But after a nasty security guard had been told off by a roadie, he finally let the audience come closer and we practically glued ourselves against the left side of the stage. To be honest I had gotten a little sick with excitement by now, I could hardly speak and I was afraid I was going to cry the second they would come on stage.

But when that moment finally came, after a little problem with Dan’s amplifiers had been fixed, all I could feel was just excitement and happiness, they were on a stage again, where they belonged! They started with Burn the Witch, for us it’s like a classic tune by now so we all sang along and I managed to lose my voice already. The band seemed to be happy to receive such a lot of cheering and headbanging from the crowd. I can’t remember in what order they played all the songs, mainly because I knew less then half of them of course, but we all absolutely adored Gunfight and Magdalene Street! The songs were all, without one exception, amazing and totally rocking. I was so proud of Richie, gone from a roadie to a bassplayer, and now a frontman. And not just any frontman, the centre of the stage is just exactly where he belongs. And Dan, he really seems to be out of this world, with all his gorgeous Gibson Les Pauls and his beautiful curls dancing around his face. This is really a personal thing, but for me it was such a weird feeling to see him in real life again, I have been worshipping this man for so long, he has brought me so much happiness and just completely changed my life, and I just can’t describe how happy I was to see him playing again. We sang along where we could at the songs that we had heard so far, and enjoyed the sight when one of the guys would put their foot on the monitor right in front of us!

The gig was over way too soon, shitty 45 minute maximum. We just sat on the floor having a beer for a while, trying to come down from this more then amazing performance, and chatted to a nice photographer who told us in what magazine we could find his pictures of the gig, and later on when we had all been kicked outside because the place was closing, he kindly told us that the guys were in some kind of portable dressing room outside. We waited and waited and waited watching all the gear being loaded into the trucks, and just when we were a bit afraid they might’ve buggered off trough the other side, they came outside and invited us for a few drinks. It was great to hear how much our support was appreciated! Not to mention seeing Richie dancing to dodgy dance songs. This is not only the most rocking band in the world, but also the nicest one. And for me personally, speaking to Dan again, looking into his beautiful eyes… Wow, I’m lost for words! Toby was really worried about the fact that we didn’t have a place to stay and would have to wander the streets until we could catch the first train in the morning, so Daisy kindly offered us to crash her hotel room. The club closed eventually, and after a couple of big hugs and several kisses from all the band members (three kisses, ‘continental style’ according to Toby) we left for the hotel. Massive thanks to Daisy for sneaking us in and driving us home the next morning. Best weekend of the year so far, roll on Norwich!

Led Zeppelin, 02 Arena

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by Guest – Laurie Whitecloud

The Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert
December 10, 2007

The loverly Mistress Jo asked me to write a review of this gig for Optimum Impact. What could I say but yes, for I can write page after page after page about this band and the concert of a lifetime! For those of you who do not know the joys of Led Zeppelin, let me explain what this band means to me.

I’d stumbled across Zeppelin around 1977, I was just in middle school and had no idea they were the biggest band in America at the time. I just knew I liked a song called “D’yer Maker” and the band that did it was Led Zeppelin. I saw a picture of the band and was drawn to a certain priddy dark-haired guitarist with a beautiful smile. His name was Jimmy Page.

Well from there I ended up buying their album Houses of the Holy, and was smitten. Houses led to buying other albums of theirs, and buying every magazine I could get with them in it. I spent countless hours poring over their album covers, absorbing every song, reading interviews, gaping at pictures, playing air guitar like Jimmy, air bass like John Paul Jones, air drums like John Bonham and trying to mimic Robert Plant’s banshee wail. Their music got me through the dark days of high school. Although Jimmy was my focus, I knew that all the band members fit together like four pieces of a puzzle…this was one band where everyone’s contributions were important.

This was most evident when John “Bonzo” Bonham died in 1980, on the eve of their latest American tour. It was a crushing blow to the band, and they all decided they couldn’t carry on without him. So they all went their separate ways and I was left without a band to follow…..well, a band that was recording and performing, that is! I still worshipped Zep!

27 years later, after a couple of “reunion” performances through the years, the surviving members of the band decide to reunite for a proper concert in honor of their friend and the founder of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun, who passed away last year. They choose Jason Bonham to drum for them. Some people thought that Jason wasn’t the right choice for the job, but I recall watching the Zep movie “The Song Remains The Same,” seeing 7-year-old Jason drumming away on a tiny Ludwig set, twirling his stick with one hand, while proud dad Bonzo laughs and grabs some bongos to play along with his son. Jason’s been in the band Foreigner for a couple of years now, and when I saw them in concert he really rocked!

Through the grace of God, I’d managed to get my grubby paws to what I consider is the Holy Grail of concerts! So it is with disbelief that I find myself in London, at the 02 Arena, sitting through the opening acts ELP, Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings featuring singers Maggie Bell, Paolo Nutini, and Paul Rodgers. Foreigner performs “I Want To Know What Love is” with a London children’s choir, and then it’s time for ZEP!!!!

The band kicks off with, “Good Times, Bad Times”, the first track on their first album. Robert sings it in a lower key but his is still the voice we all know and love! Jimmy’s guitar playing is sharp as ever, and Jonesy and Jason form a super-tight rhythm section.

At the end of the song, we all cheer and then it’s time for the sublime, “Ramble On.” Goosebump time! Robert’s lyrics evoke autumn evenings and leaving someone you love behind. It’s ethereal and beautiful, and sounds very good indeed. One of my friends had warned us that Robert might need a few songs to warm up, but his voice is sure and strong. And Jimmy’s guitar work is incendiary!

All of a sudden, we hear “Hey hey mama, said the way you move, wanna make you sweat, wanna make you groove!” HELLO!!! “Black Dog” pours out of the speakers and the whole crowd erupts and stands to their feet, except those people around us in the back. Wow, they’re not holding back on the songs people want to hear! We get to sing along joyously with Robert on the chorus, just like on live recordings I’ve heard.

“In My Time of Dying”, which features Jimmy playing the slide guitar, is 12 minutes of glory. It’s one of my favorite songs off the album Physical Graffiti, so I’m rocking along, singing every word with Robert, banging my head along with Jason’s bass drum. “Well well, well, so I can die eeeeeeasy……”

“For Your Life” gets a nod, just because it’s the first time the band has ever played it live. It’s a good song, but I’d rather hear something like Hots On For Nowhere if they were choosing songs from Presence. Anyhoo….

Jonesy gets the spotlight on Trampled Under Foot, where he gets to jam out on the keyboards for this funk-meets-rock barn-burner, which all came about because they had wanted to emulate Robert Johnson’s “Terraplane Blues”. “Everyone nicks it,” Robert cheekily stated.

“Nobody’s Fault But Mine” has one of the most amazing intros ever, and Robert sings along with the notes perfectly. It was also good to see him get out the harmonica and wail it during his solo!

“No Quarter” is synonymous with Jonesy, simply because his keyboard work is haunting and mysterious and moody. I used to listen to this song with the lights off and get scared!! It’s dark lyrical imagery is made all the more intense with Robert’s lower vocal register and Jimmy’s theremin provides out-of-this-world shrieks and wails at the appropriate times. Add a really cool light show in the background, and you have an acid trip without the acid!

“Dazed and Confused” featured Jimmy doing his guitar solo with the violin bow, surrounded by a green laser pyramid, and hearing and seeing the spectacle in real life was so amazing, then the drums and bass kicked in, then Robert came in screaming like it was 1969…yeah. My mind is suitably blown to bits!

“Stairway to Heaven” was a surprise, yet not a surprise because A) people like me doubted they would do it, because the band hasn’t liked playing this song in eons, and B) because they did do it, it’s one of the most popular songs EVER, and it was awesome! Jimmy’s dual image was flashed on the screen during one of the most famous solos in the world and it awoke memories of me sitting through TSRTS countless times. And at the end, Robert cried out “Hey Ahmet, we did it!”

Jimmy hangs onto the world-famous double-neck guitar, deemed one of the Most Valuable Guitars by Guitar World magazine, for the rollicking “The Song Remains The Same.” Ah, how I adore this song! It instantly makes me a happy camper no matter what!

“Since I’ve Been Loving You” : The first five notes are the most lovely notes that send one’s spine a-tingling. Robert’s lament about a cheating lover is one of the best English blues songs in the world, in my opinion, and is one of Jimmy’s guitar masterpieces – Robert even gives him his due by saying simply, “Jimmy Page – guitar!” at the end.

Robert reminisced about Bonzo and told everyone that Bonzo used to sing in a band, and they’d do The Wind Cries Mary a lot! “Jason is a good singer, too” noted Robert, and Jason grabs the mic and wails out the intro to “I Can’t Quit You Baby”. Just when you think that’s the song they’ll do next, they bash into “Misty Mountain Hop”, and it’s a joy to hear Jason sing harmony with Robert on this fun tale about dope-smoking hippies in the park.

Robert noticed someone holding up a sign that read, “Hammer of the Gods” and said that it was amazing that people from 50 countries would be there to see that, “so late in life!” Then Jason bashed in the intro to “Kashmir” and the crowd goes wild! This song was Bonzo’s call to arms and Jason did his dad proud, methinks. It was also wonderful to hear Robert’s wail on “trying to find, trying to find where I’ve beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen” to be as awesome as it is on the recording!

After finishing the song and remembering Ahmet Ertegun, the band left the stage. People who don’t know any better begin to file out. Too bad, because they miss THE song that started a whole new genre of music called hard rock: “WHOLE LOTTA LOVE”.

Well what can I say about WLL that hasn’t been said! Primal. Sexy. White HOT!! It’s like ¾ of the band aren’t in the later years in life and it’s the 1970’s again. Robert and Jimmy play off each other with the theremin bits and the call-and-response with the voice and guitar. At the end, they again say goodnight and leave the crowd begging for more.

There’s one song they haven’t done yet… and it’s one they HAVE to do………and believe it or not, there are still people leaving! What’s wrong with them? Don’t they know you don’t leave a gig before the house lights come on? Sheesh!!

Jason’s cymbals crash and yep, it’s “Rock and Roll”!!! And when Robert sings, “It’s been a long time, been a long time, been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time,” truer words were never spoken. Jason’s drum bit at the end was done as if he was infused with the spirit of Bonzo, and then it really was over. It was so cool to see Jason fall to his knees and bow down to Robert, Jimmy and Jonesy – three living rock gods.

This was the rock show of all rock shows. At the end of the gig, I was suitably drained emotionally and physically. I said it before, but I was so proud of the band for proving to London and the entire world that they still had the cojones to rock our socks off! There have been calls for a tour since the big day, and I hope they do. The night of December 10 was truly magical. I told my friends I don’t have to go to another gig, ever….(but I will!! ?)

Jeff Wayne’s War of The Worlds LIVE

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by Lucie

It seems like a rather bizarre thing to go to a concert knowing exactly what you’re going to hear. But that’s what I and several thousand other people did on the second UK arena tour of Jeff Wayne’s War of The Worlds. It’s a record I’ve loved since birth, thanks to my mum who received the highlights album (as in all songs and not much Richard Burton) as a present when it first came out in the mid-70’s. When her kids were born, we were all subjected to it, and instead of rebelling against what our crappy old parents liked, we all clung to it, and we all still adore it.

It was the subtle differences of hearing it live that I was most excited about. Mainly, seeing Jeff Wayne and legendary bassist Herbie Flowers in the flesh. Yeah, they’re getting on a bit, but you’ve got to give them serious respect for being so dedicated that they’re still doing this 30 years on. Guitarist Chris Spedding is also part of the original cast, and looked fantastic rocking out next to Herbie. Justin Hayward got huge applause as he graced the stage, a blues legend in his own right, and still playing the sung thoughts of the journalist. Chris Thompson is another one of the originals, as the voice of humanity, almost bursting a blood vessel to hit the high notes, but sounding incredible. What was so good about these original members was that none of them tried to go off on musical tangents and steal the show – they stuck to the record, putting their all into it, making an old favourite into something live-action.

Obviously, there were a handful of people who for various reasons couldn’t be in the musical, which is what the record was always meant to be, although Jeff had to wait three decades for theatre technology to be advanced enough to tour with it. Richard Burton and Phil Lynott (the journalist and parson Nathaniel) are sadly dead, David Essex is now too old to play the “young artilleryman”, and Julie Covington is either also too old now to play Nathaniel’s wife Beth, or simply didn’t want to be involved. But their replacements were ideal, particularly Alexis James, who played the artilleryman this year and last year (the musical’s opening year). I have the DVD of a performance from 2006, and I can tell from that how much Alexis has improved and made the character his own. He’s taken on a little of David Essex’s cockney accent and youthful charm and let it evolve in his own style when acting, and made the singing incredibly energetic. This year’s performance saw him making the character more manic, as H. G. Wells always intended, only adding to the story and giving his character more dimensions. He starts off bursting with energy, excited about the brave new world he’s going to start, and ends it with tearful anxiety, showing that he knows it will never work, but refusing to give in, which I thought was just perfect; and in the hope that my mum doesn’t read this, I’d say I prefer his version to David’s.

Last year Russell Watson played Nathaniel, and watching the DVD made me almost recoil at his version of the parson. He’s no Phil Lynott, that’s for sure. But this year John Payne, who made his mark in prog rock bands such as Asia, took over, with a brilliant gravely rock voice that suits the part of the desperate Nathaniel perfectly. He also looks the part much more, Russell seeming too young to play a religiously insane parson on the brink of losing his faith. His wife was played by Sinead Quinn, a former Fame Academy star, whose singing was dramatic but her acting wasn’t great. But if Alexis managed to lose his nerves and claim the role for himself after the first year, perhaps Sinead will if she returns for the next tour. Replacing Richard Burton was always going to be more tricky. I feel that somehow having a real actor loitering on stage all the time wouldn’t have worked, and simply taking away that incredibly distinctive voice from the narration would have been wrong. Jeff was extremely innovative with his idea for having Richard still on stage. Last year, there was a huge polystyrene head hung above the stage, with Richard’s face projected onto it. Not only that, but they had a lookalike recite all of Richard’s words and then his face with the moving mouth was altered to look even more like the real Richard, then placed onto the carefully carved head. This year was different; they wanted to make him even more 3D, so his face and neck were projected onto a kind of plastic sheet, and the whole thing had been re-shot, this time with eye and head movements. No one would have believed…
Another spectacular prop was the tripod that came down onto the stage over the band, flashing and sending out its heat ray, and finally collapsing with sparks and dying eyes as the last Martian dies at the end. Perfect.

Jeff really milked his standing ovation at the end, but with good reason – I certainly would, if I’d written a record 30 years ago that is still so resonant in the 21st century that arenas sell out to see it. The whole thing was extremely moving to watch, and hear live, and see the background animations. The Black Smoke Band, composed of old and new musical members, and the ulladubulla strings were 100% perfect in recreating the music we were all there to hear, so huge credit has to go out to Jeff Wayne and his crew of loyal musicians and actors for finally being able to do the record justice.

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

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by Guest – ‘Plucky’

Carling Academy, Oxford. Tuesday 11th December

My knowledge of SAHB is not extensive. I know that Alex Harvey himself has been dead for many years, and before this gig, I only knew three of their songs, and they didn’t even play two of those!

One of my main reasons for going to this gig was to see Zal Cleminson – I’m a big Nazareth fan, and Zal was a member of Nazareth for a couple of years (1979 – 80). But, I didn’t really know what to expect…

I must say from the outset – they rocked loud, and they rocked hard. They had a very full, fat sound. When they came on stage, the singer (Max Maxwell, Alex Harvey’s replacement) looked very much like Dan Aykroyd in The Blues Brothers. I knew the titles of some of their songs, if not the songs themselves, so when Max started yelling ‘Can I put my hands on you’, I guessed it must be Faith Healer. I believe it’s one of their best-known tracks, but unfortunately I didn’t think much of it. Maybe I need to hear it a few more times. Besides that, Max gave the impression of taking it all a bit too seriously.

Thankfully, my first impressions turned out to be wrong. The second track, Midnight Moses, was a great rocker, and throughout the gig, there was a lot of banter and fooling about on stage. Far from taking it too seriously, Max frequently pretended to wonder what was going on, and during Framed, he bemoaned his fate, wondering what he had done to deserve being forced to be in the band! For the first four or five songs, Max wore a t-shirt with a graphic equaliser on it that actually worked!

Now for Zal Cleminson. If you’re at all familiar with SAHB, you’ll know that he’s the one who wears clown make-up on stage. In SAHB’s 70’s heyday, Zal looked like a curly-permed Pierrot, but in his current incarnation, he looks like a dangerous, punk clown. He has great stage presence – he was very active throughout the gig, seldom standing still, and pulled plenty of faces. He’s also an excellent guitarist – he delivered his solos with ease and precision. He sang lead vocals on one track, too.

One of the songs they played was called Isobel Goudie, which, coincidentally, is about burning a witch! The gig contained a number of pumping, fast rockers, including the closer of the set proper, Action Strasse. The encores were Rambo Coming To The Rescue and Delilah. Delilah was notable because it included an audience singalong, and best of all, Zal and Chris Glen (bass guitar) did the silly dance! (If you’ve seen their performance of Delilah on The Old Grey Whistle Test, you’ll know what I mean.)

Overall verdict then – well worth going to see, and great entertainment value.

But what of the three songs I knew beforehand? Well, Delilah was one of them. The two they didn’t play were Next and Boston Tea Party. Oh well, you can’t have everything, I suppose…

Stone Gods 24.11.07

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by Guest – Gill H

Well it was a cold and windy Saturday evening when I and three of the lovely, and incredibly dedicated, ladies from the Stone Gods fan site walked up the steps and into the Regent Theatre, Ipswich. While two of the gang had already been treated to the joys of the unleashed brilliance of the Stone Gods, two of us were in that delicious state of anticipation that is felt in those moments between seeing the gift-wrapped box and opening it. Would the present be what we wanted? While the others showed no doubts, my confidence varied between the arrogant “They are going to rock this place into next week” and a whimpering “But what if I don’t like it?”

As a kick in the goolies to the doubts, I bought the Stone Gods t-shirt. None of us would allow the lads to fail due to lack of visible support!

Anyway minutes were ticking down and the real decision time was coming near. Would my t-shirt go into the ‘too good to wear on ordinary occasions’ or the ‘OK to clean the van with’ pile? Excitement was really getting a bit unbearable.

Noise! We shoot across to the doors at the back of the arena. A sound check. Not much to get excited about, but it means they are really there and all the hopes and dreams of the last year are about to be put to the test. It was trip to the loo time – there was no way I was missing a note of this set!

The doors open and we find our seats, three quarters of the way back, but with a great view. But the place? Oooh, crickey! An old cinema, it is an all seated venue with a “sit back and come and entertain me” feel. Not what you would call a great atmosphere for a new heavy rock sensation. Had the cards been stacked against the lads before they started?

Shouts went up as they bounced on stage – there were a lot more than four Stone Gods fans then – and as they let rip with “Burn the Witch” the numbers were increasing every second. The sound just filled the auditorium like a storm that ripped any final doubts to pieces. Why had I wasted time worrying?!!!

Richie immediately dominated the stage. This is a man who was born to front a top-line rock band. Toby settled into the classic bassist role – driving the music along while seeming to be doing nothing. Ed laid down a solid foundation for the edifice of sound. And Dan? Well as soon as the head started to bounce backwards and forwards and the hair fly over the face it was obvious that he was back where he wanted to be – making great music with a great band.

The set flew by. Richie interacted with the audience, leapt in the air, asked for hands and got more and more people involved. Hands clapped, the noise got louder and the appreciation increased in leaps and bounds. I tried to get to grips with unfamiliar tunes but failed, always left wanting to hear them again. I could have happily sat through the whole thing again from start to finish. No! That’s wrong! There is no way I could have SAT though a minute of it! It would only be possible for someone with no love of great music and ears of stone!

Anyway, the end came too soon. There had been problems. Guitars had been changed perhaps more often than was usual and guitar techs had appeared on stage at unexpected times, but the problems did not spoil an excellent evening of superb music.

Stone Gods are on the road now and I urge you to do just one thing – give your ears a treat, your music soul a kick up the arse and GO AND SEE THEM.

Stone Gods

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by Jo

4 nights. 500 miles. a Tshirt, and a messy car…

Travelling Light – Leicester 22.11.07
As one does… armed with only a choc bar, a change of boots and some face powder, it’s time to set off. Stone Gods are coming! The birth is to happen onstage at 7.40 tonight, with Thin Lizzy providing the birthing pool – Leicester De Montfort Hall. I saw my first gig here 24 years ago – Wham!

Today was the launch of our website, less than 24 hours after the bands – nice work! But I won’t see it until Saturday at the earliest – gigs to go to and stuff. Left work at 4, set off at a cracking but legal speed across the fens, stopping only to wee in Peterborough. No time for messing about! I got all the way there, even across Leicester thanks to signposts (my home city is notoriously bad to drive in) but could I find the car park? NO. found the venue and everything… ended up asking random people and phoning Tezza, but a yellow jacketed man was spotted and driven at. Yup… here. Boots changed, powder done. Raced into the venue to find toilet, cloakroom, drink and tshirt. That done, time to look for the girls – ah here they are… BIIIG hugs. I don’t recommend that anyone interfere with an ex-darkling reunion. Dangerous moments! Not least the dash for the front, even if there was no one in our way. Waiting, watching for signs…

This moment, I think, was full of anxiety. Happy to see the lads back on stage, of course. But will we like it? Have the months of waiting and supporting been in vain? Only heard a little bit of ‘Burn the Witch’ that was sent to me via phone. WAAAAAH they’re coming! Surprising how much noise four girls can make, and how much we surprised those round us. Hee. Oh well. The lads are straight into it. Loud, heavy, metally throughout. Start with Burn the Witch… After that the song titles are a complete mystery but the songs ARE distinguishable from each other. Even one with an easily singable chorus, which we all got stuck into. Yeah. You are on your way, and no, we don’t care what they say either. It got harder and heavier, towards the end. There can’t really be any doubt of the musical direction, and that it’s so far from The Darkness you can’t see one from t’other. Full throated, deep, rock screams forced their way out of Richie, with admirable vocal back up from Toby and Dan – but they won’t be able to keep up with that voice. Richie proved himself a star tonight, with a presence and assured manner – interacting with the crowd and the posh seats, geeing us up. Not that the four down the front needed it. The lads were obviously joyous to be back on stage, and very well practised like the professionals they are. Dan’s floof was in full force, headbanging technique intact. Toby, the master of his area. Ed – he was a bit tricky to see, but sticks were flying! Toby mentions a mistake in his blog, but tbh, it was small stuff. Many many bands would want their first gig to be this polished, and to get the warm reception from not only their own fans, but a good few converts. A special night for us all.

A drink in the bar, a happy exchange of congratulations with a group of bouncy lads who appeared shortly after, and time to go home. Back in bed by 12.30, much earlier than expected.

Stone Gods . Day 2.

No one dropped out or evicted yet. An interesting day at work, followed by another instant departure – to Cambridge this time. Not quite so far, and I had time to get changed properly, take make up off and get it back on again. Again, no time to eat! Partner in crime Mistress duly gathered up from the train station and swept up off to the venue. Completely in the wrong direction, due to incessant nattering, and a phonecall to the Rock Blonde was necessary to put us right. Where are we? Next to Lloyds Bank… what? Multimap doesn’t have the bank? Poor!
The Corn Exchange is a bit fuller when we get there, though we’re not at all late. Got to the front without a great deal of hassle but with a lot of shuffling. Most people are staking their claim for TL, or Elizabeth as they’re referred to by our lads. Mistress has only had my excited jabbering to go by, but I know what’s coming… This time I pay a bit more attention to sorting out the songs in my head, aided by the set list I wangled last night. Not so many photos either. Too absorbed, and singing along where I could, Bouncing most of the time, and drinking in all that I’d missed. This was smoother than last night, though last night was something that can’t be replaced. Richie talks from the stage about it being an honour to play for the crowd, who respond to him – it’s pretty damn fine to be down here, to be played to! He’s obviously more confident tonight, crotch grabbing in front of lots of people is not something you do when nervous!
Is there anything I don’t like? ummm… lots of guitar changes in the middle of a song. Took me a couple to realise there wasn’t a tech problem.
Lads still excited in the bar afterwards. More congratulations, and an exit. They’ve written their own blogs on myspace, you can read those – but Toby’s account of being accosted by the drunk unintelligible guy was very funny. Suitably rocked, we left and headed off to bed. Still not seen any Thin Lizzy. Never mind. Although… how odd to see TL shirts in the crowd, and the banner up on stage, and not to see the logo on Dan’s chest…

Day 3 – Ipswich

Even closer to home, and being a Saturday, no rush. The Rock Blonde arrives from Leeds, still jetlagged from LA and Van Halen (not sure which one was worse). We sit and eat, chat and recover. I get a chance to look at the site, which is pretty damn impressive. And the member count is impressive as well! The launch is a huge relief, now we can get started on what we need to do.

Blumming eck, Ipswich is even more of a nightmare than Leicester to drive in. We end up at Gill’s hotel to park, put a final bit of slap on, and set off to find venue and food. Gill agrees to act as bodyguard, though quite why is a mystery – for whom? 😀 Lipstick is completely ruined by my dinner, and Rock Blonde has to endure all sorts of teasing about wet patches when her coffee ends up in her lap. Threats are issued about mentioning it later, which we largely ignore. The venue bar is open, thankfully, as it’s pretty cold. This is a proper theatre. Seats. *sigh* We are allowed to look through the auditorium doors at the sound check, ten minutes before we’re let in. Bodyguard and Rock Blonde get themselves all wound up between listening to that and getting their t shirts on. We’re in row Q, but we refuse to sit down at all. Don’t like not being at the front, I generally can’t see anything! It’s a good view of the stage, I suppose. What? We’re not allowed to take photos during the performance? What sort of stupid rule is THAT? This is a rock band, not an orchestra! Thin Lizzy, sitting DOWN? Waah. Well, anyway, we’re on our feet for the entire set, and from where we are we can see most of the audience. You can’t do that at a normal gig. Interesting to watch their reactions to ‘our’ boys. They clap, and cheer, and get their hands up in the air, but apart fron the very front row of about 7, they stay seated… I can’t get my head round that! Finally though, it becomes apparent that the audience DO like them, and it’s not just us, and things are going right. That’s an emotional moment, when everything falls into place. The springboard.
Some time is spent in the pub chatting, with a well earned vodka for me. I’m about on my last legs! Bodyguard is taken back to her hotel, we depart, and three days of mayhem is over. So many things have happened this week, all of them good, and we feel like it’s all been worth it. All the waiting, support, hard work and worry are behind us, we hope.
Still not seen any TL!

Day 4

A few days’ break, and it’s just me this time. Norwich UEA, home ground, and supporting Thunder. Met up with a couple of old friends and some new ones once I got my bearings, and before I skipped off happily down the front. I got some good photos this time! Yum. I did my best all night to spread the word to the people I was standing near – no harm in a bit of pimping. I was able to sing along a lot more, which always helps the enjoyment levels. The lads went down really well with this crowd, with local support a factor, but by no means the biggest one. They made a LOT of friends tonight. The crowd were calling for more when they went off, and that’s quite an achievement. The lads themselves weren’t too happy about how it went, perfectionists as they rightly are – but. But… there are more people ready to buy than there were before the gig, more fans, more people telling me they wanted to buy tour tickets. Naturally, I have a totally different perspective on things, but people are keen, loved them, and wanted more. A success of a gig in my eyes, way down here.

For those of you wanting tech info and comparisons with other bands, my apologies. I’m not a tech, and I am NOT a rock chick. I neither know nor largely care whether they have elements of Metallica or AC/DC, as I was told by lots of people. The British thrash punk Metallica was the longest label I heard! That might give you an idea, but – these are Stone Gods.

We’re up and running. The Stone Gods, and the fans. Long may it continue.

Visit us at our sites for news, chat and live photos.
www.thestonegods.org
and
www.myspace.com/stonegodstemplesite

VAN HALEN – STAPLES CENTRE -LOS ANGELES 20/11/07

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by Guest – Angie Daly

I HEARD YOU MISSED US – WE’RE BAAAACK!!

In the pitch darkness, the resonant wail of a single screeching, grinding guitar fills every inch of the huge auditorium and 15,000+ voices are heard to cry out in triumph and euphoria! As the lights wash the stage and the familiar opening riff to You Really Got Me Now explodes in, Van Halen, the greatest rock party band the world has ever known, kicked firmly into gear to a roaring welcome, in their home town of Los Angeles. This is no ordinary gig by no ordinary band. The world has waited 22 years for this tour as the Toastmaster General of the Immoral Majority, Diamond David Lee Roth re-joins forces with one of the greatest rock guitar innovators and virtuoso musicians of his time, Edward Van Halen. Joining them in this new Van Halen (mark IV?) is the elder of the Van Halen brothers, Alex, an often overlooked master of his instrument and legend amongst drummers. Finally, replacing original band member Michael Anthony on bass guitar, (whose departure caused great upset amongst the hardcore fan base, me included) the new generation of Van Halen, Eddie’s son Wolfgang.

They couldn’t have chosen a better track to open with. YRGM captured the mood from the start, sizzling and sexy and led the way to an evening of the best of the original Van Halen six pack. Roth easily had the capacity filled Staples Centre in the palm of his hand, as he slickly grooved his way through a mouthwatering set, I’m The One, Dance The Night Away, Beautiful Girls, Mean Street, Atomic Punk, flourishing his trade mark toothy smile and flaunting his still trim, athletic frame encased in his matador glitzy jackets and leather pants! Pure Dave, pure shmaltz! The fans loved it. His one liner, famed from US Fest back in 1983, “Look at all the people here tonight!” brought a roar from the crowd that seemed to last for ages. One point to note is Dave’s singing voice is better now that it has been in a long time. Whether he’s had voice coaching, I don’t know, but he hit the notes every time and yes, he did remember the words.

There had been a lot of debate over the inclusion of Wolfgang, just 16 years old in March and whether it would work. Well, he’s not Michael Anthony for sure, but he is a chip off the old block and yes, the lad can play… as if by birthright and instinct. Right now, all Wolfie needs is lots of gigs to gain his confidence, and he’s certainly getting them. From seeing videos of the first couple of shows of the tour, he has loosened up a lot and moving all over the stage, his special moment coming when he ran to the top of the stage set, raised his base and to a solo spotlight, began that thumping opening to Running With The Devil. It’s especially poignant to see him interacting happily with Dave but most of all with his Dad. Wolfie gets a big thumbs up. The best is yet to come for him.

Set wise, time moved too fast as favourites such as The Cradle Will Rock, Hot For Teacher “I heard you missed us, we’re back!!!!) , Jamie’s Cryin, Ice Cream Man and Panama seemed to fly by, the throng singing their hearts out and the band playing like they were in their twenties once more. Solo time, and Alex Van Halen proved once again he is a rock and roll machine. One of the highlights of the evening was listening to a guy who is a muso’s muso. Always at the top of his game, the ground shook under your feet as he hammered like a madman, his skills on show and to be envied by many.

Edward Van Halen! Everyone has had their opinion of Eddie over the years. No-one ever said he was an angel. Far from it. From the death of his friend and manager Ed Leffler back in the early nineties, Ed seemed to go on a downward slide. In the last ten years he has fought and beaten cancer, had a hip replacement, lost both parents, suffered the breakdown of his long term marriage and had continued to battle his alcohol addiction. I honestly believe that when they toured in 2004 with Sammy Hagar, that would be the last we ever saw of him. So it was with a grateful heart and a contented smile, I watched in almost tearful awe as the master craftsman proved he still has it in buckets the size of a small continent! Edward was flying. His playing was tight and most of all, that trademark grin was back!! He was loving it! A happy Eddie is an on fire Eddie and he spun his magic that night, sliding across the stage, joking with Dave and Wolfie and best of all, the flying Eddie jumps were back! His desire to move with ease was however, continually interrupted by the wire he has been using on this tour. In fact, he hasn’t used a wireless unit since 1994, insisting that he loses tone via that unit. Edward, in balance, it would be worth it not to have to see you yanking at the darn thing constantly… get rid of the cable!! His own solo was beautiful blend of snippets of 316, Cathedral, Little Guitars until those well worn fingers seemed to blur across the fretboard as he kicked into Eruption to finish off, all accompanied by a superb light show and flickering lasers. His ovation was well deserved before moving smoothly into their final number with that classic, timeless opening riff to Ain’t Talkin Bout Love.

As an encore we were treated to an instrumental, 1984 from the same album as Dave stood waving a giant red flag and finally, one of the most well know keyboard introductions in the rock world, led Van Halen to end a fantastic evening with of course, Jump! It was a special moment, of glittery tickertape, inflatable phallic microphones and a crowd that had the whole of this giant arena vibrating.

It was the night a lot of people, me included, had prayed for, for a very very long time. The chemistry is still there, the show still highly entertaining, the music still outstanding!

Long live the Mighty Van Halen!

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Motorhead and Alice Cooper

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by Guest – Gill H

The Dream Fulfilled – Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Motorhead and Alice Cooper

Saturday, 17 November 2007. Wembley Arena, London.

In 1976, a long time ago before many of you were born, I had a poster of Alice Cooper on the wall of my room at college. Why is that so important? Well because, now in 2007, I have finally got to see Alice live and it is an experience that I wont forget and that I want to share.

Back in ’76, punk had not yet reached the frozen wastes of the north of Scotland. The great days of the ‘60s were long past. The air waves had been conquered by the Osmands, David Cassidy and the Bay City Rollers. Good bands and singers maybe, but not my style. Dances at the Student’s Union were conducted to the sound of disco or funk (ugh!) with 3 minutes of Status Quo as a reason for turning up.

Then there was Alice Cooper – a semi-mythical creature who had been banned in here, there and everywhere, who had a live boa constrictor on stage, chopped up babies and killed himself as part of his act, and who had put out one of the few truly great rock tracks, “School’s Out”!

I thought (and I still do) Alice Cooper was gorgeous. I loved his hair, his make-up, everything about him. But when he played Britain, I couldn’t see him. He didn’t come up to Aberdeen and I didn’t have the money to go down to see him. So I had a poster on the wall and a dream that one day I would see his show.

31 years passed and that dream was buried while I worked and settled into a middle-aged, middle-class rut. Maybe the dream would never have been resurrected but for the wake-up call I got from discovering The Darkness and going to see them in Liverpool. But for whatever reason, the dream was revived and I promised myself that if Alice Copper ever toured Britain again, I would be there to see him.

So that is why on Saturday night, I and my husband were to be found making our way into the Wembley Arena, ready to see the start of a great night of music with three fabulous and completely different bands – Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Motorhead and the man himself, Alice Cooper.

Wembley Arena is cold bare place in shades of white and grey. It seems to have been built ready for easy cleaning. Outside the arena proper (but inside the building) there were a multitude of kiosks selling official merchandise, drinks and snacks. Vendors walked through the crowds with beer carriers on their backs filling plastic beakers for £3.50 a go. The crowd was mixed, all ages, with a lot of denim and leather jackets and coats on show (and with one or two pairs of leather boots to die for!). Most people were wearing t-shirts showing their allegiance to their favourite band. So having parted with a fair bit of hard-earned cash (£60), and carrying the plastic bag containing our son’s t-shirt (the goriest Alice one to be had!), we were to be seen climbing up the stairs, me adorned by the Alice 07 tour t-shirt and Andrew showing his support for Motorhead.

Now when I say “climbing” I mean it! The only fly in an otherwise perfect night was the discovery that our seats were only one row from the back of the balcony. It was oxygen mask territory! I still find it hard to believe that all the other tickets had been sold – especially given how early I had booked them.

Looking across the floor of the arena to the other balcony made me realise how far up we were and how BIG the place is. The people looked like ants. There was a slight haze between us! The floor below was about a quarter full as we sat down. A large rectangle in the middle was barriered off. It contained the various sound mixing and lighting boards. One was huge – the size of a three seater settee to my eyes. It was obvious this was going to be a serious night of music.

Anyway the time had come and the show was about to start.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts bounced onto stage. This was not a group I knew, apart obviously, from “I love Rock and Roll”, but immediately they impressed. This is a really professional, competent outfit. Joan Jett looked great – black leather trousers and a shiny black vest top with some silver detail and a body most girls would die for! But it wasn’t the looks that impressed – it was the confidence with which she spoke to the audience, the ability with which she played the guitar and most of all the excellent delivery of the songs. I can’t give you set lists or stuff like that, but I can say I was knocked sideways by their version of “Do you wanna touch me? (There)”. If they have released it, I want it!

Joan Jett played some tracks from a new CD she has put out and it was a seamless transition from the old. The new material sounds as good as ever. This is punk that has only grown up in the sense that it is performed by musicians with a high level of professional competence. However, I think one of the guitarists must have been weaned on punk! He certainly didn’t look old enough to have been alive when it took off, but from his spiked hair to his drainpipe legs in drainpipe trousers, he was the business. He knew the jumps, the walks, the guitar between the legs. It was a joy to watch.

“I Love Rock and Roll” had to be played. From the opening notes, the crowd responded – arms in the air, voices shouting the words. It completed the good work already done and finalised the mood for the night. When shortly after, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts finished they got a lot of applause and they deserved every bit.

As soon as Joan Jett left the stage, the roadies took over. A new lighting rig was pulled into position, more Marshall amps appeared.

The minute Motorhead walked on stage and started to play, you knew this was going to be a totally different experience to Joan Jett. This was music used as a cudgel. It beat you over the head. You couldn’t choose to listen or not listen – it forced its way inside you. Andrew turned to me and said “It’s an earthquake” and it seemed like that. It was outside any control. I could feel my breastbone vibrating in time (I later discovered that it was the caused by the effect of the bass drum). The sound was immense, the distortion disorienting and ear shattering.

By now the floor was about half full and the middle of the front of the crowd went wild. There was a lot of movement and bodies started to come over the barrier near the stage, as Andrew said, some because they wanted to, some because they had to, and some because they were thrown!

All through this mayhem, the music, the people, the shouts, Lemmy stood and played. It was weird watching him. He stays still, unable to leave the mike for more than short periods and there are times when it almost seems as though he could be playing in a room by himself. He doesn’t throw the guitar round but treats it like a craftsman with a favourite tool. But don’t take all that too literally – there are still times when all the guitar playing rock clichés come out. And I did notice the use of the left booted foot to tell the drummer when something was finishing!

The drummer is the heart of the band. He doesn’t play, he pounds. This is back to the primitive – the drum sounds stirring the blood and getting right inside, exciting the tribe. There was an awe-inspiring solo that was worth the cost of the ticket by itself. Then later, stick after stick after stick went spinning into the air while the rhythm never stopped.

As part of an encore, Motorhead came out and played an acoustic blues style number. Lemmy was singing and on harmonica and suddenly the whole thing of rock coming from the blues made sense to me. It might have been the most non-Motorhead part of the set, but it was the song I loved the best. As you can imagine, Motorhead got a huge response from all the crowd.

Now, as far as I was concerned, the preliminaries were over. It was getting time for the great man to appear. The trip to the loo in the interval was as much a response to my nerves as to need. Anyway, we were back in our seats in good time. Nothing was going to be missed.

The lights had changed (another new set in place!) The crowd had swelled again. The floor was now three quarters full. The shouts were going up. It was starting. Over the stage and covering it a huge drape was hung. There was a silhouette of Alice Cooper walking up steps. But what was this? Another Alice and, oh my god, the first was being killed! At that, the drape was flew down and there was the dead body at the top of the stairs and the man himself, in the flesh letting leash with the first of so many great songs. The crowd went mental! “No More Mr. Nice Guy” was blasting through the arena.

But what about me? Well as the drape came down, my hands went to my mouth and as I saw Alice Cooper, himself, real, in the same room as me…. I admit it, I nearly burst into tears! And even thinking about it as I write, tears come again. This was my 30 year old dream and it was happening for real!

What can I say about the rest of the evening? It was as great as I had hoped. Alice Cooper is more than a singer, he is an entertainer of great skill. Every song had to be performed with the walk, the face, arm and hand movements. The guitarists were conducted with the walking cane or the sword. The sword was stabbed into the stage. The audience were brought into the act – necklaces, bills, guitar picks thrown in and they were expected to join in. No sitting listening, you are part of the show! It was a star at work. Someone who knew what effect he wanted and how to get it.

I haven’t said much about the music because it is impossible for me to make an unbiased comment. There are so many great songs. Some had to be cut short because Alice Cooper simply has 30 plus years of material to pick from. It isn’t a case of him “finding” enough for a show – it is a case of cutting enough to finish on time! I don’t have the knowledge to talk about the quality of the guitarists – more than competent I would say. But even I with my limited knowledge knew I was seeing and hearing someone special on drums. And the point when there were three on drums, two guitarists and the drummer – all in time, all perfect, was jaw-droppingly awe-inspiring. And I laughed when Alice threw his white top hat and it was caught by the drummer on one of his drumsticks.

I watched with horror Alice being hanged. Even though I know it is a trick, it is one with a risk attached and it was hands to the mouth time again. Then before I could really believe it, it was the end of the show. As the shouts went up, Alice reappeared and for an encore we had “Billion Dollar Babies”, “Poison” and “Elected”. It says something when the singer doesn’t have to even sing because the entire audience know the words! “Elected” was pretty special and I apologise now to the man sitting next to me for my screams!

As we were leaving the arena, I heard two men talking:

“What did you think of the concert?”

“Not much. Alice Cooper was mediocre.”

Well maybe it was a poor concert and maybe Alice Cooper was mediocre to people who had seen him 30 years ago when he was young and shocking. All I can say is he didn’t disappoint me. It was a magic, unforgettable night.

I just don’t know how to end this. Having a dream fulfilled is a funny thing. Coming home has been strange. Home is familiar but somehow I have changed. I suppose I just don’t want that reality of the show to fade. I want to keep living my dream.

Finally, the greatest memory I will take away is this – however good “School’s Out” is when heard on radio or CD or MP3 player, it is not a patch on it played live to an arena of shouting, singing, screaming fans and with the man himself in front of you. I love you, Alice Cooper.

State Rock Side – or something..

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by Laurie – Guest review

100.7 FM Jack Radio Fest
Coors Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA
August 19, 2007

REO Speedwagon
The Stray Cats
The Pretenders
ZZ Top

Due to a misprint on the concert tickets about the starting time of said concert, your author MISSED REO Speedwagon (that’s okay, saw them in the 80’s!) and The Stray Cats (NOT OKAY, since I have never seen this fine rockabilly trio play live!).

So once I get done pouting, “Space Invader” is played and The Pretenders have taken the stage.

Wow, Chrissie Hynde looks really good. She’s in great shape wearing a black vest, blue jeans tucked into knee-high cowboy boots, her signature black eyeliner and of course she’s still got that punk take-no-prisoners attitude that makes her one of the coolest women in rock.

Her voice is still in fine form, too, and the band is incredibly tight as they reel through their list of hits. There was a new song about the state of pop music today, and the line I remember the most is when Chrissie sneers, “She’ll buy some new tits” in order to be a pop star. I vow to check that song out ASAP!

I don’t have a complete set list, but the band played “The Wait”, “Talk of The Town”, “Message of Love”, “Bad Boys Get Spanked”, “My City Was Gone”, “Back on The Chain Gang”, “Mystery Achievement” and the last one was “Brass In Pocket”, which Chrissie dedicated to the animal rights activists and vegetarians in the audience (“All four of you!” she joked). A fine set by a fine band, methinks. I’ve always liked The Pretenders and they have never let me down in concert.

No time for an encore, as the lights came on and the roadies set up for the closer, ZZ Top. Last time I saw them was back in the 80’s at the San Diego Sports Arena on the Eliminator tour, I fink. There are times when one tends to think of this band as belonging in the past, well I’m here to tell ya, Mister & Missus, that they can still kick any of today’s rock bands to the curb.

Long beards? Check. Hats? Check. Black shades? Check. Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill are the epitome of cool as they hit the stage, and Frank Beard provides us some solid drum poundage as they rip into “Got Me Under Pressure”, and the booze-soaked, blues-tinged rock does not stop. I realize that Billy Gibbons is one of the greatest rawk guitarists to walk among us, and he paid homage to their friend Jimi Hendrix through a blistering cover of “Foxey Lady”, which I caught on video. ?

Again, no setlist as I was too busy rawking, dancing and singing along to write anything down. Well, who takes pen and paper to a gig anyway? fabby crab sticks!Dusty’s introduction for “Pearl Necklace” was, “Women…jewelry…women…jewelry!” – fabby crab sticks! Other songs that are remembered are “Jesus Just Left Chicago”, “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide”, “Cheap Sunglasses”, “Waitin’ For The Bus”, “Tube Snake Boogie” (and the audience got to shout out, “I got a gal who lives on the hill, she won’t do it but her sister will! – fabby crab sticks!) “Rough Boy”, “Gimme All Your Lovin’”, “Legs” (where both Dusty and Billy broke out the fuzzy guitars from the video and did the funky chicken dance moves!), “Sharp Dressed Man”, “La Grange” and “Tush”.

During “Tush”, the video screens flashed pics of ZZ Top from throughout their illustrous career, and that was nice to see. That was the last song, and we were left with ringing ears and just barely enough money to buy a “ZZ-Top – Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers” t-shirt at the vendor booth.

Thanks Billy, Dusty & Frank. That Little Ole Band From Texas kicked my ass and I liked it! fabby crab sticks! I’ll be back for more on another tour!

THE END

Echo and The Bunnymen

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by Jo

4th August – Gig in the Park, Halesworth, Sussex

A fine event, this one. Local cool stuff for local people, by volunteers and other ace beings. For an entire weekend the town park is transformed into a mini festival. A little bit of showcasing in the Jungle tent, after a few months’ jamming with your mates? Or play to a wider audience on the main stage. People travel from all over to do that. West Country and the Scottish traditional Japanese drummers are evidence. It’s the do’s 10th birthday, so much happiness and a few messages from rock wellwishers up on screen.
It was a hot day, glorious to wander, watch the shenanigans and browse the shops. And YAAY! This year, there are CHIPS! Not quite a chip van, but obviously my stinging review of last year’s chip noshow galvanised something into action.
To the main event then. What I went for, and missed a load of stuff in Leeds for (well, as well as seeing Andy, Rosie, Sarah, Ian, Helen and Janine). Echo and his damn fine Bunnymen. You don’t see many bands better than this. Not punk, goth, indie – balancing on the apex of so many things from the late 70’s/early 80’s. Built into my teenage psyche.
Well, the band have put on a bit of weight, which is hardly surprising after so many years! But it sits well. This never was a band built on looks, although that Mr McCulloch was a pretty thing, it has to be said. D’you know, I noticed his hair is curly on the camera closeups. Always gelled to the nines in my memory! Bloody fine to hear that accent again.
He doesn’t say much, and doesn’t smoke on stage nearly as much as he did! Last time it was one per song, on average! Music prevails. It’s not the best gig they’ve done. Open air ones never are, I guess.
There are a fair few Bunny fans here, more than I thought, though the younger ones at the front haven’t got a clue about it really. And triple thanks to the stupid teeny girls and bemused boy who stood in front of me and shrieked and giggled about being oooo at a gig after dark, outside. GRRRR.
Whatever I wanted out of this gig was delivered in heaps. I didn’t want musical performance perfection. I wanted the songs I love and cherish(aaghhh except Villiers Terrace), the timewarp to who I was and should have stayed being. That feeling when during a gig, already bouyed up by music and emotion, you suddenly reach nirvana. Everything at that moment is perfect, golden, whole. When it ebbs away, it leaves you with a healing touch – just for a few hours, because nothing ever lasts forever.
Echo and the Bunnymen aren’t the only band that can do that. There really aren’t many that can, though, and last year, one of them failed. All hail. May the Echoes resound as long as possible.

Setlist: (AC=acoustic guitar)
Rescue
Villiers Terrace
Show of Strength
Stormy Weather
Seven Seas AC
Dancing Horses
Disease
All that Jazz
Never Stop
Back of Love
Killing Moon AC
The Cutter
————————-
Nothing Lasts AC
Lips Like Sugar

Travis live at Westonbirt Arboretum, 29/06/07

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by Lucie

Travis is one of those bands I’ve never been sure whether I should admit I love. Some people seem to think Fran and co are at odds with most of my other tastes (though some of them just make no sense at all), but the fact is that Travis came first. As one of the first bands I really got into, I couldn’t not finally see them live once they were in my neck of the woods. Literally. As part of the Forestry Commision Tour, Westonbirt in Gloucestershire was visited; a beautiful part of the world and a fantastic venue for a good slice of indie.

The mood was incredibly relaxed, the clientele spanning generations, the oldest of which had to sit further back if they had camping chairs, or just wanted to protect the kids’ ears. We, the huddled masses, parked ourselves near the wood chippings that revealed the blessed golden circle, and waited happily in the sun, eating Jaffa Cakes (just after buying my ‘Selfish Jean’ t-shirt, too. Look up the video, you’ll understand).
We were expecting a band called Juno Falls, but either the solitary man that turned up called himself Juno Falls, or the others had failed to turn up, we couldn’t be sure, seeing as he introduced himself as “Miles from Juno Falls”. A lovely boy, he was thoroughly chuffed to be there, and had a marvellous voice, but his songs consisted mainly of anguished wails, which ruined it somewhat. If he does have a band the rest of the time, I think the overall sound would be better.

The Hours were something utterly different. Friendly and energetic, they had people swarming towards the wood chippings, very much interested in their heavy indie with a wonderfully dramatic hint of piano. The singer was particularly appreciative of our support, and we of their music. They seemed to enjoy getting us revved up for Travis, and left the stage far too late telling us we were in for a treat. Well, we knew that…

Having heard sound checking run-throughs in the car park (difficult to muffle in an arboretum), we felt like we’d had a taster already, and were hungry for more. A bizarre array of music was played over the stereo while a rather huge flock of roadies cleared things up, and people started to pack close. We hit that ace moment when a song stops half way, and after ten seconds doesn’t come back… When you know that the band are coming. The Rocky theme tune blared, and we waited. And waited. I could hear cheering from behind, but why… Oh, THAT’S why. Four little Scottish men in brightly coloured satin boxing gowns shuffling their way through the crowd, high fiving everyone around them… An ingenious entrance, I must say, though being near the front I didn’t see them until the last minute.

Glowing, the band bounced up on the stage (Fran wearing my ‘Art, Music, Jaffa Cakes’ t-shirt, and Dougie wearing a waistcoat, making me become very fond of him), and launched into the magnificent newest single ‘Selfish Jean’, getting an excitable crowd jumping right from the start. People refuse to believe me now, but they are one of THE most energetic, fun, friendly and lively bands I have ever seen. Yes, I know they’re a veteran indie band, but it has been known to happen.

They played a delicious mix of their oldest hits, several from the new album (the best so far, an exceptional record), and chatted to us whenever possible, getting us involved – something that will always get a band in my good books. A little gentle abuse went on too, as Fran got us to pressure their stand-in pianist when he did his tinkly solo by shouting his name – Claus – over and over again. Then we had to do it to Neil, after he broke his titanium drum peddle! There was an incredible atmosphere there, feeling like all several thousand of us had been invited to a private party. And Travis were wonderful hosts.
A particularly fabulous moment was the band huddling together at the front of the stage, busking to ‘Flowers In The Window’, encouraging us as always to sing along. Andy had calmed somewhat by that point, having spent most of the gig having a serious private rocking-out session. Dougie was the opposite, calm and exuding pure cool. Neil soldiered on in the background, gaining some extra respect from me – you need to see a band live to appreciate the drumming fully. Fran was just such a happy little pixie, you couldn’t help but want to take him home and coddle him.

They gave a hint towards what their next single might be – something from the new album called ‘Battleships’ – though almost all of the songs on that could potentially be singles. Only that, ‘Closer’, and ‘My Eyes’ were played from ‘The Boy With No Name’, along with ‘Selfish Jean’. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that they didn’t only try to flog their new record, but gave us what they knew we’d want. ‘All I Want To Do Is Rock’ was eagerly received; a song from the very first and not very well-known album, something heavy and drawn-out, un-Travis but much loved.
As night fell, lights washed over us, a glorious band played, and it just couldn’t have been a better evening. They loved us, and we loved them, it was pure equal give-and-take. One of the very best gigs I’ve ever been to, I would recommend seeing that modest little groups of Scots to anyone and everyone.

www.travisonline.com

Muse at Wembley – 16/06/07

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by Lucie

Around 60,000 people were hoping for this to be the gig of the century. I haven’t quite got around to surveying all the results of this theory now that it’s over, but I can safely confirm that not only was the night immensely well-received, but many many people are more in love with their favourite apocalyptic rock band than ever.
There was certainly no need to camp outside Wembley stadium at 4pm the afternoon before, because I and gig buddy Kat sauntered in at 3:30pm on the Saturday afternoon, and still got into the Golden Circle. We’d spent much of the day deciding on which songs Muse would play, filling up on junk food to avoid having to spend £6 on a hotdog, and getting heavily rained on, all of which was forgotten by the time things started to liven up, with Zane Lowe entertaining us before the live music started, and then between bands. Nobody wants that volume of people getting arsey, do they? He saw off any boredom, mainly with the use of terrible dancing and attempting to be “gangsta” – always compelling.
Rodrigo y Gabriela, who I hadn’t previously heard of, are a Mexican duet with only the use of their acoustic guitars to prove themselves. But they did just that, keeping the crowd enraptured by such skill even our beloved Matt Bellamy couldn’t match. Their guitars were used as percussion too, to add a lively beat to their spicy music, themed by their home. The Espanola-tinted version of Stairway To Heaven held the audience captive, and proved the enormous power of the acoustic guitar, when played so skilfully. You NEED to check them out.
Next up were the disappointingly shit Dirty Pretty Things. They truly bored me, and going to the toilet seemed a more entertaining option, so I missed a portion of their set. It didn’t help that the vocals at the beginning were very fuzzy, and Carl Barat’s lyrics faded into the dreary guitar licks, but even as the sound improved, the performance didn’t. It seems to me that the band is far better on record, which is a shame, but the pace was picked up again by an unlikely source.
I didn’t used to like The Streets, and was expecting their hour-long slot to be tedious and nothing more, but they truly shocked my by how damn entertaining they were, and Kat forced me to eat my words, and my hat. Mike Skinner worked Wembley Stadium like a pro, showing genuine excitement at being there, and getting us to join in with several bouts of the chorus to Radio Ga Ga, and jumping whenever the drummer stood up and sat down again. They are undeniably fun to watch, and the audience was drawn into it entirely. So much so that all of the thousands of seated audience members spent the latter half of the set doing Mexican waves around the entire stadium.
The Streets got us on a high, and left us to wind ourselves up with excitement. Zane Lowe was gone by that point, double-booked with a stint DJing for Reading university students, and so we waited for the longest forty minutes to see the band we had given up at least £40 and our whole Saturday for. The section we were standing in was set up in such a way that there was a small bridge in the middle of the pitch, and a runway leading to the stage. The mystery was whether the band would emerge on the stage and Matt would use the runway for extended wailing solos, or whether they would make a grand entrance from beneath the bridge, rise, and stroll to the stage from there. As the background music stopped and the lights went down, we all knew it was time. Myself and Kat had prime places against the barrier next to the runway, and did impressions of tennis spectators staring up and down it, wondering where the boys would pop up from. Then there was a blast of dark classical music, clouds of dry ice lifting from the bridge, an eruption of confetti, and Dominic Howard, Chris Wolstenholme, and Matt Bellamy showed themselves, smiling as they strode through the centre of tens of thousands of screaming fans. They sure know how to make an entrance.
They opened, as I suspected, with the last song on Black Holes and Revelations, much-loved favourite Knights of Cydonia. The band’s penchant for huge elaborate light shows was made epic for this weekend, to match their music. As Matt began to scream the chorus to this grand and intense song, the words “NO ONE’S GOING TO TAKE ME ALIVE” shone enormous on the screens behind him, dwarfing all else and stunning the audience. Dominic did most of the talking to us, adorably over-excited at being where he was – behind a risen drum kit, overlooking the entirety of Wembley Stadium (wearing the most fantastic lime green jeans). Matt, in his red suit, gave the impression that he was totally at home here, and as always played for every single person in the crowd, like he does at every show, whatever size. Chris rocked ever quietly, with his head in danger of falling off, laying the foundations of the intense sound that the band has spent years honing to perfection. I do think that they’ve finally found the perfect ingredients for that – although I believe that they’ll only get better and better.
The band played the perfect mixture of old and new songs, spanning their four studio albums, driving the crowd wild with Sunburn (the first song from Showbiz), Plug In Baby (possibly their most well-known song, from the second album Origin Of Symmetry), New Born (also from Origin), their gloriously dark cover of Feeling Good, and Hysteria and Stockholm Syndrome from Absolution, along with the majority of Black Holes and Revelations; in my opinion, the best record yet. Matt wielded his trusty silver mirror effect guitar, also rocking a sparkly red number, and whereas the last time I saw them he had a huge piano with red lights all over the front, this time he had an ordinary-looking instrument, only the lid was transparent, and squares of light flashed within the glass when Matt played. Chris joined in with the bright onstage colour scheme not with his outfit, but with the use of his florescent orange bass.
There is no doubt that these boys are born stadium rockers. The first band/artist to sell out the new Wembley Stadium, they had us hanging on their every word. When Matt asked us to all get our mobile phones out, we did it instinctively. And as I looked above me, I knew why he had suggested it; all around the tiers of the frighteningly massive place white, blue, orange and red lights were glowing, and we held out phone aloft, hoping that those so high above us could see what we were seeing. At this point, the band chose to play the haunting Blackout, which fitted the mood perfectly, and they also released two massive lit-up balloons from behind the stage, each with an acrobat attached underneath, slowly rolling and turning to the music. The effect was mesmerising, nobody could look stageward for four minutes, and everybody I could see was transfixed by the poignant grandeur of it.
Matt later played a few songs by himself, just him and his acoustic guitar. He made my century by playing Soldier’s Poem, a much underrated but very beautiful song from Black Holes and Revelations. He followed that with Unintended from their first album, Showbiz, a gloriously simple old favourite.
The band played two encores, drowning the audience in the opulence of their music, pouring emotion over the top. They ended with Take A Bow, something I was initially sceptical of, being a song I rarely listen to, but hearing it live shone a whole new dazzling green light on it, especially as the final words “you will burn in hell for your sins” spurred an eruption of fire from the front of the stage. Muse took their bows, and left me higher than the stars, just as they do when I’ve spent a good few hours listening to their albums on full blast.
Live Muse is all about theatrics, lights, and making the most exquisite noise three little boys from Devon can possibly make. All the ‘best live band’ awards they’ve won are so very much deserved; this has been confirmed to me after seeing them for the second time. They are so at home in the hugest arenas, it’s now hard to imagine them playing in anything smaller.

The setlists:

16/06/07

Knights of Cydonia
Hysteria
Supermassive Black Hole
Map of the Problematique + Maggie’s Farm riff
City of Delusion
Butterflies & Hurricanes
Citizen Erased
Hoodoo
Feeling Good
Piano interlude + Sunburn (piano)
Invincible
Starlight
Man of Mystery
Time Is Running Out
New Born + Microphone Friend riff + Ashamed outro

Encore 1:
Soldier’s Poem (guitar)
Unintended
Blackout
Plug In Baby

Encore 2:
Micro Cuts
Riff + Stockholm Syndrome + riffs
Take a Bow

17/06/07

Knights of Cydonia
Hysteria
Supermassive Black Hole
Map of the Problematique
Forced In
Sing For Absolution
Butterflies & Hurricanes
Hoodoo
Starlight
Apocalypse Please
Feeling Good
Sunburn
Invincible
Time Is Running Out
New Born

Encore 1:
Soldier’s Poem
Unintended
Blackout
Bliss

Encore 2:
Plug In Baby
Stockholm Syndrome
Take A Bow

Motley Crue – Manchester Apollo 12th June 2007

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by guest writer, Aimee Woodward


 So we travelled down from Scotland to Manchester (over 7 hours on the train due to lightning causing signal problems at Penrith) and prepared to see the Crue. The theatre doors opened at 7pm and we arrived just afterwards. We did the obligatory “15 minutes in the ladies toilet queue” to be greeted by lots of other Scots, people dressed up as band members, and a LOT of leather and thick eyeliner. As we entered the auditorium, I was actually surprised because wherever we stood we seemed to get a great view. This was because the floor is on a slant so it is quite easy to get a good spot. We got in just in time to catch support act Papa Roach take to the stage to warm the crowd up – we managed to get quite near the front right in the middle of the crowd. I was never really that keen on Papa Roach, although I admit I hadn’t listened to much of their music. Well we were blown away. Those guys were amazing. Great vocals, great riffs, overall a very entertaining band. The crowd were rocking away before the main band even came on stage. Lead singer Jacoby Shaddix jumped into the crowd during one of the songs and the infamous Last Resort at the end of their set had the whole arena jumping around.

Around about 9pm the lights went down again. By this time we had moved back a bit because of the sweltering heat in the theatre, I actually felt quite faint and so had to get out before the crowd pushed forward. We still had a relatively good view although my phone battery died and my disposable camera was not good enough so I didn’t really get any decent pictures. Smoke filled the stage and spilled out onto the standing area. Suddenly the drums kicked in and as the smoke cleared, the excitement turned to confusion – that’s not Tommy Lee!!! Then within a flash Nikki, Mick and Vince are on stage and the intro to Dr Feelgood begins with flashes of pyro and flamethrowers from all over the stage. The guys are all on top form as Dr Feelgood finishes and they lead into Shout at the Devil. The drummer is introduced as Will Hunt from Evanescence who is standing in for Tommy. Tommy comes onto the stage and apologises to the crowd, he has hurt his arm and is unable to play. He leads the crowd in a rap and goes offstage. Tommy appeared later on to play keyboards during Home Sweet Home and to hand out a bottle of Jagermeister to the crowd and insisted everyone took a shot and passed it back. Vince is very animated as he runs around the stage, as is Nikki who is full of attitude and grins at the crowd, seeming constantly immersed in a beam of red light. Now I must admit I am slightly biased because I have a bit of a thing for Nikki, but I have to say the man was amazing. During Primal Scream he really came alive, running across the stage whilst flamethrowers and pyros exploded around him. Mick was understandably more demure due to his condition but played a blinder, his solos were perfect and near the end we were treated to a burst of Voodoo Chile before Kickstart My Heart. The crowd really seemed to enjoy themselves despite the sweltering heat and ended up singing the whole of Home Sweet Home back to Vince who seemed genuinely thrilled. Nikki promised the band would be back soon, but were taking time off to write and record a brand new album before touring again.

Tommy came out and played drums on Kickstart my Heart, afterwards proclaiming that it really hurt but he really enjoyed it. As the band went off stage Tommy thanked the crowd, and the show ended with the phrase “I love you fuckers!”

I think the highlights were definitely Vince and Nikki who were both on top form and really engaged the crowd throughout the show. From where I was standing the crowd seemed to really enjoy the interactions all the way through and I am sure I scared the living daylights out of the tall burly men standing near us with my screaming and jumping around. Whilst there were no dancing midgets, semi-clothed girls (except dancer Jozie who appeared to give Vince his guitar before Don’t Go Away Mad) or Harleys it was still a highly enjoyable show and the band did a great job entertaining the crowd. My only disappointments were that they didnt play Too Fast For Love, Sick Love Song, If I Die Tomorrow, Too Young to Fall In Love, or Hell on High Heels.

Overall I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

My pictures didn’t come out too great since I just used a disposable camera but I found some bits and pieces from the gig.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/music/live_reviews/g/1009022_motley_cre___apollo.html

http://www.wireimage.com/GalleryListing.asp?navtyp=gls====278312&nbc1=1

Set list:
Dr. Feelgood
Shout at the Devil
Wild Side
Looks that Kill
Live Wire
Same Ol’ Situation
Home Sweet Home
Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Louder than Hell
Primal Scream
Girls Girls Girls
Anarchy in the UK
Kickstart My Heart

Nicolai Prowse

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by Jo

Betsey Trotwood, 2nd June 2007

18 months, waiting for this one. Since the much mourned demise of Do Me Bad Things, Nicolai’s been writing, working, recording, This then is the first live outing for the results – an acoustic set in a tiny place. Intimate isn’t the word! I wasn’t going to miss this for the world, not after all I’ve heard and written already!
It wasn’t a long set, but it was packed with pure notes pouring effortlessly from the boy’s mouth. Nicolai’s building his band, but what better way to gauge the power and glory of a voice, than when it’s accompanied only by a guitar? A small crowd, but a very appreciative one. The songs are all familiar to me – I’m quite good friends with them, actually, but they do sound better live. That’s a good sign! When they have got a full band behind them, they’re going to rock the senses. ‘Blue Eyed Boy’ is a particular favourite of mine, but they’re all sweet and sharp enough to sting you to thought.

What WAS a surprise was ABBA’s ‘SOS’ – I didn’t know that was going to happen! It’s a tricky song, tackled with smooth skill. I’ve been at other band rehearsals where it’s been abandoned because it just didn’t work. Obviously it needs to be simple, stripped down to the barest bones – if you’re not ABBA of course. We did get the first verse twice, with apologies, but who cares? Singing along to the chorus was great fun!

First gig over. Nicolai can approach the rest with confidence – there’s nothing to worry about. He’s got ‘it’, he can sing, he’s pretty cute and his stage banter is a damn site better than some!

Tell us more stories, Mr Prowse. We’re listening very hard.

Setlist:

When I Fall Down
Sky Scraper
Blue Eyed Boy
Running Away
SOS
How Life Works

There are gigs organised, and more to come. See www.myspace.com/nicolaiprowse for uptodate listings. Also, from this gig:

Manic Street Preachers

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by Jill

Preston Guildhall, 20.05.07

The trip to this gig had the potential to be a gridlocked nightmare, falling as it did on the second night of the Radio One Big Weekend. However, the journey up the M6 to Preston was unhindered, parking was a breeze and we arrived at the Guildhall to secure a fairly decent spot near the front of the stage.

The support bands on this tour seem to be changing every three or four venues. Tonight it’s the turn of Liverpool four piece Johnny Boy, whose debut single was produced by James Dean Bradfield himself. I’ve seen plenty of support bands and discovered plenty of gems among them; sadly Johnny Boy don’t look destined to join their number, despite the Bradfield endorsement. They seem to be trying quite hard to encompass too many genres with the result that they fall rather blandly in between: neither rock, nor indie-dance, neither psychedelia, nor electronica. There are one or two stand-out moments, particularly the ‘Johnny Boy Theme’, but the band seem overly concerned with matching their music to the backing collage of film, a gimmick that backfires when it only draws the audience attention away from the stage performance.

A quick glance around the crowd reveals a mixed bunch, ranging from the glammed-up hardcore fans with their glitter and feathers, to curious middle aged couples, attracted by the chart-friendly sounds of ‘Your Love Alone Is Not Enough’. There’s half an hour to go before the main act, during which time a feather boa draped mic stand is brought out from behind the drum riser to stand in front of a Welsh flag. Anyone who feared that they had inadvertently stumbled into a Shirley Bassey gig is doubtless mightily relieved as the Blackwood trio explode onto the stage like a charging prop forward, to the stabbing riffs of ‘You Love Us’. The air in front of the stage is a sea of punching fists; there is the briefest of pauses in which many voices are raised for ‘Imperial Bodybags’, and the band immediately oblige to obvious audience delight. They are certainly not coasting along on the wave of recent chart success. They’ve come a long way since their early punkish 20-minute gigs and sneering denigration from the musical press. They now command critical respect; however they fully appreciate the role of their fanbase in achieving this, and reward is due in the form of a lengthy set that is jam-packed both with old classics and tracks from the new album. There’s an elegiac ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’ and a blistering ‘Faster’, alongside ‘Winterlovers’, album title track ‘Send Away The Tigers’ and, of course, the current single. James Dean Bradfield’s rousing vocals and stabbing guitars are complimented by the pounding backbeat from Sean Moore, while Nicky Wire commands attention, prowling across the stage, posturing and jumping. ‘Kevin Carter’ is dedicated to missing member Richey Edwards. A soul stirring ‘If You Tolerate This…’ sees Moore and Wire leaving the stage at the climax, leaving Bradfield to perform two acoustic numbers, although he has to dose his straining voice with throat spray at one point.

When the others rejoin him, Wire has changed into a fetching black T-shirt / white miniskirt ensemble. Sadly this provokes the only sour note of the gig as an idiot in the crowd takes upon themselves to hurl a pint at Wire. The bassist is understandably furious, still seething and calling out the perpetrator a couple of songs later, and he has the support of almost everyone else in the room. ‘This is for you, ‘Little Baby Nothing!’ snarls Bradfield at the suddenly cowardly assailant. Wire recovers his composure enough to jump down into the pit to embrace the true fans. There’s a stirring ‘Design For Life’ turned to a lusty singalong, then they leave us, having performed 20-plus songs. Across town at the Radio 1 festival, it’s been the turn of the Kaiser Chiefs and Mika. Whether either of these acts will have provoked such a show of affection as the Manics have here tonight is unlikely. And we don’t see any festival traffic on the way home either. Result!