Beginning with an ear-splitting
‘Manowar', seven of eight newly re-recorded tracks
from their debut album, ‘Battle Hymns’, were
aired, DeMaio’s solo ‘William’s Tale’
following later. Rumoured to be 56 years old, Eric Adams
still goes for – and hits! – all of the notes,
and Manowar sport enough leather to give a member of PETA
a coronary (no loincloths tonight!), they probably even
wear socks made of chainmail. I kid you not. With a cry
of “Wimps and posers, leave the hall!” during
the song ‘Brothers Of Metal’, the show is
completely ludicrous, but that’s the whole point.
It’s a little disconcerting that De Maio –
who fixes the crowd with a steely gaze as his fingers
fly up and down the frets, later removing its strings
in a gladiatorial manner, coiling them into little packages
and passing them to the prettiest girls at the front during
a feedback-strewn finale of ‘Black Wind, Fire and
Steel’ – seems to take things as seriously
as life and death itself, but that of course is his prerogative.
Although one or two so-so moments creep in during the
closing stages, we are nevertheless dealing with some
of the finest songs in heavy metal… ‘Battle
Hymn’, ‘Kill With Power’, ‘Sign
Of The Hammer’, ‘Kings Of Metal’, ‘Heart
Of Steel’, ‘Fighting The World’ and
‘Hail To England’ are so spellbindingly awesome,
one is left scratching one’s head for a reason that
a band this monumentally good dropped off our touring
circuit for so long. My sources say this scandalous situation
may be resolved before the year’s end, though right
now that’s just conjecture.
Meanwhile, here’s the set-list: ‘Manowar’,
‘Death Tone’, ‘Metal Daze’, ‘Fast
Taker’, ‘Shell Shock’, ‘Dark Avenger’,
‘Battle Hymn’, ‘Sun Of Death’
(Karl Logan Guitar Solo), ‘Brothers Of Metal Pt
1’, ‘Kill With Power’, ‘Metal
Warriors’, ‘Heart Of Steel’, Bass Solo/‘William’s
Tale’, ‘Fighting The World’, ‘The
Sons Of Odin’, ‘Call To Arms’, ‘Sign
Of The Hammer’, ‘House Of Death’, ‘The
Power’ and ‘Hail To England’ (what else??!!),
plus encores of ‘Kings Of Metal’, ‘Hail
And Kill’, ‘Warriors Of The World United’
and ‘Black Wind, Fire and Steel’.
P.S. Check out the photo gallery here.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sunday
27th March
I’m off to Brum to see
Manowar. Luckily the new issue of Classic Rock arrived
yesterday, so I’ve plenty to read on the coach.
Its cover story is the 100 Greatest Songwriters. Normally,
like a lot of the magazine’s readers, I’m
a little underwhelmed by these list-based features. But
for my money when the artists make the choices –
I did the interviews with Vinnie Paul (who elected to
talk about Kiss), Carmine Appice (who praised The Police),
Steve Overland (Desmond Child), Joey Tempest (Old Cov),
Myke Gray (Ronnie James Dio), Danny Vaughn (Journey),
Brian Tatler (Angus and Malcolm Young), Trevor Bolder
(Free) and Pete Agnew (Chuck Berry) – then the interest
stakes are raised by a significant margin. Anyway, the
chariot awaits… Brothers, we ride to Birmingham…
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Saturday
26th March
I type at 5.45pm, a third bottle
of wine newly opened. Domestically speaking it’s
been a truly horrendous week, probably the worst I’ve
ever known in my 32 years on this planet (cough!), so
I’ve declared the ‘yardarm’ rule obsolete.
It was rubbish anyway. After the embarrassment heaped
upon my nation of birth by Sri Lanka in the Cricket World
Cup – losing by ten wickets, FFS??!! – the
Wales-England game was infinitely more satisfying; it
was lovely to see that Olympian level twat Bel***my and
the sheepshaggers (116th in the world rankings, let us
not forget) put so firmly in their place with the bigger
ball! Scumwall’s Morison as an international footballer?
Don’t make me laugh… c’mon, the guy
can’t even spell his own surname.
By the way I was wrong about Savatage’s
‘Gutter Ballet’ (see Diary, March 11). It’s
**not** as good as ‘Streets – A Rock Opera’.
Time has a habit of doing funny things to the ol’
grey matter, doesn’t it?
P.S. And also by the way, the boys
on the Palace bulletin board have **finally** come up
with a user-friendly definition of the offside rule: It’s
when a woman steps out of the kitchen. I’ve had
just about enough to drink to find that amusing!
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Friday
25th March
With a big weekend of sport ahead, and being home
alone for most of Saturday, I shall be putting up the
St George flags to tune in for England's Cricket World
Cup quarter-final with Sri Lanka. The nation's footballers
also take on Wales in Cardiff in a Euro Qualifier at 3pm,
so there's a strong chance that a libation or 27 might
pass the lips.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Wednesday 23rd March
I've been playing the second wave of Savatage re-issues
which arrived today (both due via Edel on April 18). For
me, the Florida group peaked with 1989's remarkable 'Gutter
Ballet', the second album made with producer/mentor Paul
O'Neill. In his notes, singer Jon Oliva states: "Paul
was sending me to Broadway shows like Phantom Of The Opera,
and we [as a band] were drawing off our influences like
Queen, The Who, Sabbat and The Beatles. We were no longer
just a heavy metal band, we were now ready to explore
and grow." 22 years later, 'Gutter Ballet' remains
a very special record indeed and I welcome its CD edition
to my collection with open arms and trembly knees. Its
re-issue companion is 'Power Of The Night', Savatage's
major label debut from 1985, which I haven't heard it
in quite a
while. It will receive a thorough reappraisal over the
next few days.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tuesday
22nd March
My sympathies went to the courier
that struggled up the path to Ling Towers yesterday, weighed
down by a treasure trove of vinyl goodies. Darren Toms
of Plastic Head had been kind enough to send a set of
the new Thin Lizzy re-issues, all on 180-gram coloured
vinyl. The label concerned has done a terrific job of
presenting ‘Jailbreak’ (pressed up on grey),
‘Johnny The Fox’ (red), ‘Bad Reputation’
(white), ‘Live And Dangerous’ (blue), ‘Black
Rose’ (crimson – what else?!), ‘Chinatown’
(yellow), ‘Renegade’ (red) and ‘Thunder
And Lightning’ (clear) in deluxe gatefold sleeves.
Though I’ve yet to bust them out of their clingfilm,
all have apparently been re-mastered from the original
tapes. For details go here.
In terms of brand new music, Michael Monroe’s
‘Sensory Overdrive’ is a superb piece of work.
Administered a crisp and vibrant but very melodic edge
by Jack Douglas of Aerosmith/Cheap Trick fame, the former
Hanoi Rocks frontman and his current band – including
Ginger of the Wildhearts, who plays a significant hand
throughout, writing or co-writing all but one of its 11
tunes – has really delivered the goods, even roping
in Lemmy Kilmister to join them on the brilliantly titled
swagger-fest that is ‘Debauchery As A Fine Art’,
country singer Lucinda Williams dropping by to add her
altogether smoother tones to the radio-friendliness of
‘Gone Baby Gone’.
I’m still struggling to comprehend
that Fabio Crapello has returned the captaincy of the
national football team to chav scumbag John Terry ahead
of the weekend’s Euro Championship qualifier against
Wales. “I think one year's punishment is enough,”
says the increasingly unhinged Italian head coach, who
received widespread praise for taking Terry down to size
following condemnation of the defender’s off-the-field
behaviour. Now this bizarre U-turn. You know what? It’s
an absolute farce that almost makes me feel ashamed to
be English.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monday
21st March
All hail: My travel to and from
the coming weekend’s Manowar gig in Birmingham is
now booked. It’s hard to believe that 16 years have
flown by since my last sighting of the Kings Of Metal.
How exciting! I must ask Mrs L to wash and press my best
loincloth. [Edit: Classic Rock have just accepted my
pitch to them of a live review… back of the net!!]
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sunday 20th March
Though I was gutted by Crystal
Palace’s failure to overcome Derby County and suck
them into the relegation mire, yesterday’s 2-2 draw
was a thrilling encounter. Twice behind in the game, Darren
Ambrose’s 88th minute penalty salvaged a precious
point for the Eagles, who have not lost at Fortress Selhurst
since October.
The rugby was equally disappointing. Playing
against Irish in Dublin on St Patrick’s Day requiring
a win to secure the Grand Slam was always gonna be tough.
An emphatic 28-4 reverse means that England topped the
final Six Nations table but, somewhat predictably, fell
short at the final hurdle. Bah!
So I nipped to the Underworld for a gig
by The Pineapple Thief, a prog band from the Westcountry.
This was a slightly odd experience as although they’d
drawn rather sizeable crowd, I didn’t bump into
a single person I knew. Not only was I starved of conversation,
it also meant (gasp!)… no beer roadie! You had to
admire the band’s lush sound texture, though for
me the 100-minute set sagged towards its middle with too
many acoustic-based tunes. And at times they were also
just a little too Porcupine Tree-ish, though I raise my
metaphorical hat to the fella that was dressed as a penis,
complete with outsized testicle attachments at his feet.
Had he been hired by the band to portray some kind of
esoteric statement, I wondered, or was he perhaps a Clowntown
Pathetic fan, registering dismay at his club’s latest,
hilarious capitulation to the footballing colossus that
is Dagenham & Redbridge? F**ked if I know… Anyway,
here’s the set-list: ‘God Bless The Child’,
‘3000 Days’, ‘Wake The Dead’,
‘Different World’, ‘All I Need To Know’,
‘My Debt To You’, ‘Counting The Cost’,
‘Part Zero’, ‘Preparation For Meltdown’,
‘Show A Little Love’, ‘So We Row’
and ‘Too Much To Lose’, with encores of ‘Nothing
At Best’ and ‘Snowdrops’. If you’re
attending next month’s Blackfield gigs, I suggest
you arrive nice ‘n’ early.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Saturday
19th March
The chiropractor says that the
back injury is a brand new ailment, as opposed to a repeat
of the problems I had at the tail end of 2010. Some additional
muscle-strengthening exercises that should prevent it
from returning, he reckons. I pray that he’s right!
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Friday 18th March
Awoke full of trepidation after
my back injury’s unexpected return mission. Though
the pain was all but gone, I felt like I’d done
12 rounds with David Haye. Scheduled an appointment to
visit my chiropractor tomorrow and got on with the stuff
I needed to do. Still managed to keep an eye on England’s
must-win game against the West Indies in the Cricket World
Cup. Batting first, Strauss’ men set their opponents
a meagre-looking target of 243. The wicket-toppling conclusion,
which saw Swann and Tredwell offer a masterclass in spin
bowling as England edged home by 18 runs, was yet another
fabulously entertaining advert for the 50-over game. England
are extremely unlikely to win the tournament, but they
have been unmissable in this World Cup.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thursday 17th March
Ouuuuuuuuuuccccccchhhhhhhh!
I’ve had a recurrence of the back problems that
made my life such a misery during the run-up to Christmastime.
I’ve absolutely no idea what caused the pain to
return. One minute I was ascending the stairs of the Borderline,
laughing and joking following an enjoyable gig by female-fronted
blues-rockers Saint Jude, the next it felt like somebody
had stuck a blade into the small of my back. Even remaining
upright remained a problem (issues of verticality were
not exactly aided by the fact that I’d been drinking
since 5pm, first at a meeting to discuss the second issue
of Classic Rock’s AOR magazine, then afterwards
at the Crobar, right next door to the Borderline). Fortuitously,
a good Samaritan was at hand. My friend Neil Jeffries
dashed into a nearby chemist to buy some painkillers and
helped me to struggle gingerly down Charing Cross Road,
ensuring I got back to Catford Bridge station in as close
to one piece a possible – thanks Neil, you are a
gent.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Wednesday
16th March
Despite having vowed never to
return to the Scala, my least favourite London venue,
I was in the crowd for last nite’s banquet of female-fronted
symphonic metal from Dutch bands Epica and ReVamp. I’d
requested to review the gig for Metal Hammer whilst laboring
under the belief that the show was taking place at the
Garage. After getting the green light and being asked
to do some interviewing whilst I was there, it would’ve
been churlish to have backed out – but I still hate
the place and its booming, unforgiving acoustics.
I’m a big fan of ReVamp’s self-titled
debut, and having chatted to her pre-show was even more
impressed by the presence of valkyrie-like Floor Jansen,
who towers at a colossal six feet and three inches tall
and boasts an operatic voice that can charm the birds
from the trees. The band’s music is a little darker
and heavier than that of Jansen’s previous group
After Forever, and their songs are for the most part excellent.
Frankly, their 45-minute set – which comprised ‘Here’s
My Hell’, ‘In Sickness 'Till Death Do Us Part
1: All Goodbyes Are Said’, ‘Fast Forward’,
‘Break’, ‘Sweet Curse’, ‘In
Sickness 'Till Death Do Us Part 2: Disdain’, ‘Million’,
‘Kill Me With Silence’, ‘Head Up High’
and ‘In Sickness 'Till Death Do Us Part 3: Disgraced’
– was over way too fast.
Epica were promoting their current album,
‘Design Your Universe’, which has been a favourite
at Ling Towers since it came out in 2009. I love the way
they mix the deathly growls of guitarist Mark Jansen with
the more harpy-like affectations of the flame-haired Simone
Simons. It took the soundman some time to reach a mix
that was satisfactory, but the crowd lapped up every last
symphonic lick. When the band burst into ‘The Imperial
March’, a metallic remake of Darth Vader’s
theme from Star Wars, I must’ve grinned like the
proverbial loon – though my intense state of happiness
was also due to text updates informing that Preston North
End were stuffing Scunthorpe by 3-0 in a bottom-of-the-table
clash that allow a little temporary breathing space for
my beloved Crystal Palace.
At encore time there was another extra
treat, Floor Jansen and Simone Simons pooling their talents
for an astonishing duet to soar majestically through ‘Sancta
Terra’, from Epica’s previous album, ‘The
Devine Conspiracy’. Here’s the full set-list:
‘Samadhi (Prelude)’/‘Resign To Surrender
(A New Age Dawns, Part IV)’, ‘Sensorium’,
‘The Obsessive Devotion’, ‘Unleashed’,
‘Martyr Of The Free World’, ‘Fools Of
Damnation’, ‘Cry For The Moon’, ‘Imperial
March’, ‘Tides Of Time’, ‘Blank
Infinity’ and ‘Consign to Oblivion’,
plus encores of ‘Sancta Terra’, ‘Quietus’
and ‘The Phantom Agony’.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monday
14th March
Too much of my time is spent
sitting here at my desk, awaiting interview calls from
musicians. For instance, last Friday night Vinnie Paul
of Hellyeah was supposed to ring at 9pm UK time to discuss
his lifetime love of the band Kiss. So I stayed sober
throughout the evening, only for his publicist to explain
that Vinnie had no cell-phone reception… was it
possible to conduct the interview 24 hours later? Well,
okay. Only on Saturday night, the same situation unfolded.
I refrained from drinking alcohol all afternoon and evening,
plumping myself down before the desk at 9pm. No call from
Vinnie… FFS!! Waited till 10.15 in case there’d
been a misunderstanding with the time differences before
huffily returning to the house. Logging on Sunday morning,
an email from the PR said: “Yesterday was Vinnie's
bday and it's been a little hard to pin him down. Going
to try for tomorrow at the same time.” However,
the saga wasn’t over yet. Nobody had accounted for
the clocks going back Stateside, and Vinnie rang at 8pm
– by my estimation an hour early. Luckily, we **did**
hook up and the drummer reminisced fondly of the way he
and his brother Dimebag Darrell would put on make-up and
dress in Kiss costumes to play the group’s songs
in their bedroom. Paul also told a great story about the
time Pantera toured with Kiss in South America in 1997.
“We were flying from Mexico to Chile and it was
my birthday,” he related proudly. “Kiss were
up at the front of the plane and we were in business class
but they all came back and sang happy birthday to me,
complete with four-part harmonies, to make me feel like
a 14-year-old kid. It was the greatest moment of my life!”
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sunday
13th March
So the worst kept secret is
rock ‘n’ roll no longer ‘off the record’:
According to the Classic
Rock website the Dorkness are back together are five
years away – complete with an original rhythm section
that includes Frankie Poullain, the idiotic bass player
who once made a complete tool of himself with the statement:
“Mötley Crüe’s ‘Dr Feelgood’
and ‘Girls Girls Girls’ are great songs, but
listen to their Greatest Hits – there’s less
quality songwriting there than [on] our debut album.”
At least one summer festival appearance is imminent. Ho
hum. You can give me Steel Panther any day of the week.
My only hope is that that this won’t spell the end
of the vastly superior Stone Gods.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Saturday
12th March
Due to pressure of work and
the fact that I begrudge their club my ticket money, I
wasn’t at Loftus Road for this afternoon’s
game between QP-Haha and Crystal Palace. The result of
2-1 to the home team was disappointing as, despite having
defender Paddy McCarthy sent off, Palace had hauled themselves
back into contention through a goal by James Vaughan.
The radio commentator also said that we had a cast-iron
penalty denied towards the end. Bah! At least Sheffield
United and Scunthorpe both suffered heavy defeats of their
own, which only aids CPFC’s goal difference as the
season reaches its nail-biting conclusion. The precarious
situation of the Eagles becomes at a little more tolerable
when juxtaposed with that of our South London neighbours
Clowntown Pathetic, whose 0-1 home defeat to Brentford
means they have now taken a solitary point from the last
21. A skim through their fan forum, Charlton Life, brings
hilarious results. ‘Are we the worst team in London?’
wonders one saddo. ‘There are some very tough games
coming up – we could even get relegated (again),’
says another. Should you believe in karma like I do, the
OTT celebrations of their fans on the day they sent Palace
down are biting them in the ass… harder than ever.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Friday 11th March
FFS! It’s looking as though
England will be returning home from the Cricket World
Cup even before the knockout stages. This afternoon’s
humiliating two-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in Chittagong
means that it’s win or bust against West Indies
next Thursday. Frankly, the latter is what Strauss and
company deserve.
Licking my wounds, I’ve taken consolation
from a rather large packet of CDs. The Savatage re-issue
campaign is finally underway. Defying the laws of sequence,
Edel Records have chosen to set things rolling with ‘Streets
– A Rock Opera’ from 1991, plus a two-on-one
of ‘Sirens’, the Floridian band’s 1983
debut and ‘The Dungeons Are Calling’, a six-song
mini album that followed two years later (the latter pair
was recorded together, explains singer Jon Oliva in his
sleeve essay). Though my own favourite ’Tage album
remains 1989’s princely ‘Gutter Ballet’,
hearing these albums on CD for the first time makes me
feeling hugely nostalgic. I’ll never forget the
band’s performances at the ‘old’ Marquee
in Wardour Street in January 1986 (which ended with a
thunderous rendition of Samson’s ‘Earth Mother)
and a later appearance at the Marquee in Charing Cross
Road in November ’91. Great days indeed!
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thursday
10th March
Last night my friend Andy Beare
and I had mutually agreed upon “a bit of a quiet
one”, by our usual standards at least, whilst visiting
the Beaverwood – a great little club in Chislehurst
that specialises in gigs by blues artists. However, one
can of cider on the bus led to a couple of pints during
the first of two sets from Erja Lyytinen, another during
the interval and some more during the second half, plus
a snifter for the road in the bar afterwards… followed
by the inevitable kebab.
Despite the audience being a little
standoffish at first, the show was rather good. Lyytinen
is a petite brunette from Helsinki. Apart from a very
slight accent her music slanted towards traditional American
blues. She sings and looks good and, boy, can she play
that slide geetar?! Once Erja and the Beaverwood had reached
an understanding that they liked one another – odd,
given the Finn had played there twice before – the
touch paper was lit. Her version of Elmore James’
‘It Hurts Me Too’ was great and following
it with ‘Steamy Windows’, a Tony Joe White
tune popularised by Tina Turner, only served to turn up
the heat. When she went walkabout in the crowd during
‘Skinny Girl’, all last remnants of formality
flew out of the window.
Afterwards, Andy and I were introduced
to Lyytinen and her co-guitarist Davide Floreno in the
bar. She seemed lovely. When I told her that I’d
enjoyed the show enough to consider pitching a review
to Classic Rock, Erja smiled and disappeared, returning
with a hand-written set-list that even included writers’
credits. Aw… what a nice gesture! And definitely
worth holding onto if her career takes the upwards curve
I expect. And in case you wondered what she and her band
played, here goes: ‘The Road Leading Home’,
‘Voracious Love’, ‘Don’t Let A
Good Woman Down’, ‘Crowes At Your Door’,
‘Mississippi Callin’’, ‘Grip Of
The Blues’, ‘Can’t fall In Love’,
‘Not A Good Girl’, ‘No Place Like Home’,
‘It Hurts Me Too’, ‘Steamy Windows’,
‘Everything’s Fine’, ‘Skinny Girl’
and ‘Oil And Water’, plus an encore of ‘Soul
Of A Man’.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Wednesday
9th March
Oh, what sheer unrestrained
joy. Prior to Palace’s home game with Cardiff Shitty,
I had remarked that I expected my beloved Eagles to return
to the relegation zone by the end of last night. In fact,
a ludicrous back-heel from Fulham loanee Kagisho Dikgacoi
clipped the wings of the promotion-chasing sheepshaggers,
sending Selhurst Park into a mixture of shock and potty
ecstasy. Watching it live from the Holmesdale Road stand,
it looks as though Dikgacoi’s shot, which rebounded
off the post and trickled over the line, happened by complete
accident. On TV, however, it’s easier to believe
he meant it. Regardless, this all-time great Palace moment
is responsible for creating a four-point cushion above
the relegation trapdoor. There is a fucking God.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tuesday 8th March
Some new names have been added
to the bill of Classic Rock’s High Voltage Festival,
including John Lees’ Barclay James Harvest, the
von Hertzen Brothers, Black Spiders, Neurosis, Electric
Wizard and the excellent US hard rockers Rival Sons. Arguably
the most interesting selection is Skin, who despite having
played a farewell tour that was almost completely ruined
by December’s snowstorms – Neville lost his
voice for several of its shows and many ticketholders
that didn’t own their own personal snowploughs were
unable to make it – have agreed to play one final
outdoor gig (and two warm-ups!). Works just fine for me!!
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monday 7th March
Yesterday’s Cricket World Cup game between England
and New Zealand offered truly amazing entertainment. Despite
having been dismissed for a paltry 171 with five overs
to spare, causing commentator ‘Beefy’ Botham
to quip: “England’s scorecard has so many
ones and zeros, it looks like an international dialling
code”, Strauss’ men bounced back to edge over
the line by 6 runs in a thrilling climax. I’m so
glad that I elected to stay home watch it instead of schlepping
over to the Orpington Record Fair instead.
I spent some of this afternoon talking
to Jay Jay French of Twisted Sister, whose daughter Samantha
was diagnosed with a generative condition called Uveitis
eleven years ago, aged just six. This disease eats away
at their eyesight of around 30,000 children; for reasons
yet to be ascertained, mainly female ones. French has
spent the last three years putting together a range of
dazzling pink customised instruments, his goal to raise
money and boost awareness of this cruel ailment. For details
go here.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sunday 6th March
Though Palace’s defeat
at Burnley had seemed almost inevitable, the depressing
results of the other basement clubs almost knocked the
stuffing out of me. It took herculean amounts of effort
to walk out the door and head across London to see Peter
Frampton at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Having joined
my friends Neil and Louise Pudney at the crash barrier
a mere three rows from the front of the stage, this determination
was richly rewarded. The sound was immaculate and Frampton
played for almost three hours, smiling and cracking gags
during a show that oozed bubbly cordiality. Having won
a Grammy for his 2007 instrumental album ‘Fingerprints’,
Peter is in a good place right now. “I was a bit
worried about singing again on my new album,” he
told us, referring to the current ‘Thank You Mr
Churchill’, and adding: “I thought I’d
been given my Grammy for shutting up.” Said disc
was well represented by tracks like ‘Restraint’,
‘Vaudeville Nanna And The Banjolele’ and ‘Asleep
At The Wheel’. However the decision to play six
vocal-free tunes (if you include a rendition of Soundgarden’s
‘Black Hole Sun’, its chorus section delivered
via the trusty talk-box) was a tad excessive. Pre-empting
November’s return visit to celebrate to celebrate
the 35th anniversary of the timeless ‘Frampton Comes
Alive!’ and backed by a faceless but scarily efficient
four-piece band that included the return of the excellent
Stanley Sheldon who played fretless bass on ‘…Alive!’,
the 60-year-old purred through such vintage gems as ‘Lines
On My Face’, ‘Baby, I Love Your Way’,
‘Shine On’, ‘All I Want to Be (Is By
Your Side)’, ‘Show Me The Way’ and ‘Do
You Feel Like We Do?’, before encoring with Humble
Pie’s ‘I Don’t Need No Doctor’
and ‘While My Guitar Gently Sleeps’.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Saturday
5th March
I’m still buzzing after
last nite’s gig at the Borderline. Each the show’s
three acts were billed to play for 45 minutes. Given the
overwhelming response to their debut album headliners
Houston were adjudged the top dogs, of course, but I have
to say that Vega and Serpentine pushed the Swedes every
darned step of the way, possibly even overshadowing a
performance that was never really destined to match the
critical furore of those gushing reviews.
Vega
are fronted by ex-Kick singer Nick Workman and feature
the Martin brothers – guitarist Tom and keysman
James – who have penned material for House Of Lords,
Ted Poley, Danny Vaughn, Issa, Harry Hess and Khymera
among others. I enjoyed their debut album, ‘Kiss
Of Life’, despite a tendency to veer off into U2-flavoured
territory, but onstage the group’s songs really
took on a life of their own, notably the über-ballad
‘What It Takes’. Rounded out by a mascara-toting,
shag-permed bassist who looked like he had strayed onto
the wrong tour bus, Vega have a short-haired image that
fits their music to a tee. If they play their cards right,
they could have a great future. Here’s their set-list:
‘Into The Wild’, ‘Staring At The Sun’,
‘One Of A Kind’, ‘What It Takes’,
‘Hearts Of Glass’, ‘S.O.S’ and
‘Kiss Of Life’.
Since releasing last year’s debut
album ‘A Touch Of Heaven’, Serpentine
have parted company with Tony Mills of Shy/TNT fame. Given
that Mills played such a big role in their album, also
that he has such a charismatic vocal style, some must
perhaps have foreseen Serpentine taking a tumble. The
appointment of the exceptional Matt Black, a helium-voiced
singer from the tribute band circuit (Black fronts Six
Of The Best, also featuring musos from the likes of Tyketto,
Paradise Lost and Ten) has placed them on a very solid
footing. Introducing a couple of impressive-sounding new
songs, ‘’Philadelphia’ and ‘Cry’,
they cruised through the cream of the debut – also
featuring ‘A Touch Of Heaven’, ‘Lonely
Nights’, ‘Let Love Rain Down’, ‘In
My Blood’ and ‘Whatever Heartache’,
Black’s intoxicating voice leaving the audience
drooling. Who’d have believed it was their first
ever gig??!!
Houston
arrived on the stage like conquering heroes, frontman
Hampus Hank Erix sporting a dressing gown emblazoned with
his name and shadow-boxing like an auditionee for the
lead role in the next Rocky sequel. While many of the
six-string parts on the Houston album were performed by
Tommy Denander, onstage the Swedish band features two
petite Abba-style female guitarists – one blonde
(Filippa Naessil), the other brunette (Helena Alsterhed)
– both of whom it must be said are far easier on
the eye than Mr Denander (“Tommy is a great bloke,”
agreed Kieran Dargan as we chatted at the bar, “but
he’s got seven arses”). Most of Houston’s
album was aired, including ‘One Chance’, ‘Chasing
The Dream’, ‘Give Me Back My Heart’,
‘Truth Slips’ (with shared vocals from Alsterhed),
‘Misery’, ‘Under Your Skin’, ‘Hold
On’, ‘1000 Songs’ and ‘Pride’,
plus an encore of ‘Your Love’, a much-covered
song from The Outfield’s debut album, ‘Play
Deep’. At times Hank’s vocals left a little
to be desired, but along with the band’s charm the
enthusiasm of the audience carried them across the finish
line with ease. It was, in short, a faith-affirming night
of melodic hard rock. As Serpentine’s Matt Black
so rightly pointed out: “Thee bands for eight quid?
I could buy a house for that in Barnsley. No, only kidding…
I could buy two!”
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Friday
4th March
The 100 Club turned into a thespian
tea party for last night’s gig by the Heavy Metal
Kids. The presence of the band’s new singer John
Altman (AKA Nasty Nick from EastEnders) had spiced up
the guest list and actresses Rula Lenska and Vicki Michelle
from ’Allo ’Allo were among the crowd, along
with the fella that played Detective Sergeant Jim Carver
in The Bill (or so I’m told). Another ex-EastEnder,
the actor who played Mehmet, was also spotted skulking
around.
Following HMK's previous London gig at
the Garage, I expressed some reservations regarding Altman’s
ability as a frontman (see Diary, 12th Nov 2010). I’m
happy to say that improvements have been made. He’s
certainly injecting a little more personality into his
performance. ‘Hangin’ On’, the opening
track from the band’s self-titled debut album was
dedicated to Colonel Gaddafi, and on a musical level the
band were incredibly tight and fired-up. If they can write
an album that’s as consistent as their excellent
new song, ‘Uncontrollable’,
they’re in with more than a fighting chance. I’ve
still got my doubts about Altman, though. The shoes once
occupied by the flamboyant Gary Holton are extremely large,
and John is doing his growing up in public…
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thursday
3rd March
In sporting terms, it was a
bit of a JFK moment. Where were you when England’s
Ashes-winning cricketers slipped up on a banana skin marked
‘Ireland’ in the World Cup? I’d kept
tabs on the game throughout most of the day – one
of the joys of being self-employed is that you can sit
and transcribe a tape in front of the TV and nobody complains
– but I was standing outside a pub at London’s
Cambridge Circus, gazing forlornly at its TV screen, when
the winning runs were struck. Like the England team, who
had seen defeat racing towards them like an unstoppable
freight train, I was gobsmacked. Well played to the Irish
lads but England’s fielding and bowling were an
absolute bloody disgrace.
Next stop – a room full of drunken
Irishmen. Yes, seriously. I’d been invited to a
press reception for a new version of Rory Gallagher’s
film ‘Irish Tour ’74’. Little did I
realise until Gallagher’s manager/brother Donal
stood up to address the gathering that yesterday would
have been Rory’s 63rd birthday. Jesus… where
on earth does the time go? I remember attending a Rory
Gallagher gig at London’s Queen Mary College in
1981, meeting the great man and getting autographs on
my copies of ‘Calling Card’ and ‘Photo
Finish’ (both of which are still treasured today).
Anyway, the new version of ‘Irish Tour ’74’
is breathtaking – a real time capsule of its era.
Painstaking restored over the course of a year, it will
include various bonus features including a documentary
and footage from a Japanese tour. You can definitely put
me down for one of those. Oh yes.
Afterwards, everybody stood around in the
venue’s foyer admiring a selection of Rory’s
guitars (and a mandolin) which had appeared in the movie
– including his iconic sweat-stained trademark Strat
– as pints of Guinness were raised (I stuck with
white wine) and mini-hamburgers munched upon. It was a
great, nostalgic night. It’s tough to believe that
Gallagher has now been dead for 16 years.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tuesday
1st March
There’s not much to report
but it’s the first day of a new month, which means
the Playlist and YouTube
pages have been given their regular overhaul.
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