Monday, March 26, 2018

Def Leppard - Sunday 25th March - Royal Albert Hall

Brief Review: More TCT at the Royal Albert Hall and this time we are in the affordable seats for Def Leppard. It's their debut at this venue and they are on good form. Lot's of chat from Joe Elliott and Phil Collen even managed to keep his shirt on! (RAH rules?). Seeing them at the O2 later in the year and looking forward to that.

Setlist
Won't Get Fooled Again (end only)
[after joining the Who studio audio intro tape]

Let's Go
Animal
Let It Go
Dangerous
Foolin'
Love Bites
Armageddon It
Rock On
Man Enough
When Love and Hate Collide
Rocket
Bringin' on the Heartbreak
Switch 625
Hysteria (with "Heroes" snippet in the end)
Let's Get Rocked
Pour Some Sugar on Me
+
Rock of Ages
Photograph

Teenage Cancer Trust Website

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Roger Daltrey - Thursday 22nd March - Royal Albert Hall

Brief Review: The first of 2 shows this week for me in aid of the excellent Teenage Cancer Trust charity. Tonight we had front row tickets for the patron - Roger Daltrey. Support was from Beatles tribute "Dr. Pepper's Jaded Hearts Club Band" who include Matt Bellamy from Muse, Graham Coxton from Blur and members of Jets, Nine Inch Nails and the Zutons. They were good fun and played a selection of Beatles tracks primarily from their very early days. Sadly, Mr McCartney didn't guest as he had on one of their rare previous appearances.

Headliner Roger Daltrey treated us to an eclectic set of Who classics and rarities mixed in with some solo material. Overall, it was great - his voice holding up really well and backed by much of the Who touring band including Simon Townshend and Frank Simes. "The Real Me" was a personal highlight and he dedicated "Another Tricky Day" and "How Many Friends" to Mark Zucherberg of Facebook

Setlists

Roger Daltrey 
Overture
Pinball Wizard
Who Are You
Another Tricky Day
Behind Blue Eyes
Giving It All Away
Athena
I Can See for Miles
Days of Light
After the Fire
Going Mobile (Simon Townshend vocals)
How Many Friends
The Real Me
Without Your Love
Baba O'Riley
Young Man Blues
As Long As I Have You
Always Heading Home


Dr. Pepper's Jaded Hearts Club Band 
I Saw Her Standing There
Please Please Me
Bad Boy
Back in the U.S.S.R.
Money
Taxman
Can't Buy Me Love
Helter Skelter

Live Audio (Roger Daltrey full set)

"Dr Pepper" Live

Saturday, March 10, 2018

Magnum - Friday 9th March - Islington Assembly Hall


Brief Review: It's 2018 and Magnum are still going strong. That in itself is a reason to celebrate and even if stalwart Mark Stanway and recent collaborator Harry James have moved on, this evening demonstrated the unique appeal of the band from the Black Country. Bob Catley's vocals were better than the last few tours and Tony Clarkin's guitar as effortlessly brilliant as always. Add in the energy that Al Barrow brings to the party and it was clear that the band and crowd were enjoying themselves.

For me, it was a slightly slow burner, but by the end, the whole venue was a sea of swaying arms and mass sing-a-longs. The only downside was the appearance half way through of a greasy haired idiot in front of us who's air punching and headbanging seemed to demand an exclusion zone around him. We always seem to pick them!

Setlist
When We Were Younger
Sacred Blood “Divine” Lies
Lost on the Road to Eternity
Crazy Old Mothers
Without Love
Your Dreams Won't Die
Peaches and Cream
How Far Jerusalem
Les Morts Dansant
Show Me Your Hands
Twelve Men Wise and Just
All England's Eyes
Vigilante
Don't Wake the Lion (Too Old to Die Young)
+
The Spirit
When the World Comes Down

Friday, March 09, 2018

The Fratellis - Thursday 8th March - New Slang @ The Hippodrome, Kingston

Brief Review: Banquet Records in Kingston do a fine job of attracting some decent acts down to a club night in town - usually with the bonus of flogging a fair few copies of their new CD. Tonight it's the Fratellis and it's an impressive showcase of music new and old - and 4 songs getting their live debut ahead of the upcoming UK tour. I was particularly impressed by the cleaness of the guitar sound and the clear vocals. £15 for the new CD and a decent gig - bargain!
And, I wasn't quite the oldest person in the club - result!

Setlist
Baby Don't You Lie to Me!
Stand Up Tragedy
Henrietta
Starcrossed Losers
Impostors (Little by Little)
Whistle for the Choir
Sugartown
Thief
Baby Fratelli
I’ve Been Blind
Everybody Knows You Cried Last Night
Laughing Gas
We Need Medicine
Chelsea Dagger
A Heady Tale

Sunday, March 04, 2018

Credence Clearwater Review - Saturday 3rd March - Boom Boom Club, Sutton

Brief Review: We dodged the remains of the snow and ice for a fun evening with this excellent Credence Clearwater Revival / John Fogerty tribute band. All the band are good, but the brilliant Dale Taylor on Vocals and Guitar is clearly the main man. Let's hope that the next time they make the trek down from Cambridgeshire, there are more people to enjoy their performance.