Mark Stanway's Kingdom of Madness - Sunday 8th December - Underworld, Camden

Brief review:  Mark Stanway and KOM play classic Magnum. I wasn't sure if I could make this and so only bought a ticket on the night, but was glad I made the effort. The vocalist had changed since last time I saw the band (continuing the heavy rotation of musicians), but the quality was still high. Even as a keen Magnum fan, I struggled to identify a couple of the more obscure songs that started both sets and as the empty spaces in the venue suggested, I wonder if Mark is gong to find an audience for this type of show. I genuinely hope he can. Maybe any night but a Sunday would be a good start.

Venue and View:  Stand wherever we wanted. We chose left of centre, a few yards back.

Setlist
So Cold the Night
Back to Earth
Just Like an Arrow
Vigilante
Wild Swan
The Prize
Need a Lot of Love
Les Morts Dansant
Love's a Stranger
All England's Eyes
+
If I Could Live Forever
Soldier of the Line
Only in America
Drum Solo
Midnight (You Won't Be Sleeping)
Red on the Highway
On a Storyteller's Night
Kingdom of Madness
The Lights Burned Out
Sacred Hour

Slady - Sunday 15 October - Boogaloo, Highgate

Brief review:  This show was moved from a paid event at the Dublin Castle - cancelled without explanation by the promotor. The first part of the show was an author being interviewed about his new Slade book - I was very impressed by how bassist Wendy effortlessly took on the interviewer role. Then a slimmed down Slady (Dani, Wendy and "their friend Stan" David Woodcock) played an acoustic set. Excellent as always and the bands love of the material clearer showed through.

Venue and View:  Seated front-right

Setlist
Cum On Feel The Noize
Look Wot You Dun
Cox I Luv You
Mama Weer All Crazee Now
Wonderin' Y
When The Lights Are Out
Know Who You Are
Dapple Rose
Far Far Away
Everyday
Gudbuy T'Jane
Get Down and Get With It

Warner E Hodges - Wednesday 15th December - Dublin Castle, Camden

Brief review:  Warner was in good form as he and his UK based band romped through a repertoire ranging from country to hard rock. As well as solo material, there was a good choice of covers including Let There Be Rock (AC/DC), I Want You To Want Me (Cheap Trick), Country Roads (John Denver), Fortunate Son (Credence Clearwater Revival) and Merry Xmas Everybody (Slade). A loud and enjoyable evening.

Venue and View:  Left hand side, halfway back. Still only 5 yards from the stage. Comfortable access to the outside bar if you needed to walk through the crowd.

Glitter Band / Slady - Saturday 31st August - Dublin Castle, Camden

One Liner:  Slady (all female Slade tribute) had a guest (male) drummer and exceeded all expectations - they were really good. The Glitter Band were not the version we had seen previously with a decent vocalist (John Springate). This was John Rossall's version. Whilst a key member back in the early 70's, John played trombone - and there's a reason for that I'd suggest. A fun singalong due to the crowd, but otherwise not great.

Setlist
?

Doro - Wednesday 13th March - Underworld

One Liner: Few performers I see appear to enjoy their work as much as Ms Pesch. Her enthusiasm is infectious and whilst still not knowing too much of the material, this was another good evening with the Warlock Queen.

Now, what's german for Let's Rock!

Setlist
Raise Your Fist in the Air
I Rule the Ruins 
Bastardos
Burning the Witches 
Fight for Rock 
Blood, Sweat and Rock ’n’ Roll
Soldier of Metal
The Night of the Warlock
Für immer 
Out of Control 
Metal Racer 
Drum Solo
All for Metal
Hellbound 
+
All We Are 
Wacken Hymne (We Are the Metalheads)
East Meets West 

The Ataris - Friday 16th February - The Underworld, Camden

Brief Review: Excellent show from Kris Roe and band celebrating the 15th Anniversary of their classic "So Long, Astoria" disc. Despite me leaving the "print at home tickets" err.... at home... we were able to get into the venue in time, despite the band coming on 15 minutes earlier than advertised. The set included a number of solo performances that didn't seem to make it into many other shows, so we were lucky indeed. I had forgotten how good the aforementioned album was and so, this was a really good evening.

Setlist
In This Diary
Unopened Letter to the World
The Hero Dies in This One
The Saddest Song
Summer '79
All You Can Ever Learn Is What You Already Know
My Reply
The Boys of Summer
Radio #2
Looking Back on Today
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San Dimas High School Football Rules [Kris Roe Solo]
Oh, Kansas City [Kris Roe Solo]
Broken Promise Ring [Kris Roe Solo]
Takeoffs and Landings
Eight of Nine
So Long, Astoria
+
I.O.U. One Galaxy [Kris Roe Solo]

Lee Aaron - Sunday 16th July - Underworld, Camden

Tonight a new record for me. Longest gap between me seeing an artist again now goes to Lee Aaron - a month short of 30 years! Having seen the Canadian songstress at the 1987 Reading Rock Festival (and very much enjoyed her set), it has taken this long to get another chance to see her again. In the meantime, she has released a number of CDs - including venturing into Jazz based material, but has recently return to her hard rock roots.

And I for one am glad she has. Vocally an excellent set, aided and abetted by decent musicians - this was a really fun evening. From the powerful opener from the new album - "Fire and Gasoline" through the classic Powerline and via a Deep Purple cover ("Mistreated"), this was rock and blues at its finest. The only disappointment was that the venue was only half full - possibly the normal "Sunday Night in London" syndrome - and a lack of a few classics from her eponymous album (I would have loved to hear "Number One" & "Only Human")

Lee appeared after the show, graciously chatting with fans, signing CDs and having photos taken. Her career appears to be on an upwards curve and with a couple of excellent tracks from the next album previewed here, hopefully it will be a much shorter gap until I see her again.

Setlist
Tom Boy
Hands On
Rock Candy
Fire and Gasoline
Diamond Baby
Powerline / Lady Of The Darkest Night
I'm A Woman
Baby Go Round
Some Girls Do
Sex With Love
Mistreated
Whatcha Do To My Body
Barely Holdin' On
Metal Queen
+
Hot To Be Rocked



Video
As you know, I don't normally record or post video, but here's 2 minutes of "Powerline" from the show. (Visuals heavily compressed to meet Blogger's upload limit). Enjoy!

Status Quo - Wednesday 22nd October - Roundhouse

So this is a bit different - Status Quo acoustic (or "Aquostic" if you go by their new album). A trip to the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm and he were not quite sure what to expect having not yet heard the album. Predictably, the "hardcore" on the Quo message boards had been ripping the concept to shreds without even hearing anything, but a full house turned up to watch a performance being beamed around the country on Radio 2 and the via BBC red button service.

The venue was pretty packed, so we settled for a spot under the moving camera arm - controversially on the right (but with no electric bass, this wasn't really going to be an issue!). And guess what? It was a really enjoyable evening. I think 99% of the people there seemed to enjoy it. Some songs worked really well - I particularly enjoyed "Na Na Na", "Reason for Living" & "Rolling Home" and to be fair some didn't - "Mystery Song/Little Lady" springs to mind!

As a one-off project I think it works. I can't see it being a sustainable change of direction - I can't see fans turning up show after show if Quo shy away from their high tempo electric shows (although an acoustic section in the main electric set could work). I would imagine sales of the album cover T-Shirts (with Francis and Rick semi-naked) would count as the lowest ever!

An 8 out of 10 for me as a unique event.

Setlist

And It's Better Now

Break the Rules
Again and Again
Paper Plane
Mystery Song / Little Lady
Rock 'n' Roll
Caroline
What You're Proposing
Softer Ride
Down Down
Pictures of Matchstick Men
Down The Dustpipe
All The Reasons
Reason For Living
Rollin' Home
Don't Drive My Car
Claudie
Rain
Marguerita Time
Na Na Na
Whatever You Want
Rockin' All Over the World
+
Rock 'til You Drop
Burning Bridges

The Union / The Answer – Thursday 15th March – Camden Electric Ballroom

Luke & Peter from The Union

Regular readers (if there are any!) will know that I like both of these bands. After watching Man Utd’s particularly poor display against Bilbao on TV, we trundled in to fairly busy venue and got our normal “spot” to watch the first band of this “double header”. I’m pleased to report that The Union were on top form, concentrating on the heavier elements of their 2 albums so far. It struck me for the first time about their “glam” influences, during Glitter-esq drum and bass on “Obsession” and Slade like chorus on “Black Monday” – “Hell Fire Fury, Stomping Your Feet”. Brilliant stuff.

The Answer

As you know my views on the Answer sway from them being an excellent band (they are), but not quite having the songs to go with the talent. This appears partially mitigated against by their new album “Revival” which is a step up from the disappointing “Everyday Demons” in my view. Much new material was played here and it sounded good. We did laugh though at singer Cormack’s crowd surfing – he didn’t get as far as he had done in the tiny Borderline. We (somewhat unkindly!) speculated that he seems to have put on few pounds since then.

So all in all an excellent double bill. Only slight disappointment was that none of the local pubs were serving at 11pm on a Thursday – what is going on with our City?

Oh, and there was an unconfirmed "Ling Alert" !

Setlist: The Union
Watch The River Flow
Black Gold
Blame It On Tupelo
Saviour
Step Up To The Plate
Obsession
The Remedy
Cut The Line
Easy Street
Black Monday
Siren's Song

Setlist: The Answer
New Day Rising
Under The Sky
Vida (I Want You)
Faith Gone Down
Come Follow Me
Trouble
Nowhere Freeway
Preachin'
Tornado
Too Far Gone
One More Revival
+
Evil Man
Waste Your Tears

Slade - Sunday 19th December - Koko, Camden

Dave Hill

A Koko debut this year for Slade. Well, that's the name they used, but it's not Slade for me without Noddy (Holder) and Jim (Lea).

So, let's say, an evening with Slade II. Original members Don Powell and Dave Hill were greeted like returning hero's by a pleasingly large turnout. The whole event was for the Lord's Taverners charity, so let's hope they made some cash, DJ (and fan) Mike Read did the introductions and then followed a run through of basically "The Best of Slade".

Two things stood out for me. One, Dave Hill is an excellent guitarist. The riffs were spot on and he clearly enjoys playing to the crowds. Two, the vocals. Ouch! Now nobody can replace Noddy, so maybe they shouldn't try. The vocals for the first few songs were shouted and just a bit off-key. As the show warmed up and the songs were actually "sung" - it all started to sound a bit better and I especially enjoyed "Lock Up Your Daughters". All filmed for DVD release if you want to check it out for yourself.

The very early start meant the closing song (no prizes for guessing the obvious) was all done and dusted before 9pm. An early night all round!

Mick Ralphs Blues Band - Saturday 26th November - Jazz Cafe, Camden

Having seen Mr Ralphs on numerous occasions in various guise, this is the first time I'd seen him as a headline act in his own right. The fact that he'd be playing no Bad Company or Mott The Hoople Material in his own set was offset by the choice of support band - "Free & Co" - guess what they played !!! -;)

I got my first "2 pointer" of the evening by recognising drummer Phil Martini in their line-up - last seen (by us) in The Quireboys and The Union.

Mick and his excellent blues band then played a competent set. In fact that's doing a dis-service. For a set where we basically knew nothing but 1 or 2 snippets of songs, it was actually really good. I was also surprised that no songs appeared to feature the words "I Woke Up This Morning" !!). Later, I gained further "spotting points" by seeing Photographer Ross Halfin (working), Tracy Hunter (at the bar), Kurt Brandon (also at the bar) and rumours of a sighting of Jimmy Page (upstairs). Well worth the trip.

Setlist
Rock Me Baby
Hi-Heel Sneakers
Just a Little Bit
Next Time You See Me
Blow Blues
Mr. Charlie
Hide Away
It Hurts Me Too
Help Me
Further On Up the Road
Got My Mojo Working
Mamma Talk To Your Daughter

Leon Russell - Tuesday 3rd August - Jazz Cafe, Camden

A trip to the Jazz Cafe to see Leon Russell - an artist who has the "legendary" tag pinned to him and is likely to acquire more UK prominence in the near future when his duets album with Elton John comes out. Surprisingly, there was absolutely no mention of that collaboration during the 80 minute set (straight through - no encore) of Southern bluesy guitar and piano with a bit of storytelling thrown in for good measure.

Starting with his most recognisable song, Delta Lady, the sound and vocals weren't great, but did improve. You have to say, that whilst his piano playing was good, the vocals were that of a 68 year old. A fair few cover versions were thrown in later which kept things enjoyable, but this was a pleasant if not outstanding evening. In summary, I'm glad I've seen him - but suspect this will be a one-off for me.

Set (Included)
Delta Lady
Hummingbird
A Song For You
Wild Horses
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
Georgia On My Mind
Jumping Jack Flash / Papa Was A Rolling Stone (Medley)
Great Balls Of Fire / Roll Over Beethoven (Medley)

Band of Skulls - Friday 14th May - Electric Ballroom, Camden

Well, well well - another new London venue for me (yes, yes, I know the Electric Ballroom has been around for years - I've just never been here). Richard signed me up for this one based on the debut CD which he then lent to me. First play - not impressed. Second play, ditto. Forced myself into a third play and it wasn't improving - hopefully it would be better live I thought.

Anyway, I liked the venue and got a good spot fairly near the front. As showtime arrived, the place was heaving with a relatively young audience. The band came on and did their stuff and the crowd was enthusiastic. Set was only an hour and a bit. As we shuffled out at the end, Richard asked me what I thought. "A fair reflection of the CD" was my reply!

Belinda Carlisle - Tuesday 4th May - Jazz Cafe, Camden

Went with Mrs B for this one and sat up in the restaurant overlooking the stage. Very civilised and an excellent view away from the crush below. Food wasn't bad either!

 

This was another acoustic evening and Ms Carlisle performed a good selection including most of her solo and Go Go's hits. It was really rather good. The band had to walk past our table to get to and from the stage - Di couldn't believe how attractive Belinda remains at 51.

The Quireboys - Friday 23rd March - Jazz Cafe, Camden

Having arrived at an absolutely packed Jazz Café (late as it turned out and missed the first 4 songs), we squeezed to the back for an evening of Acoustic Quireboys. Yep, that's right - acoustic! Many have expressed doubts on how that would work based on the loudness and excitement of their normal shows, but augmented by numerous musicians, it did. What was weird was how Spike would slur and ramble his way through song intros and then sing them perfectly in tune. How does that work?

We stood near Luke Morley and Peter Shoulder (from the Union who we saw earlier in the week). Afterwards had a decent chat with Luke in the bar who, as always, game across as a very genuine and likeable guy.

The Who - Roundhouse, Camden - Sunday 29th October

My first ever visit to the Roundhouse and (in the words of Mott The Hoople's "Saturday Gigs"), we did indeed float up there on a Sunday afternoon. With good reason too - a chance to see The Who, "up close and personal". Well that was the plan. As it turned out, the place was heaving and we had to put up with a spot about 2/3 of the way back. However, the venue is quite small, so still a good view. 

A relatively short set and no encore (no complaints though - tickets were cheap and this was part of the BBC Electric Proms series). The middle part of the show was based around the Endless Wire album. Slightly deaf afterwards!

Setlist

I Can't Explain

The Seeker

Who Are You

+

Fragments

Sound Round

Pick Up the Peace

Endless Wire

We Got a Hit

They Made My Dream Come True

Mirror Door

+

Baba O'Riley

My Generation

A Man in a Purple Dress

Mike Post Theme

Pinball Wizard

Amazing Journey

Sparks

See Me, Feel Me

Tea & Theatre

The Answer - Barfly, Camden - Wednesday 5th April

I saw the Answer support Deep Purple a few months back and thought they were good. I was sure Richard would like them too, so it was off to a new venue for me (after our office pub quiz where Richard was our "ringer"). 

The Barfly is a small dark room above a pub near Chalk Farm. As it happened we had plenty of time and I even got to have a brief chat with the singer outside on the stairs before they went on. He seemed a decent guy and was obviously pleased that they were attracting punters who hadn't seen their own shows before. Anyway, I thought they were really good - shame they were only on for about an hour, but it is a real mix of classic Free / Led Zepp etc in their sound, but with the individuality of their own songs. Impressed enough to buy both CD EPs, we headed home quite early. I'm sure I will see them again.