Sari Schorr - Saturday 27th April - The Grace, Highbury

Brief review:  Following Sari's excellent support slot with the Sweet a while back I thought it worth checking out her solo show. I didn't now much of the first part of the set (including 4 Robin Trower songs), but it was a solid blues rock show with her trademark vocals to the fore.

The Grace is the new name for "Upstairs at the Garage" in Highbury. To be honest, it's not a great venue from an audience perspective, being quite long and narrow. But at least the sound was decent.

Venue and View:  Standing at the back.

Setlist
The Circle Is Complete
The Distance
Joyful Sky
Peace of Mind
Hometown Girl
Ain’t Got No Money
Demolition Man
Ordinary Life
Damn the Reason
Aunt Hazel
Beautiful
Highway 69
Valentina
Maybe I'm Fooling
+
Black Betty
I Just Want to Make Love to You
Rock and Roll

Thunder - Thursday 26th September - The Garage, Highbury & Islington

One Liner: Amazingly hot gig in a small venue for the classic rockers. One -off show to celebrate their new Greatest Hits album. Did I mention how hot it was?

Setlist
Loser
River of Pain
Higher Ground
On the Radio
Low Life in High Places
Wonder Days
The Devil Made Me Do It
In Another Life
The Thing I Want
Backstreet Symphony
Love Walked In
I Love You More Than Rock 'n' Roll
+
She's So Fine
Dirty Love

Quireboys - Sunday 10th February - Garage (Upstairs)

One Liner: Spike and the boys in a traditional "Sunday" London show. Moved to the cosier upstairs part of the Garage, the band were on good form as always. Set was a bit shortish though.

Setlist
There She Goes Again
Misled
Roses & Rings
Devil of a Man
Mona Lisa Smiled
Hello
Beautiful Curse
Whippin' Boy
Have a Drink With Me
Late Nite Saturday Call
Sweet Mary Ann
7 O'Clock (with Rebecca Downes)
+
I Don't Love You Anymore / Fool to Cry
Sex Party

Graham Bonnet - Wednesday 19th March - The Garage, Islington

A relative rarity for me these days - a headline act who I have not seen before. Sold on the premise that there was likely to be mainly Rainbow material played, this looked like it may be a nice evening out. And so it proved. Whilst not the most celebrated of the Rainbow vocalists, Graham fronted a solid set - with a backing band who had apparently only had 20 minutes rehearsal. I gather he'd flown in from LA - makes you wonder if the band were a sort of Rainbow / Deep Purple tribute band? Would their vocalist then get upset? They were certainly more than adequate in any case.

Mr Bonnet has quite a distinctive style - not sure I've ever seen a rock vocalist open their mouth so wide. Hardcore Rainbow fans tell me the material he sang on his only album with the band wasn't the best, but here all sounded fine and there were a few "favourites" thrown in for good measure - some of which he didn't sing on the original records.

Venue was a bit busier than anticipated - over half full and the show was good enough to make us book up for the next leg of the tour down the road in December. Maybe the set may have expanded by then.

Setlist
Eyes of the World
Love's No Friend
Since You Been Gone
Bad Girl
Makin' Love
Keyboard solo [Temple of the King / Tarot Woman (intro) / Toccato and Fugue / Mr. Crowley / Perfect Strangers]
Kill The King [Instrumental Version]
Drum solo
Catch the Rainbow
All Night Long
Lost in Hollywood
+
Long Live Rock And Roll