Friday
30th April
It’s
7.30am and I’m darting around the house, shoving
items into bags, making packed lunches for small boys
and jotting down interview questions ideas as they pop
into my head. Very shortly I shall be leaving for a long
weekend in Sheffield, stopping off at A North London studio
to hear some of Tarja Turunen’s new solo album before
the journey Ooop North. Should all go to plan, this evening
I shall be seeing Joe Elliott’s Down ‘N’
Outz at Sheffield City Hall, staying over in the Steel
City for tomorrow’s gig by Kiss and Taking Dawn.
Then – whisper it quietly – Survival Sunday
at Hillsborough; Sheff Wednesday versus the mighty Eagles.
I’m bricking myself, I don’t mind admitting.
Whatever the outcome, don’t expect any Diary updates
for a while.
For
obvious reasons, I don’t have time to jot down any
significant thoughts on last night’s Cathedral,
Church Of Misery, Gates Of Slumber gig at ULU. The show
started late as the bands were delayed at immigration
entering the UK, which was a shame as GOS only got to
play for 20 minutes. Church Of Misery were outstanding:
Pure, fuzz-loaded genius. And the addition of (occasional)
keys has made the headliners sound like one of Lee Dorrian’s
much-beloved Vertigo Records bands from the 70s. I wish
had time to type more, but the boys over at www.rockersdigest.com
will no doubt have a full report (and set-list) before
I return to Ling Towers.
Until
then, COME ON YOU EAGLES!!!!!
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Wednesday
28th April
For the past few days I’ve tried to adopt an
ostrich-style approach to the sheer amount of financial
problems that are affecting Crystal Palace. If I don’t
read the Bulletin Board, the whole damned mess cannot
possibly be happening, right? Well, I’ve just received
a photocopied letter from the Administrator, Brendan Guilfoyle,
regarding my long-term season ticket and the fact it may
not be available next year due to the club’s possible
insolvency. Honestly, I could cry.
Metal
Hammer have asked me to review Porcupine Tree’s
new DVD, ‘Anesthetize’. Filmed with multiple
cameras over two nights in Tilburg, Holland, during the
2007/’08 tour that I consider to be the band’s
best ever – playing the brilliant ‘Fear Of
A Blank Planet’ album in its entirety – it
is simply stunning. Clever camera angles; amazing manipulation
of colours; a sound that makes you feel as though you
are seated in the front row, ‘Anesthetize’
has it all. Should you be wondering what the fuss is all
about, here’s where to begin.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tuesday
27th April
Just
as I feared, last night Palace failed to beat West Bromwich
Albion – a result that would have kept us safe from
relegation. It was always going to be a tough ask: The
Baggies have already surged back to the top flight, but
although CPFC went ahead in the first half – sending
Selhurst Park mad in the process – it was a lead
that couldn’t be held. The defiance of Julian Speroni,
who pulled off a string of magnificent saves, was all
that kept the score at 1-1. The Eagles are in administration
and according to news reports are two weeks away from
extinction unless a buyer comes in, we must now travel
to Hillsborough on the last day of the season and attempt
to avoid defeat. More than ever before, slipping into
League 1 could be catastrophic. Under ‘normal’
circumstances, I’d back Palace every time –
we are the foot of the table thanks to a cruel ten-point
deduction; The Owls are down there due to dismal form.
The trouble is Wednesday’s tails will be up; they
have been given a ‘Get Out Of Jail’ card.
And they might just use it.
Whatever
happens, I’m proud of my club and the way its myriad
troubles have galvanised the fans. So many things have
gone against us this term, including the perfectly good
goal chalked off at Ashton Gate and the throwing away
of a two-goal lead at Blackpool. But, just like Ben Watson
hitting the post with a penalty in the 2007/’08
play-offs, perhaps this year’s season-defining moment
will be Marek Cech’s extra time goal-line clearance
from a Darren Ambrose shot, with the keeper beaten. Had
that gone in, well, I’d probably be in hospital
having my stomach pumped.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monday
26th April
I’m
keeping my fingers crossed that Bret Michaels will recover
from a brain haemorrhage that for a while appeared to
endanger his life. The 47-year-old Poison vocalist remains
in critical condition, but despite being heavily sedated
is now conscious and talking once more. I’ve met
and interviewed Bret
on several occasions and he was always a pleasure to deal
with.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sunday
25th April
Here’s
something you won’t read too often on these pages:
I have two reasons to be grateful to Cardiff. Firstly,
the city’s football club did my beloved Crystal
Palace a huge favour by beating our relegation rivals
Sheffield Wednesday during the afternoon. With Wednesday
taking the lead, being overturned, then equalising and
finally conceding the points, I watched an internet link
of the match with my heart in my mouth. During added time
the Owls had a shot that hit the inside of the post then
rebounded back across the goal before trickling to safety.
Sweet Jeeeezus, I damn nearly pooped my pants.
Nerves
still jangling, I grabbed a bottle of white wine and scuttled
off to Islington’s Academy 2 for my first live appointment
with The
Reasoning, a fine female-fronted Welsh band that straddles
the divide between progressive rock and metal, without
resorting to zillions of boring time-changes. Despite
the best efforts of the venue’s soundman to conceal
the seven-person group’s delicious three-part harmonies
and the overall intricacy of their music, I came away
very impressed. All six of the tracks from ‘Adverse
Camber’, the band’s latest and best album
were aired, though not in consecutive order, a brief acoustic
interlude (‘Sacred Shape’ and ‘In The
Future’) offering spine-tingling interplay between
the voices of ex-Karnataka singer Rachel Cohen and guitarist
Dylan Thompson. With the endorsements of both Fish (with
whom they have toured) and Marillion’s Steve Rothery
(who guested on their debut album, ‘Awakening’)
starting to seem wholly justified, this is a band to look
out for. Here’s the set-list: ‘Awakening’,
‘Dark Angel’, ‘Diamonds And Leather’,
‘The Nobody Effect’, ‘Fall Angels’,
‘Sharp Sea’, ‘Script Switch Trigger’,
‘Sacred Shape’, ‘In The Future’,
‘The Thirteenth Hour’, ‘Through The
Now’, ‘Call Me God?’ and ‘Aching
Hunger’, with encores of ‘14’, the Floyd
pastiche of ‘Wish You Were Beer’ and ‘A
Musing Dream’.
With
things ending at the exceptionally un-rock ‘n’
roll hour of 9.05pm (one could only sympathise for ticket-holders
that didn’t know the show would commence at 7.30
prompt), there was no option but to visit a local pub
and drink a lot more alcohol. It’s a tough life.
The members of The Reasoning arrived to join the fun.
I was disappointed to learn that none of them actually
supported Cardiff City, as I’d like to have bought
them a drink. So I bought myself a few more instead –
which is why this morning I feel like I’ve done
ten rounds with Mike Tyson. But, hey, it was worth it.
C’mon you Eagles!!!!
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Saturday
24th April
Having
gone to see Feeder 24 hours before, my journey back to
the 1990s continued with last night’s sighting of
Reef at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. I have followed
these fine west country slackers from the outset, attending
many of their concerts and going on the road with them
for RAW Magazine circa their debut album, 1995’s
‘Replenish’. It’s good to see them back
(for an explanation of Reef’s reunion, click here).
With classic décor, a great view of the stage and
outstanding acoustics, the SBE is one of my favourite
venues, so my friend Mark Cousins and I arrived in plenty
of time to pick the best seats in the balcony. Propelled
along by Kenwyn House’s rootsy riffing, the bulk
of the quartet’s songs are over and done in two
or three minutes, but they refuse to skimp on the hook-lines.
Gary Stringer was in terrific voice and adhered to his
promise of playing all the hits and selection of assorted
album highlights. I enjoyed the groove of their set-closer,
‘Choose To Live’, the most, though the 95-minute
display held the attention of the Empire – and yours
truly – from start to finish. I would love to see
Reef make a new album, as on this evidence they have definite
unfinished business. Here’s what was played: ‘Come
Back Brighter’, ‘Good Feeling’, ‘Stone
For Your Love’, ‘I Would Have Left You’,
‘Weird’, ‘Mellow’, ‘Consideration’,
‘New Bird’, ‘Place Your Hands’,
‘Don't You Like It?’, ‘Summer's In Bloom’,
‘Lucky Number’, ‘I've Got Something
To Say’, ‘Superhero’, ‘Who You
Are’, ‘Set The Record Straight’, ‘Lately
Stomping’ and ‘Choose To Live’ plus
‘Naked’, ‘I Do Not Know What They Will
Do’, ‘Yer Old’ and ‘Feed Me’.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Friday
23rd April
The
post-grunge fallout of the late-1990s was a time when
almost everything changed. Kerrang! began disappearing
up the arses of Rage Against The Machine, Courtney Love
and Marilyn Manson (although I own a few isolated copies
published afterwards, my collection per se ceases at #624
dated Nov 23, 1996, with The Prodigy on the front cover).
A year earlier the title that employed me, RAW Magazine,
had gone bust after an ill-fated dalliance with Britrock.
Unsurprisingly, this is not an era of which I am especially
fond. Despite the previous statement, I **was** able to
enthuse about a handful of bands with genuine enthusiasm,
though this support went unpublished until being invited
to contribute again to Metal Hammer UK, thereafter the
launch of Classic Rock. Of those being written/obsessed
about in the big K! I enjoyed The Wildhearts, 3 Colours
Red, Reef, Therapy?, Headswim, White Zombie, Terrorvision,
Bush, Skin, Skunk Anansie, Blind Melon and others.
Having
attended many of their earliest gigs (at such venues as
Dingwalls), I was also a great fan of Feeder. To be honest,
although the group’s fortunes have mushroomed in
a commercial sense, their most recent albums bored me
shitless. So it was with a combination of intrigue and
nostalgia that I accepted an invitation to the see them
again for the first time in – Ooooh, probably a
decade – at their old stomping ground, the Electric
Ballroom. The trio were operating under the temporary
pseudonym of Regenades, a handle that had allowed founder,
guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Grant Nicholas to take
stock after drummer Mark Richardson left to rejoin Skunk
Anansie. Rounding out a set of all-new material with such
vintage Feeder classics as ‘Tangerine’, ‘Sweet
16’ and ‘Descend’, despite the audience’s
calls for their hits, they were excellent from start to
finish; heavied-up re-energised and just like I remembered
them. It felt a bit like going out and getting bladdered
with an old mate you hadn’t seen for years –
immensely pleasurable! Here’s the set-list: ‘Barking
Dogs’, ‘Sentimental’, ‘This Town’,
‘Left Foot Right’, ‘Home’, ‘Down
To The River’, ‘White Lines’, ‘Tangerine’,
‘End Of The Road’, ‘Renegades’
and ‘Call Out, plus ‘Lost And Found’,
‘W.I.T. (Women In Towels)’, ‘Sweet 16’,
‘Godzilla’ and ‘Descend’.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thursday
22nd April
Having been out of the country with Trans-Siberian
Orchestra when the band debuted last year, and as a long
time follower of Luke Morley’s oeuvre (from the
Terraplane days onwards via Thunder, Bowes & Morley,
the Power Station and his short spell as a solo artist),
there was no way on earth I’d have missed last night’s
gig from The Union.
Arriving at the Islington Academy for the last two songs
from Saint
Jude, I was soon gnashing my teeth. What a great band;
classy, rootsy blues-rock overlain by Lynne Jackaman’s
smoky vocals – the rest of the audience and I were
left wondering: How come we’d never heard of them
before? Sadly, I’m still failing to connect with
Voodoo Six,
the Steve Harris-endorsed Londoners whose robust brand
of toe-tapping hard rock should appeal to me on paper.
They’d replaced lead singers since my last sighting
of them (it was aeons ago), but despite the early promise
of a song called ‘Ain’t No Friend Of Mine’
I still found them somewhat stodgy and uninspiring. Sorry.
The show had certainly attracted a few interesting people,
including ex-Thunder chappie Ben Matthews, Dan Reed (who
smilingly handed me a copy of his long-awaited solo debut,
‘Coming Up For Air’) and a few Airracers.
At
Islington, The
Union were winding up their very first UK tour. Blessed
by an emotive voice and confident onstage demeanour, ex-Winterville
man Peter Shoulder offers a fine foil for the more experienced
Morley. Together they have penned a set of keyboard-less
tunes that rarely encroaches into Thunder territory (‘Watch
The River Flow’ and ‘Step Up To The Plate’
being rare exceptions), electing to rely instead upon
dynamics and mood. The likes of ‘Black Monday’,
‘Lillies’, ‘Saviour’ and ‘Come
Rain Come Shine’ are sombre, dark and organic –
hardly loaded down with fist-punching qualities yet rich
in both content and substance. I expect ‘You Know
My Name’ and ‘You Know My Name’ to work
well on the band’s debut album. And don’t
be surprised if they issue ‘This Time Next Year’
as a Christmas single. Considering the audience was unfamiliar
with just about all of The Union’s set, barring
a farewell cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s
‘Proud Mary’, most seemed to enjoy what they
paid to hear (though the sheer volume of gratuitous chit-chat
during the quieter moments made me wish I’d brought
an Uzi). Here’s the set-list: ‘Easy Street’,
‘You Know My Name’, ‘Black Monday’,
‘Holy Roller’, ‘Watch The River Flow’,
‘Lilies’, ‘The Space Between Us’,
‘This Time Next Year’, ‘Saviour’
and ‘Step Up To The Plate’, with encores of
‘Come Rain Come Shine’ and ‘Proud Mary’.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Wednesday
21st April
Thank
you so much, QP-HaHaHa. Last nite’s 1-0 victory
for N**l Wa***ck’s men keeps Twatford well and truly
embroiled in the relegation quagmire. The matter of which
club will join Peterborough and Plymouth in League 1 looks
set to go down to the last day of the season. Palace have
already sold 3,800 tickets for the Survival Sunday showdown
at Sheffield Wednesday, and it’s been rumoured that
as many as 5,000 Eagles fans will be in attendance to
see the season reach its conclusion. Even just thinking
about it, I can feel the ol’ sphincter beginning
to twitch.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tuesday 20th April
Classic
Rock’s new Slash fanpack issue is here. Got to say,
the Limited Edition version of the album (which comes
as part of a package that includes specially themed 132-page
issue, pull-out poster and patch) is really, really good.
For me, its standout selections are the ones that feature
Ian Astbury (‘Ghost’), Lemmy Kilmister (‘Doctor
Alibi’), Myles Kennedy (‘Back From Cali’
and ‘Starlight’), Iggy Pop (‘We’re
All Gonna Die’), Alice Cooper’s duet with
Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger (‘Baby Can’t
Drive’), Chris Cornell (‘Promise’) and
Kid Rock ‘(‘Hold On’), though ‘Slash’
offers a surprisingly consistent set of tunes.
Other
regular visitors to the Ling Towers Death Deck are Y&T’s
newie, ‘Facemelter’ (due May 24th via Frontiers),
notably the excellent track ‘Shine On’, also
H.E.A.T’s sophomore disc, ‘Freedom Rock’
(Edel, late May), a superb selection of summery pop-rock
ditties.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monday
19th April
Oh,
how frustrating. I’d been looking forward to tonight’s
gig from Thor – the Thunder God’s first appearance
in the UK for a quarter-century. Sadly, it’s been
cancelled due to the volcanic ash cloud that has played
havoc with international air travel these past few days.
How pathetic is that? As a kid I was under the impression
that Thor could wave around his mighty hammer, Mjolnir,
and achieve flight. Or better still, to open portals to
other dimensions and even travel in time. Now I’m
stuck with a mental image of him sitting on his suitcase
at the airport and looking sullen, just like all the other
schmucks.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sunday
18th April
Derby
County 1, Crystal Palace 1 – not good enough, really.
A second half rally from the Eagles produced a point,
thanks to Stern John. But this was a must-win game. The
CPFC faithful now pray that Sheffield United can defeat
their fierce local rivals at lunchtime. Though I’ve
promised to take youngest son Arnie to the cinema this
morning, I shall be watching, fingernails bitten to the
bone. [Edit: The Sheffield derby finished 1-1, a pretty
good result for Palace].
The
result wasn’t what I’d hoped, but yesterday’s
trip to Pride Park was a fun, drunken day out. Shirtsleeves
weather, plenty of pubs, lots of singing (especially inside
the ground). On the way up I managed to wade through six
Procol Harum re-issues, ‘Broken Barricades’
(1971), ‘In Concert With The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’
(’72), ‘Grand Hotel (’73), ‘Exotic
Birds And Fruit (’74), the Leiber and Stoller-produced
‘Procol’s Ninth’ (’75) and ‘Something
Magic’ (’77), some but not all of which I
have bought previously on vinyl. If ever there was a band
undeserving of one hit wonder status, it’s Procol.
Robin Trower plays so brilliantly on ‘Broken Barricades’,
it’s no wonder he would leave following its release
to go solo. My live experience of Procol Harum extends
to just one gig – it’s hard to believe they
actually played Catford’s Broadway Theatre, just
a ten minute walk from my house, back in March 2003 –
though I hope to see them again soon.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Saturday
17th April
I'm attempting to creep round the house. It's 6am,
and I depart for Derby County in about a half-hour. I've
loads of work and hadn't planned to attend this one, but
it's such an immense game that I gave in and booked travel
tix on Thursday night. After last night's enjoyable phone
int with Jimmie Vaughan I hit the sack early but wasn't
able to sleep much. Might have to open that bottle of
'cherryade' I put aside for the trip. **SLURPS LOUDLY**.
Hmmmm, that's a little better. Takes the edge off the
nerves. Now where did I put the Discman, spare batteries,
those cheese pasties and FM's 'Metropolis' CD? Talk tomorrow.
Fingers crossed.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Friday
16th April
I’ve
heard some daft excuses for cancelling gig and tours,
including the legendary ‘snow on the roof’
ruse (Mötley Crüe) and ‘Sorry, the lighting
rig has fallen and smashed the drum-kit, almost killing
him’ (Spider, Bristol Colston Hall) but never in
all of my years have I known of a show being pulled due
to a volcanic eruption. And yet, such a phenomenon was
the cause of Iceland’s Sólstafir and Vried
from Norway pulling out of yesterday’s Nordic Embassies’
JA JA JA Metal Night, curated by Metal Hammer editor Alexander
Milas, at the Lexington in London. Flights all over Europe
were grounded after a volcano beneath the Ejfjallajokull
glacier in southern Iceland launched a shower of ash seven
miles into the atmosphere. Luckily, Finnish-based (yet
multi-national) power-metallers Thunderstone, booked originally
to play for just half an hour, were already in London
and agreed to undertake a free headline show.
Never having seen them before, once Jukka Karinen’s
keys and the guitars of Nino Laurenne became fully audible,
I was very pleasantly surprised. This was a band that
clearly doesn’t take itself too seriously; there
were juvenile quips about “Icelandic people peeing
into the volcano to make it stop” and gay sex in
the sauna, but bassist Titus Hjelm balanced things out
by dedicating the aptly-titled ‘Suffering Song’
to Peter Steele, the man with the “biggest penis
in heavy metal”. I’ve yet to hear Thunderstone’s
new album, ‘Dirt Metal’ (SPV Records, May
24) but tracks like ‘Blood That I Bleed’ and
‘Ghosts Of Youth’ have whetted my appetite
for its May 24 arrival on SPV Records. Here’s what
they played: ‘Dirt Metal’, ‘Blood That
I Bleed’, ‘10,000 Ways’, ‘Tool
Of The Devil’, ‘Roots Of Anger’, ‘Forth
Into The Black’, Drum Solo, ‘I Almighty’,
‘Face In The Mirror’, ‘Ghosts Of Youth’,
‘Suffering Song’, ‘Swirled’ and
‘Forevermore’, plus ‘Until We Touch
The Burning Sun’.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thursday
15th April
The
rumours are true, and what awful news. Peter Steele, Type
O Negative’s lumbering, towering, booming bass player,
is dead of a heart attack at the age of just 48. A gigantic
man (in all senses of the word!) with a dark sense of
humour and brilliant self-mocking streak, Steele was always
a wonderful, eminently quotable interviewee. I’ve
a full 2,700-word transcript of an unprinted My Life Story
article that was commissioned by the UK’s Metal
Hammer back in May 2008. It’s pretty revealing and
very entertaining. For instance, towards its conclusion
I asked what Steele would like to achieve with the second
half of his life. This was two years ago, remember, and
he replied: “It’s probably closer to say that
I’m seven-eighths of the way through my life. That’s
what I hope, anyway.” Should the magazine allow
me, and if I can free up the time, I shall post it at
my site by way of tribute to this unique artist, who was
always more talented than he knew (or at least, would
**let on** that he knew).
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Wednesday
14th April
Well,
that’s a bit bloody stupid, isn’t it? Ratt
have re-arranged their show at London’s Islington
Academy, bringing it forward to June 15 (from July 8)
to avoid scheduling conflicts with their spot on the main
stage at Download. This is all well and good except that
it now clashes with a gig at the O2 Arena by a certain
other US band called Aerosmith. You know what? ‘Infestation’
is such a terrific album I will most likely still go and
see the rocking rodents, but expect cries of anguish and
fury from those that now find themselves saddled with
tickets for both gigs.
Here’s
some better news: FM have revealed the support acts for
their upcoming dates. I’ve no idea who’s doing
the honours in Belfast but according to an email from
Merv The Swerve, Airrace have landed Sheffield, Glasgow
and Cardiff, with Romeo’s Daughter confirmed for
the dates in Birmingham and London. Methinks a road trip
to Cardiff might be in order.
Though
I’d hoped to attend a gig tonight, my plans to check
out the brilliant San Diego proggers Astra
at the Scala have had to be reluctantly aborted. My feature
on The Enid is due first thing tomorrow morning and although
it’s teatime I’m still sitting here transcribing
the poxy interview tape. Grrrr. The Scala is a shithole
anyway, so perhaps it’s no great loss.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tuesday
13th April
Yay!
Alter Bridge will be returning to the UK in October to
promote a soon-to-be-recorded third album. Just try keeping
me away from the Hammersmith Apollo on the 22nd of that
month. I’m also pretty fired up that Roger Waters
is set to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s
masterpiece ‘The Wall’ with a 35-date tour
of North America. Don’t forget to add some UK gigs
pls, Rodge!!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monday
12th April
I’d
like to shoot whoever thought it feasible to stage yesterday’s
FA Cup Semi Final at Wembley Stadium as 5,000 rock fans
were trying to reach the Arena. It was incredibly frustrating
to be within sight of the venue at which Bad Company and
the Joe Perry Project were due to play, but to be stuck
in traffic. Thankfully, I was misinformed regarding the
start time, so I got to see Perry after all. Though he
will never make a lead singer, Joe’s 65-minute display
was better than I’d been lead to believe by certain
reviews from this tour, also by the so-so nature of his
current disc, ‘Have Guitar, Will Travel’.
His song introductions were also what my kids would probably
call ‘random’, for instance, I stifled as
giggle as Perry previewed an instrumental titled ‘Wooden
Ships’ with the words: “I’m not exactly
sure why we called it that, though we did go down to Plymouth
the other day and saw a very large wooden ship. That didn’t
have anything to do with this song, it just seemed appropriate
to go down there and see this thing”. Ah, right.
Once a Toxic Twin always a Toxic Twin? Surprisingly, among
the best songs of Perry’s warm-up spot was a kick-ass
l’il ditty called ‘Lookin’ Petty, Pretty’
that his sons Adrian and Tony Perry had recorded with
their group Tab The Band. The Project’s full set-list
was: ‘Let The Music Do The Talking’, ‘Walkin’
The Dog’, ‘Slingshot’, ‘We’ve
Got A Long Way to Go’, ‘Vigilante Man’,
‘Wooden Ships’, ‘Somebody's Gonna Get
(Their Head Kicked In Tonite)’, ‘Rockin’
Train’, ‘Lookin’ Petty, Pretty’,
‘Train Kept A-Rollin’’ and ‘Walk
This Way’.
There
were also worrying advance reports regarding Bad Company’s
headline set – namely that the show was way too
short; that Heart’s Howard Leese had been brought
in to cover for Mick Ralphs’ declining playing skills;
that the whole thing was a bit half-hearted, basically.
Well, it’s hard to dispute the Leese-Ralphs accusation
– Mick played few of the evening’s lead solos
– but London sounded luckier than the rest of the
country, though that may have been because their 90-minute
set – a good quarter of an hour more than seen by
some other audiences – was being filmed for a DVD.
Likewise, I can only speak in the most glowing of terms
regarding Paul Rodgers’ voice. At Wembley, the 60-year-old
sang like a God in human form: rich in timbre, never a
note out of place, likable in demeanour. And the front-of-house
sound? Just about perfect. I’d rather have heard
‘Good Loving Gone Bad’, ‘Live For The
Music’ or ‘Silver Blue And Gold’ than
the mundanity of ‘Electricland’ or especially
‘Young Blood’ though that’s just a personal
preference, and it **was** an exceptional performance.
Here’s the full song-list: ‘Can’t Get
Enough’, ‘Honey Child’, ‘Run With
The Pack’, ‘Burnin’ Sky’, ‘Young
Blood’, ‘Seagull’, ‘Gone, Gone,
Gone’, ‘Electricland’, ‘Simple
Man’, ‘Feel Like Makin’ Love’,
‘Shooting Star’, ‘Rock ‘N’
Roll Fantasy’ and ‘Movin’ On’,
with encores of ‘Ready For Love’, ‘Bad
Company’ and ‘Deal With the Preacher’.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sunday
11th April
I’m
hung over and pissed off. Although some of my Crystal
Palace-supporting friends had felt that the result of
yesterday’s game with QP-Haha was a mere formality,
I knew that winless streaks have to end sometime, also
never to underestimate a team managed by N**l W***ock.
So the result of Eagles 0 Hoops 2 was no real surprise.
I can’t help but feel the outcome of this most wretched
of seasons will go down to its final game, Survival Sunday,
against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough in three weeks’
time. I already have my ticket for this match. For supporters
of both clubs, the wearing of incontinence knickers is
recommended.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Saturday
10th April
Oh,
how I enjoyed last night’s gig from former Hanoi
Rocks frontman Michael Monroe. The Finnish frontman offered
an 85-minute trawl through his extensive catalogue, overlooking
Hanoi’s reunion albums and 1992’s Jerusalem
Slim project, but daring to introduce three new songs
(‘You’re Next’, ‘Another Night
In The Sun’ and ‘Motorheaded For A Fall’)
that bode well for Monroe’s revived solo career.
When I say ‘solo’, let’s not forget
that these days Michael moves in elevated circles. With
Ginger from The Wildhearts on guitar, another ex-Hanoi
man, Sami Yaffa, on bass and a current member of the New
York Dolls, Steve Conti, as the second axeman, to borrow
an album title from the mighty Angel, that’s one
helluva band (completed by the brilliantly named ex-Danzig
drummer Karl Rockfist).
Just
like Nazareth, whose own ‘Not Fakin’ It’
was adopted as the title cut of an album in 1989, Monroe
has never been too fussy about sticking to his own material.
So besides such Hanoi standards as ‘Motorvatin’’,
‘Boulevard Of Broken Dreams’, ‘Back
To Mystery City’, ‘Tragedy’ and ‘Malibu
Beach Nightmare’ the set touched upon ‘I Wanna
Be Loved’, recorded by Demolition 23 but penned
by Johnny Thunders, and the Dead Boys’ ‘Ain’t
Nothin’ To Do’. He also ploughed through a
medley of The Damned’s ‘Love Song’ and
‘Machine Gun Etiquette’, while ‘Endangered
Species’ was performed with its co-composer Charlie
Harper, of the UK Subs. The final song of the night, The
Stooges’ ‘I Feel Alright’, was merged
with a snippet of ‘Radar Love’ by Golden Earring.
Superb entertainment, every step of the way. Here’s
the set-list: ‘Nothin's Alright’, ‘Motorvatin’’,
‘Hammersmith Palais’, ‘You’re
Next’, ‘Not Fakin’ It’, ‘Dysfunctional’,
‘Another Night In The Sun’, ‘I Wanna
Be Loved’, ‘Boulevard Of Broken Dreams’,
Medley: ‘Love Song’/‘Machine Gun Etiquette’,
‘Motorheaded For A Fall’, ‘Back To Mystery
City’, ‘Tragedy’ and ‘Dead, Jail
Or Rock ‘N’ Roll’, with encores of ‘Endangered
Species’, ‘Ain’t Nothin’ To Do’,
‘Taxi Driver’ and ‘I Feel Alright’.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Friday
9th April
It’s
a production deadline week for Classic Rock, which always
keeps me busy. But for the last thing I’ve thought
of each night, also the first the following morning, is
tomorrow’s relegation derby with QP-Hahaha. Yes,
I know that’s pretty tragic. But should Palace overturn
the Hoops, we would go above them in the table –
sending former Eagles boss N**l W****ck down down deeper
‘n’ down into the mire. From what I can establish,
the Rangers fans have already decided they don’t
like their 297th manager of the current season, nicknaming
him Mrs Doubtfire. I’ve gotta admit, the resemblance
is uncanny. Given some of W****ck’s comments since
leaving my beloved club (“[This job] feels almost
like winning the pools, I just wish I'd [walked out on
Crystal Palace] a few weeks earlier”), I will despise
him for ever more. The guy is a disloyal, conniving douchebag.
Tomorrow’s appointment at Selhurst is more than
a game of football – it’s war.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thursday
8th April
For
the past few days I’ve been reading Suzi Quatro’s
autobiography, Unzipped – a reference to the leather
jump suit she used to wear, which enthralled me so as
a nipper. It started off slowly, very slowly, but gradually
gained momentum when focussing on the all-important Top
Of The Pops years. I had no idea that ‘48 Crash’
was written about the male menopause! Quatro’s consistent
misspelling of Bob ‘Segar’ (sic) really annoys
me, though, especially as she comes from Detroit, just
like the genius that wrote ‘Hollywood Nights’,
‘Against The Wind’ and ‘We’ve
Got Tonight’. Sack the proof-reader! As the book
reaches the part where her marriage to guitarist Len Tuckey
falls apart and her career hits the skids, I’m appreciating
Suzi’s honesty; it makes a rare change.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tuesday
6th April
I’ve a new good luck routine so I’m sticking
to it. In the pub before the away game with Watford I
ordered a triple Baileys, and Palace went on to claim
all three points. Drank a bottle of the stuff during game
at Boro, and yesterday – at home to Preston North
End – the charm paid off once more. Palace came
from behind to win 3-1. And as my son Eddie and I prepared
to depart the ground, Sky Sports revealed via the Whitehorse
Land end’s jumbotron that West Brom had levelled
against Twatford in added time. The cheer that greeted
this development was as seismic as any for our own goals.
Palace are out of the bottom three!!! With four more games
to go, the club’s fortunes are once again in its
own hands.
With
a skip in my step (and a bottle of cider in my bag), I
headed across London to the Royal Albert Hall where Opeth
were due to play a 20th anniversary show. Like
band leader Mikael Åkerfeldt, I’d harboured
secret doubts that the Swedish band’s oeuvre would
translate fully onto such a hallowed stage, but any such
fears were shot down within minutes of the show’s
start. Despite my friend Mark Cousins and I being on guitarist
Fredrik Åkesson’s side of the stage, just
seven or eight rows back, the sound-mix was sublime. As
the gig unfolded over five minutes short of three hours,
my jaw – and those of everyone around me, including
Lee Barrett, the man that signed the band to candlelight
Records, who sat nearby – got slacker and slacker
(and slacker still).
“We
figured we’d be spending our 20th anniversary in
a pub, not being filmed [for DVD] at the Albert Hall.
The problem with this film is that metal people are so
fucking ugly,” retorted Åkerfeldt, who to
be fair himself looked like somebody that had been dragged
through a hedge backwards. But what the heck. The man
was on fire. “We are bringing death-metal into the
halls of fine culture,” he continued proudly to
a tumultuous roar, before adding: “This is the first
time that blast-beats and death-metal growls have been
heard [in this venue].” I’d also wager that
a Royal Albert Hall audience has never been called “c**ts”
before, however affectionately.
The
first part of the marathon show comprised all of 2001’s
breakthrough album ‘Backwater Park’, and after
a short break the quintet returned to play a song apiece
from each of their other studio discs, in chronological
order and with Mikael’s track-by-track commentary.
From the debut album ‘Orchid’ we got ‘Forest
Of October’, ‘Morningrise’ threw forth
‘Advent’, followed by ‘April Ethereal’
(from ‘My Arms, Your Hearse’), ‘The
Moor’ (‘Still Life’), ‘Wreath’
(‘Deliverance’), ‘Hope Leaves’
(‘Damnation’), ‘Harlequin Forest’
(‘Ghost Reveries’) and last but definitely
not least ‘The Lotus Eater’ (‘Watershed’).
Although I know for sure that ‘Backwater Park’s
producer Steven Wilson, whose own Porcupine Tree also
play the Albert Hall in October, was definitely in the
house, the show simply didn’t require special guests.
Indeed, not even a glitch with Åkesson’s guitar
during ‘The Lotus Eater’ could detract from
the perfection of what was definitely 2010’s best
gig so far. It’s hard to imagine it being surpassed,
either.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monday
5th April
Though
there’s no such thing as a Bank Holiday weekend
for humble foot soldiers such as myself, I did manage
to spend some of yesterday morning at the monthly record
fair in Orpington – the first time I’d gone
down there in quite a while. Returned home clutching a
few goodies such as a live album from Al Di Meola, John
McLaughlin and Paco DeLuca (‘Friday Night In San
Francisco’), a Dave Mason solo disc I didn’t
own (‘Old Crest On A New Wave’, which actually
features Michael Jackson on vocals – ulp!) and something
on Island Records by Jess Roden (self-titled, released
in 1974) that I took pot luck on, merely for featuring
Simon Kirke on drums and the keys of John ‘Rabbit’
Bundrick. Also bought Joe Perry’s eponymous solo
album from 2003 and wished I hadn’t – what
an utter pile of steaming excrement!
During
the evening I went to the Islington Academy for the final
night of Winger’s UK tour. With hindsight I wish
I’d gone into the venue slightly earlier, as certain
tracks at the MySpace
site of warm-up act Furyon offer plenty of potential
– their guitarist Chris Green would also help out
by holding down the low notes during Winger’s set
when Kip was stuck at the piano. Shame I only caught their
last song, as they got the place buzzing.
Next
up, Airrace delivered another excellent ‘special
guest’ display. Unlike their previous spot at the
Academy, opening for Tesla last June, they arrived to
a hearty response and by the final chords of ‘Brief
Encounter’ had won over pretty much everybody. Although
Kip Winger’s voice initially sounded a bit raw he
sang through his problems, repeating the set-list the
band played in Bristol (see Diary entry for March 23rd),
though adding an additional encore jam of The Beatles’
‘Helter Skelter’ which saw Furyon and Airrace
return to the stage, drummer Rod Morgenstein handing his
sticks to Steve Strange, the former Fastway drummer that
had booked the tour. It felt like a triumphant night,
with both musicians and audience grinning like loons throughout.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sunday
4th April
I'd love to have attended yesterday's clash between
Middlesbrough and the mighty Palace, as the Teesside club's
current home of the Riverside is a 'new' ground to me;
I've only ever visited Ayresome Park. Sheesh, how old
does that make me? The Riverside opened in 1995. Anyway,
despite having taken the lead due to Scott McDonald's
blatantly offside opener, Boro's slim play-off hopes were
dented on the stroke of half time by a bullet header from
Palace's Alassane N'Diaye - or as Sky Sports' Dean Windass
called the gangly young Frenchman, 'Alison Desire' (how
on earth this insult to halfwits, who makes Paul Merson
look like a brain surgeon, holds down a job is utterly
beyond me). The game finished 1-1, which would have been
a fabulous result had all the other relegation-threatened
sides not taken at least a point from their own fixtures.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Friday 2nd April
My verdict on yesterday’s Airbourne-headlined
date at the Hammersmith Apollo – three great bands,
one great night. To be honest, given that Taking Dawn
are the great white hopes of Roadrunner Records, also
label-mates of the headliners, I was taken aback to see
the young combo from Las Vegas not only opening the show
but humping their own gear. Sound-wise, they were also
given no favours. Opening numbers ‘Like A Revolution’
and ‘Save Me’ were swamped in mud, robbing
the band of its scintillating guitar work. By the time
they played the album’s title song and standout
cut, ‘Time To Burn’, things were sounding
**okay**, but guitarist Chris Babbitt had taken things
into his own hands, cajoling what was still a fairly small
crowd with his cries of: “You can do better than
that, baby – this ain’t Bristol, this is London!”,
even teasing some audible respect from the balcony. Babbitt
is an inspiring motormouth frontman in the Sebastian Bach
mould – apt considering that ‘Fight ’Em
With Your Rock’ is a rhythmic blast of Skid Row-esque
hard rock – and the band ended things on a high
with their adaptation of ‘The Chain’ by Fleetwood
Mac. Soundmen-permitting, Taking Dawn should do well opening
on Kiss’ UK dates in May.
Black Spiders were up next. With an album still being
completed, this fine band has built things up on the road
via sheer ‘wow factor’ alone. Running through
a now well-drilled repertoire that included ‘Woman,
‘St Peter’, ‘Stay Down’ (which
saw Pete Spiby inviting the audience to bellow: “Fuck
you Black Spiders!”), ‘Blood Of The Kings’
and the quite brilliant ‘Kiss Tried To Kill Me’,
the band’s energetic, groove-laden set simply reeked
of charisma.
With six Marshall cabs lined up either side of Ryan O’Keefe’s
kit, the headliners were beautifully, indecently loud,
but with a sound as clear as a (Hell’s) bell. The
Australian combo’s homage to AC/DC and Rose Tattoo
is undoubtedly sincere and just over two years after playing
the 275-capacity Borderline they can now deservedly headline
at Hammersmith. Known for short, explosive performances,
with a second album (‘No Guts, No Glory’)
in the racks, Airbourne needed to step up a gear in terms
of presentation. And that’s exactly what they did.
Okay, some of their songs copy AC/DC riffs – ‘Chewin’
The Fat’ sounds like about half a dozen of the buggers
stapled together into one sweat-stained Frankenstein’s
monster – but Joel O’Keefe is gradually learning
to establish a rapport with an audience beyond mere platitudes,
and towards the end of the band’s set they began
adding light and shade to their songs (albeit in the form
of extended song intros). When Joel went walkabout around
the hall, even headbanging over the edge of the balcony,
the all but sold-out crowd roared its approval. Airbourne
still don’t have a ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’
or a ‘Highway To Hell’, which isn’t
to say they won’t write one, but in 2010 they are
twice the band they were last time around. With mentors
AC/DC still out on what’s apparently a swansong,
it would be foolhardy to set up **anyone** as heirs to
that particular throne, though should Airbourne continue
to improve at the current rate, well… nothing’s
impossible. Here’s the set-list: ‘Raise The
Flag’, ‘Hellfire’, ‘Chewin’
The Fat’, ‘Diamond In The Rough’, ‘Back
On The Bottle’, ‘Get Busy Livin’’,
‘Girls In Black’, ‘Steel Town’,
‘Born To Kill’, ‘Cheap Wine And Cheaper
Women’, ‘Heartbreaker’, ‘No Way
But The Hard Way’ and ‘Too Much, Too Young,
Too Fast’, with encores of ‘Runnin’
Wild’, ‘Stand Up For Rock ‘N’
Roll’ and ‘Blackjack’.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thursday 1st April
Jim Peterik has not only approved my sleeve essay
for the new Rock Candy Records edition of Survivor’s
‘Vital Signs’ album, but actually added some
extra detail to the original text. Nice one, Jim! I think
that the finished document does a good job of re-telling
the record’s story. For instance, I asked Peterik
whether, given the relative underachievement of the group’s
previous album, ‘Caught In The Game’, he was
relieved by the reaction to ‘Vital Signs’.
“I suppose that I was, but I wasn’t surprised,”
he admitted. “As ‘Vital Signs’ was being
cut I had told my manager, ‘Order the Porsche’
and I can still see him laughing.”
Today’s postbag haul included expanded, double-disc
editions of Black Sabbath’s ‘Heaven And Hell’,
‘Mob Rules’ and ‘Live Evil’, the
former of which feature a revised version of the notes
I wrote for a boxed set called ‘The Rules Of Hell’
two years ago. And speaking of sleeve
notes, I’ve just been given an exciting sneak
preview of the booklet for Magnum’s upcoming six-CD
set. Crammed with ticket stubs, programmes, adverts and
various forms of collectable trivia (mostly supplied by
the group’s fans), let me tell you it looks bloody
amazing.
P.S.
The Playlist and YouTube
sections have been given their monthly overhaul.
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