Saturday night in London town and the Underworld is not even half full. That's a shame as Chris Holmes (legendary ex W.A.S.P lead guitarist) is headlining a series of solo shows.Older and more grizzled looking, not surprising really with all the drinking he did back in the 80's heyday! As with most of these bands I review he is still out there performing. I guess it's not about the money (the merchandise sales may certainly help) but playing in a live environment to those dedicated fans (myself included). However he does have a new album to promote, "Shitting Bricks" which the title song he opens the gig with. The sound and tone of his guitar is pretty clear, even though it is very loud. The set is a mixture of tracks from his 2 solo albums (the aforementioned "Shitting Bricks" and "Nothing to Loose") and W.A.S.P songs. Despite a 14 song set list, there are only 4 W.A.S.P songs. He doesn't play "Mean Man" which is odd, as he advertises himself as Mean Man! We do get "Animal", "Wild Child", "L.O.V.E Machine" and surprising (for me) "Sleeping(in the fire)". All these songs are inter spread with choice cuts from his solo material. After an incoherent diatribe about the world today(?), he finishes off with the Neil Young cover "Rockin' in the Free World". A good night out to those who attended. All we need now is a reunion with Blackie and the original members of W.A.S.P. Here's hoping.
Rating: 7/10
Setlist: "Shitting Bricks", "Get With It", "Let It Roar", "L.O.V.E Machine", "Loser", "Sleeping(in the fire)", "TFMF", "Don't Care", "Nothing to Lose", "Born Work Die", "Wild Child", "Animal (F*ck Like a Beast)", "Way to Be" and "Rockin' in the Free World".
 |
| Chris Holmes |
