Janet Gardner - 28 May 2018 - Camden Underworld, London

Bank holiday Monday and there was a very small turnout for Janet Gardner's final date on her solo UK tour. Those not familiar with the name is the lead singer of Vixen. I must admit the main reason for attending was to hear some old Vixen songs as I was not familiar with any of her solo material. Sadly we only got 1 Vixen song as an encore number. I soon found out that London was the only gig she played "Edge of a Broken Heart". We were already to go when the house lights went down and the into tape started. as soon as it finished...nothing. the bass guitar wasn't working! what an anti-climax! What seemed like ages we finally kicked off with "If You Want Me". Backed by here husband on guitar we got 12 songs including the aforementioned Vixen songs and 2 cover versions - "Fu*k You" by CeeLo Green (which was an interesting choice but went down well) and "Love Gun" by KISS (sung by the bass player - why?) Despite my comments I enjoyed this gig. Janet said that she was planning to return later on in the year. If so I hope with more Vixen songs in her setlist, or even with Vixen.

Rating: 7/10

Setlist: If You Want Me, Your Problem Now, Hippycrite, The Grind, Fu*k You, Candle, Lost, Love Gun, Let it be Over, rat Hole, The Good or the Bye, Edge of a Broken Heart.

Chris Holmes - 2 May 2018, Camden Underworld, London

This is the 3rd time Chris Holmes has played the Underworld in the last 19 months.I reviewed his concert back in October 2016 where I gave it a rating of 7/10. So was this one better? Slightly, due to more WASP songs being played (8 in total). Despite playing to a very small crowd we were treated to more WASP tunes than from October's gig. Starting off "On Your Knees" this was a mixture of  solo and WASP songs. The best of his solo stuff being "Born Work Die".Personally this is one of the best value for money show I've seen in a long time at the Underworld as we get a total of 18 songs in over 90 plus minutes. Backed by a great band, Chris obviously took lead vocals on his solo songs whilst Kevin Van Raiser didn't disappoint with his best Blackie performance on the WASP songs. Finishing off with covers of Black Sabbath, Jeff Beck and Neil Young we all went home satisfied. All WASP fans would love to see Chris & Blackie back together again playing under the WASP moniker, but it will never happen. At least when Chris tours we get to hear "Animal".
Fact - this was a better concert than WASP's 'Crimson Idol' tour last year!

Rating: 8/10

Setlist: On Your Knees, Get With It, Let It Roar, Blind in Texas, L.O.V.E. Machine, Sleeping (in the Fire), I Wanna Be Somebody, The Devil Made Me Do It, I Am What I Am, I've Had Enough, Born Work Die, Wild Child, Animal, I Don't need No Doctor, War Pigs, Electric Funeral, I'm Goin' Down, Rockin' in the Free World.

Enuff Z Nuff - 18 March 2018 - Camden Underworld, London

This was in fact a BulletBoys headline with Enuff Z Nuff as special guests. However as they are one of my all time favourite bands I just had to give them a full review. In fact they pulled the biggest crowd and by the time Marq Torein and his band come on stage, half the crowd were gone! In fact from what I heard the whole tour was poorly attended it was only Enuff Z Nuff pulling in the punters (maybe they should have been given headline status!). Any way enough of my thoughts, what about the gig. Well I must say this was the best Enuff Z Nuff gigs I have been too (and I even told Chip Z Nuff when I met him at the end of his set!) Now that he has taken over lead vocals, not only is Chip the focal point but a natural lead singer to boot. A shorter but similar set to previous London gigs, but it was good to see the inclusion of "Kiss the Clown" and a great version of Bowie's "The Jean Genie". Finishing off with their new single "Dog on a Bone" which I'm sure will be included in future sets. A note to Chip, when you come back make sure you headline next time.

Rating: 9/10

Setlist: Baby Loves You, Kiss the Clown, Heaven or Hell, In the Grove, The Jean Genie, Wheels, Fly High Michelle, New Thing, Dog on a Bone.

Chip Z Nuff

Tony Fennell

Faster Pussycat - 19 November 2017, O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London

After seeing Faster Pussycat play the Camden Underworld on numerous occasions it was great to see them play on a larger stage. As special guests to Mr Big, they were also playing to much larger crowds and to punters who had never seen them before. Therefore by the time they hit the stage at 7pm it was good to see a fairly sizeable crowd (and fans as well). For 30 minutes they played a set not dissimilar to the one in September. I think starting off with 'Jack the Bastard' is a good opener. They came across as very professional and for me this was a perfect set consisting of 7 songs (8 if you include 'Ace of Spades' snippet at the end). However I think they are best suited for a top support slot for future bands that come and play the UK, rather than heading tiny venues.A faultless performance. Hopefully their profile has been raised from this tour and I hope to see them at an outdoor festival appearance in 2018.

Rating: 10/10

Setlist: Jack the Bastard, Cathouse, Slip of the Tongue, No 1 with a Bullet, House of Pain, Bathroom Wall, Babylon and Ace of Spades.

Lynch Mob - 12 November 2017, O2 Academy Islington, London

This was a curious gig for me. I'm not a big guitar virtuoso fan, but this was a chance to see George Lynch's band in a small environment (and also support the live London music scene). To be fair I was not familiar with his work in Lynch Mob, however the set did include 3 songs from his time in Dokken ("When Heaven Comes Down", "Into the Fire" and "The Hunter" which I guess was only to be expected. Although the singer Oni Logan was suffering from a cold (how rock n roll to have a hanky), this didn't affect the performance.Completing the line up was Jimmy D'anda on drums and Sean Mcnabb on bass. Sadly I'll remember this gig for how short it was. Up to the 9th song I was really enjoying the gig with the songs sounding great.However during "Testify", George Lynch's amp blew up(!) and we were informed by him that he did not have a replacement.As a result an unfortunate and early end to tonight's concert. What a disappointment. Next time George, bring a spare!  

Rating: 7/10

Setlist: Street Fightin Man, She's Evil but She's Mine, River of Love, Believers of the Day, Main Offender, When Heaven Comes Down, Into the Fire, The Hunter and Testify.

LA Guns - 2 November 2017 Camden Underworld, London

Although it was only eight months ago that LA Guns were in London playing the bigger venue of O2 Academy Islington (see my earlier review), they have decided to returned to the capital to play 2 nights at the Underworld. The first night was billed as a 'Greatest Hits' set, whilst the second was to play songs from their new album "The Missing Peace". This review was of the first night and of course we were treated to all their hits. In fact it was very nearly the same set as they played in March (even down to Michael Grant's version of Prince's "Purple Rain"). However we did get to hear 2 new songs from their new album; "The Flood's the Fault of the Rain" and "Speed". As usual Tracii was playing his best, we even got treated to a great version of AC/DC's "Hells Bells". As usual they finished off with "Rip and Tear" where Bernie Torme joined them on stage. Despite a very familiar set, it's 'Never Enough' to see Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns back on stage together as LA Guns.

Rating: 7/10

Setlist:  No Mercy, Electric Gypsy, Hollywood Tease, Over the Edge, Bitch is Back, Sex Action, The Flood's the Fault of the Rain, Speed, One More Reason, Kiss My Love Goodbye, Don't Look at Me that Way, Purple Rain, Malaria, Hells Bells (instrumental), Never Enough, Jelly Jam, The Ballad of Jayne and Rip and Tear.

The Iron Maidens - 29 October 2017, O2 Accademy Islington, London

Not strictly an 80's Metal band, but they are the only Iron Maiden female tribute band in the world! Iron Maiden are one of my favourite all time bands and having missed out seeing The Iron Maidens a year ago at the same venue,  I wanted to see them this time around. The stage was set with a plethora of Iron Maiden gimmicks which certainly set a good atmosphere. Their set list not only plays the Maiden classics but also songs they very rarely play ( "Infinite Dreams", "Losfer Words" & "Flash of the Blade") or have never played live ("Alexander The Great" - this was worth the admission alone)! Their musicianship was of the highest quality with the singer (Kirsten Rosenberg) doing her best Bruce Dickinson impression ("scream for me London")! For their encore they had a guest appearance of Maiden's original vocalist, Paul Di'Anno, on "Wrathchild" and "Iron Maiden" (with an Eddie doppelgänger running through the crowd!) Thoroughly entertaining. If you can't get to see the real Iron Maiden, then these girls are the next best thing.

Rating: 8/10

Setlist: Intro - Doctor Doctor, Churchill's Speech, Aces High, Infinite Dreams, Wasted Years, Losfer Words (Big 'Orra), The Trooper, Flash Of The Blade, Can I Play With Madness, Montsegur, Number of the Beast, Alexander the Great, Running Free, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Wrathchild, and Iron Maiden.

W.A.S.P - 27 October 2017, O2 Forum Kentish Town, London

Confession time! I think I might have been the only person here tonight that had not listened to the "The Crimson Idol" album in full! Apart from the singles ("Chainsaw Charlie" & "The Idol", the rest of the album was a mystery to me.In the age of Spotify, I should have listened to the album before going to the concert. I didn't so my mistake! I got the impression that this was good album, however I went home from the concert disappointed. The clue was the title of the tour - "Re-Idolized: The 25th Anniversary of the Crimson Idol".Don't get me wrong, I like W.A.S.P but playing an album in it's entirety that I'm not familiar with, well that's my fault.Despite my misgivings it was a packed Forum and all around me the crowd were really getting into it. On stage were video screens showing film snippets that were specially made to back up the album. I found them a bit distracting especially when they kept repeating themselves.Once the album had been played in full, the encore consisted of a 'classic hits' set of 5 songs. Again I was disappointed, why play "Golgotha", when they have plenty of other songs in their back catalogue! W.A.S.P these days just consist of Blackie and as he is now religious some songs won't even get a look in ("Animal" for example). Hopefully next time I see them I would have finally got round to listening to "The Crimson Idol"!

Rating: 5/10

Setlist: The Titanic Overture, The Invisible Boy, Arena of Pleasure, Chainsaw Charlie (Murders in the New Morgue), The Gypsy Meets the Boy, Doctor Rockter, I Am One, The Idol, Hold on to My Heart, The Great Misconception of Me, (ENCORE): The Real Me, L.O.V.E Machine, Wild Child, Golgotha, I Wanna Be Somebody.

Great White & Marco Mendoza - Friday 20 October 2017 - Camden Underworld, London

Preceding their appearance at the Rockingham Festival in Nottingham, Great White managed to squeeze in a long overdue gig in London on the Friday night. This was a great chance for me to see them having never seen them live. This is the “original” Great White version now with Terry Ilous on vocals. However Jack Russell’s version will be in the UK next March (sadly no London date planned though). Promoting a new album “Full Circle”, this proved to be a greatest hits set with only “Big Time” being played from that aforementioned album. Kicking off with “I'm Alright”, it was quickly followed by “Call It Rock n Roll” and “Lady Red Light”. Despite the early start ,both band and crowd were both on good form and up for an energetic night. However the pace slowed down when the stools came out for “House of Broken Love”.  Both guitarists, Mark Kendall and Michael Lardie proved that they are still excellent players. By the time we got to the last 2 songs of the night, “Rock Me” and sing-a-long favourite “Once Bitten Twice Shy”, the crowd were well and truly hooked!

I must make a mention to Marco Mendoza who was a very special guest that night. As part of his ‘Viva La Rock Tour’ he played a highly enthusiastic 10 song set. Not only a great bass player (and singer) he was really humble and entertaining (especially his walk out into the crowd). Promoting his compilation album (Viva La Rock), the best of the set  were “Let the Sun Shine” and “Lettin’ Go”. The gig wouldn't have been complete without a Thin Lizzy song, finishing with “Chinatown”. Now I need to see him play with The Dead Daises.

Rating: 8/10

Setlist:
(Great White) - I'm Alright, Call It Rock n Roll, Lady Red Light, (I've Got) Something for You, Big Time, Desert Moon, House of Broken Love, Save Your Love, Mista Bone, Face The Day, Can't Shake It, Rock Me,   Once Bitten Twice Shy.
(Marco Mendoza) - Let the Sun Shine, Hey Baby, Lettin’ Go, Hole in My Pocket, Look out for the Boys, God Bless the Child, Still in Me, Higher Ground, Chinatown, Your Touch.

Marco Mendoza

Great White - Michael Lardie, Terry Ilous & Mark Kendall

LA Guns - Saturday 25 March 2017 - O2 Academy Islington, London

Who would've thought it then, but Phil Lewis & Tracii Guns are back together again in LA Guns for the Reloaded 2017 UK Tour.However sadly no Steve Riley on drums for this tour (Shane Fitzgibbon replacing him). The last time LA Guns played in London was in 2011 when the 2 versions were doing the rounds; Phil Lewis & Steve Riley and Tracii Guns (with Jizzy Pearl on vocals).Both played the Camden Underworld. However this time they are at the slightly larger Academy which had nicely filled up by the time they came on. An odd choice to kick off their set was "Hollywood Tease", a song from Phil Lewis's first band Girl. This proved to be a good choice which fitted well in their set. What followed was the classic LA Guns songs; "Electric Gypsy", "Sex Action", "Ballad of Jayne" and finally finishing off the set with "Rip and Tear" (with support band Stone Trigger joining them on stage). It was a shame that the set was only 75 minutes long but they played the songs that we wanted to hear. It was good to see both Phil & Tracii enjoying each others company. Ably assisted by Michael Grant on guitar and Johnny Martin on bass this was good dose of LA Guns nostalgia. They are currently making a new album so we await later in the year for some new music from the classic (reunited) LA Guns.

Rating: 8/10

Setlist: Hollywood Tease, Electric Gypsy, Killing Machine, Over the Edge, Bitch is Back, Sex Action, One more Reason, Kiss my Love Goodbye, Don't look at me that Way, Malaria, No Mercy, Ballad of Jayne, Never Enough, Rip and Tear.

Jizzy Pearl Love/ Hate - Sunday 19 March 2017 - Camden Underworld

With the ever increasingly popularity of a band playing one of their albums in its entirety, Jizzy Pearl's Love/ Hate is celebrating 25 years of "Wasted in America" by playing this album in full. Less than 18 months ago the same band did exactly the same for "Blackout in the Red Room" (see previous post's review). Considering how recently he tortured  the UK this was a surprisingly packed Underworld for a Sunday night. Of course these days Love/Hate only consist of the singer Jizzy Pearl. Backed up by a group of UK musicians, we are treated to the whole album plus a selection of favourites from "Blackout". This was a great gig as i had forgotten how good some of these songs are from "Wasted". Great concert! Jizzy, you're always welcome back at the Underworld at any time.

Rating: 9/10

Setlist: Wasted in America, Spit, Miss America, Tumbleweed, Fuel to Run, Cream, Yucca Man, Happy Hour, Tranquilizer, Mary Jane, Time's Up, Don't Be Afraid, Don't Fuck with Me, Social Sidewinder, Straightjacket, She's an Angel, Spinning Wheel, Why Do You Think They Call it Dope?, Evil Twin, Blackout in the Red Room.

Lita Ford - Sunday 12th March 2017 - O2 Academy Islington, London

I didn't know at the time but this was the first time Lita Ford has played London since 1988! This was at the height of her fame supporting Bon Jovi at Wembley Arena which I was there! To be fair I don't remember her playing that night, so I was eager to catch tonight's show. Maybe that is why the Academy was packed for a Sunday night having not played the Capital for 29 years!. Before she came on the intro tape was "Balls to the Wall" by Accept which was certainly played tongue in cheek! Kicking off with "Gotta Let Go", the majority of songs played tonight were taken from her solo career. Naturally we got a great version of "Cherry Bomb" from her former band The Runaway's. These day's her band consist's of Patrick Kennison (guitar), Bobby Rock (drums) and Marty O'Brien (bass). It was Kennison who duetted on "Close My Eyes Forever". Highlights for me was an Elton John cover of "The Bitch is Back" and finishing off the set with "Kiss Me Deadly".  Certainly worth the wait, Lita still proved that she is still better than most guitarist's out there. One final point, she plugged her biography - "Living Like A Runaway". I managed to read a copy a few weeks after the show and I must say that was a great read with some great rock n roll stories. Lita's a true rocker!

Rating: 9/10

Setlist:  Gotta Let Go, Larger Than Life, The Bitch is Back, Playing With Fire, Relentless, Living Like A Runaway, Hungry, Can't Catch Me, Back to the Cave, Falling In and Out of Love, Cherry Bomb, Black Leather, Out for Blood, Close My Eyes Forever, Kiss Me Deadly.

RATT - Sunday 13th November 2016, O2 Academy Islington

So who’s in Ratt these days? Well the version we get tonight is Bobby Blotzer’s and he’s the only original member left. Because he has the rights(?) to the name, this is his version of Ratt.  Not sure what the ‘voice of Ratt’ - Stephen Pearcy (and other Ratt fans) has to say about this, but here is not the time to discuss. Maybe that is why the Academy is only half full. Although it’s been 8 years since Ratt played London, I thought more would be here. However tonight is the chance to hear all the classic Ratt tunes in a small venue. Ably assisted by Joshua Alan (vocals), Stacey Blades & Mitch Perry (guitars), and Brad Lang (bass) we get all their great songs in this 14 song set. They start off with “Back for more” and end with of course with their MTV breakthrough hit “Round and Round”.  All the musicianship was excellent especially Blotzer who was giving it all. Half way through the set he stepped out from the drum kit to address the crowd, thanking us for coming and supporting them.It’s a shame that all original members can’t resolve their differences and get back together. Hopefully more people will then come out and see them.

Rating: 8/10

Setlist: Back for More, Lovin’ You’s a Dirty Job, Dance, Lay it Down, You’re in Love, Closer to my Heart, You Should Know by Now, Way Cool Jr, Nobody Rides for Free, I Want a Woman, Shame Shame Shame, Lack of Communication, Slip of the Lip, Round and Round.

Chris Holmes - Saturday 1 October 2016 - Camden Underworld, London

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

Faster Pussycat - 11 November 2015, Camden Underworld, London

Faster Pussycat are back in London on a short tour of UK.They are one of my favourite bands and on a previous blog I gave them a good review 2 years ago when they played the Underworld. Again the venue wasn't packed, they deserve to play to a bigger audience. I always enjoy seeing them however on the last few tours they don't seem to change their setlist. Lead singer Taime Downe explained that they have just flown in from LA that day but they could have added an extra song ('Poison Ivy') into their 13 song set which lasted approx 75 minutes. Like I said you know what you are getting when they play, such as Taime sitting down on the front of stage monitors for 'House of Pain', and a couple of punk songs sung by Danny and Ace. It was good to see them open their set with 'Jack the Bastard' .Of course we had the favourites of 'Cathouse', 'Bathroom Wall' and closing the set with 'Babylon'. Even the newer songs of 'No1 with a Bullet' and 'Sex,Drugs & Rock n Roll' fit nicely in the setlist. Being the only original member left in the band, Taime is Faster Pussycat and deservedly the main attraction. Maybe next time they come over they can be part of a package playing larger venues. Here's hoping.

Rating: 9/10

Setlist: 'Jack the Bastard', 'Cathouse', 'Slip of the Tongue', 'No1 with a Bullet', 'Sex,Drugs & Rock n Roll', 'Don't Change that Song', 'House of Pain', 'You're so Vain', 'Bathroom Wall', 'New Rose', 'Pretty F*cked up', 'Shut up and F*ck' and 'Babylon'.

Taime Downe - Faster Pussycat

Jizzy Pearl - Sunday 8 November 2015, Camden Underworld, London

To celebrate 25 years of  Love/Hate's debut album, 'Blackout in the Red Room', Jizzy Pearl is touring the UK to play it in its entirety. Despite this not being a Love/Hate concert, the Underworld was busy for a Sunday night. The voice of Love/Hate is doing this as a solo artist albeit backed up by the support band The King Lot. To be fair this 3 piece band from Scotland do a pretty damn good job, playing each song as a perfect rendition of the originals. Jizzy reliability informed us that he hadn't rehearsed, let alone played with these guys until he flew into the UK to do this tour! Rather than start off with Blackout, they finish the set with this song! Instead 'Cream' is the strange choice of first song. However not only do we got all the songs from Blackout we are also treated to the singles from 'Wasted in America', namely 'Evil Twin' and the aforementioned title track. As Jizzy does not do encores, the final song is a great cover of AC/DC - 'Highway to Hell'. Smiles all round especially from Jizzy who always enjoys touring the UK.Here's to another 25 years!

Rating: 7/10

Setlist: 'Cream', 'Rock Queen', 'Tumbleweed', 'Why do you think they call it Dope', 'Fuel to Run', 'One more Round', 'She's an Angel', 'Mary Jane', 'Straightjacket', 'Slutsy Tipsy', 'Slave Girl', 'Hell CA Pop 4', Don't F*ck with me', 'Miss America', 'Spinning Wheel', 'Evil Twin', 'Wasted in America', 'Blackout in the Red Room' and 'Highway to Hell' - AC/DC cover.

Tom Keifer - Thursday 22 October 2015, O2 Academy Islington, London

A roadie at the concert was wearing a T-shirt stating - "Who the hell is Tom Keifer?" Clearly everybody here is aware that he is (and still is?) the lead singer of Cinderella. With the band currently on a hiatus, this is Tom's first solo outing in the UK. Performing to a packed Academy, the majority wanted to hear the Cinderella classics (me included). This he didn't fail, playing a total of 9 of their songs from a 16 song setlist. Starting off with a recorded version of 'Bad Seamstress Blues', the band kicked in with 'Failin' Apart at the Seams'. He looked fit and healthy and remarkable similar in appearance as in the early days. Backed by a more than capable band not only did he preceded to play a mixture of classic Cinderella songs, but also songs from his debut solo album, 'The Way life Goes' and a couple of covers's. Naturally halfway through the set we got some acoustic numbers, 'Heartbreak Station' and 'Don't Know what you got (Till its gone)'. The later he normally duets with his wife (but was at home recuperating), so instead he phoned her up and the crowd sang it to her. Of course we got the rockier numbers of 'Shake Me' and 'Gypsy Road'. We were even treated to a couple of (unexpected) cover versions, 'It's only Rock N Roll' and 'With a Little Help from my Friends'. A great show and he's still a great front man. How about coming back next time with the guys from Cinderella?

Rating: 8/10

Setlist:  'Bad Seamstress Blues', 'Failin' Apart at the Seams', 'It's Not Enough', 'A Different Light', 'Somebody Save Me', 'Shake Me', 'Heartbreak Station', 'The Flower Song', 'Don't Know what you got (Till its gone)', 'Nobody's Fool', 'Solid Ground', 'Cold Day in Hell', 'Coming Home', 'Shelter Me', 'It's only Rock N Roll, but I like it (Rolling Stones), 'With a Little Help from my Friends' (The Beatles), 'Gypsy Road'.

Gunzo - Friday 11 September 2015, Camden Underworld, London

Decisions, Decisions. Also playing in London tonight are W.A.S.P. Do I go and see Blackie and his mob at a larger venue or Tracii Guns (of LA Guns) latest side project at a much smaller venue? As a big LA Guns fan I had already made my mind up, but to make the decision even more easier he has invited along bass legend Rudy Sarzo (Whitesnake/Ozzy/Quiet Riot) for this tour. However on entering the Underworld it seems that the majority have decided to see W.A.S.P. Despite the small crowd where else would you get to see 2 major players from the 1980's up close on such a tiny stage and able to shake their hands? To complete the band line up, Keith St John is on vocals and Shane Fitzgibbons is on drums. As expected we get a mixture of songs from each of Tracii and Rudy's bands -  LA Guns, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Quiet Riot , Dio and Montrose. 6 in total for LA Guns, starting off  with 'Over the Edge' and finishing with 'Rip & Tear'. All the songs sounded great, not just the LA Guns ones but also versions of 'Crazy Train', 'Rainbow in the Dark' and 'Fool for your Loving' were my particular favourites. We get an extended solo/jam from Tracii & Rudy on Montrose's 'Rock Candy' which slightly went on for too long in my opinion. But I guess they still wanted to show the crowd how they were still on top of their game! Don't worry guys you still are. Did I make the right choice? Yes I did. I'm afraid W.A.S.P will have to wait until another day for me to see them again.

Rating: 7/10

Setlist: 'Over the Edge' (LA Guns), 'I Don't Know' (Ozzy), 'Sex Action' (LA Guns), 'Fool for your Loving' (Whitesnake), 'Slick Black Cadillac' (Quiet Riot), 'The Ballad of Jayne' (LA Guns), 'Electric Gypsy' (LA Guns), 'Rock Candy' (Montrose), 'Rainbow in the Dark' (Dio), 'Never Enough' (LA Guns), 'Crazy Train' (Ozzy) and Rip and Tear (LA Guns).

Rudy Sarzo & Keith St John

Tracii Guns

Enuff Z Nuff - Wednesday 13 May 2015, Camden Underworld, London

Since I started this blog, Enuff Z Nuff have the honour of the most reviewed band. This is the fourth time now, twice with original singer Donnie Vie and now a second time with Johnny Monaco. It was less than 18 months since they played here so I was surprised to see them come back to the UK so soon. Maybe because of this, the Underworld was less than half full, which was a shame. I'm not sure what the attendance is like at other venues but I guess the tour is still financial viable (£20 for a T-shirt!) for Chip & co to keep on returning to the UK.To be honest I was expecting the set list to be virtually similar to previous tours. However I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was totally revamped. Of course we still get the staple songs, "Fly High", "New Thing" and "Baby Loves You" but now we have some new and old additions to the set. Although they have a new covers album out 'Covered In Gold', sadly they didn't play anything from it. They did however play "Jet" by Wings which was a good choice. A good mixture of songs were taken from their debut, 'Strength', and 'Animals with Intelligence'.It was good to see a welcome return to 'Indian Angel' I still find it odd that we get a guitar solo from Monoco. I know what a good guitar player he is, however I much rather have an extra song (i.e. 'We're Alright'). Aside from that, an enjoyable concert. I will never get enough of Z Nuff.

Rating: 8/10

Set list: Kiss The Clown, One Step Closer, There Goes My Heart, In Crowd, The World is a Gutter, For Now, Superstitious, Indian Angel, I've Fallen in Love Again, Day by Day, Holiday, Good Times Are Hard To Find, Baby Loves You, Long Way to Go, Jet, Fly High Michelle and New Thing.

Chip Z' Nuff

Johnny Monoco

Enuff Z Nuff - Camden Underworld 13 May 2015

  

Winger - Saturday 21 June 2014 - O2 Academy Islington, London

Confession time. I was never really a big fan of Winger in their heyday. I saw them support Bon Jovi at the Astoria in the early 90's but at the time was only interested in the headliner. Oh how times have changed as now I'm really keen on seeing Winger especially having missed them at Download Festival the previous weekend.With a new album out 'Better days commin' getting good reviews, I revisited their back catalogue to reacquaint myself with their songs. It was good to see the Academy packed for their last date on their brief UK tour. Starting off with 'Midnight Driver of a Love Machine' from their new album, this was quickly followed by an old favourite 'Easy Come,Easy Go'. Their setlist consisted of a mixture of both old and new songs. Although the main focus was naturally on Kip himself, the band consisting of Reb Beach (guitar), Rod Morgenstein (drums) and now John Roth (guitar), all showed their music music prowess by each performing solo's. Unfortunately this stifled the show somewhat as a couple of extra songs could have been played. We even got a rendition of 'Happy Birthday' for Kip (53 if you're interested). Halfway through the set, Kip swapped bass for keyboard for 'Miles Away' and 'Headed for a Hartbreak'. Finally they finished their set with 'Madalaine', 'Seventeen' and finally with a cover of Van Halen's 'Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love'. Fabulous stuff. Kip will be back in September for a solo date at the Boarderline. Another chance to experience a fabulous night out.

Rating: 7/10

Setlist: 'Midnight Driver of a Love Machine', 'Easy Come,Easy Go', 'Hungry', 'Pull Me Under', 'Down Incognito', 'Deal With the Devil', 'Stone Cold Killer', 'Rat Race', 'Miles Away', 'Headed for a Heartbreak', 'Can't Get Enuff', 'Blind Revolution', 'Madalaine', 'Seventeen' and 'Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love'.

Kip Winger