Cinderella - Saturday 25th June, Shepherds Bush Empire, London

The last time I saw Cinderella was back in 1991 on the Heartbreak Station Tour at the Hammersmith Odeon. 20 years later and celebrating their 25th Anniversary Tour, they returned to a sell out crowd at the Empire. Now, early this year Bon Jovi announced a London date in Hyde Park as part of Hard Rock Calling for the 25th June. As I missed their residency at the O2 Arena last year I decided to go as I hadn't seen them for years. I purchased my ticket and updated my diary. Then a month ago Cinderella announced a one off date in London on the 25th June. The same day as Bon Jovi was playing! Now we have a dilemma. What concert does one go to? No contest really. I sold my Bon Jovi and bought my ticket for Cinderella! Did I make the right choice? Absolutely! So on a hot Saturday evening at a packed Empire I waited for their first London show in over 20 years. As with their appearance at the Download Festival in 2010, Cinderella still consist of all 4 original members, Tom Keifer (vocals, guitar, piano & saxophone), Jeff LaBar (guitar), Eric Brittngham (bass) and Fred Coury (drums). They were one of the highlights of Download so I was looking forward to seeing them playing again especially as this was a headline set. Starting of with "Once Around the Ride"  from Night Songs they proceeded to play a 13 song set culled from their first 3 albums, the aforementioned Night Songs, Long Cold Winter and Heartbreak Station. Tom Keifer's voice was top class, the problems he has had with his vocal cords a distant memory. A surprise early in the set of  "Shake Me" was soon followed by "Heartbreak Station", "Somebody Save Me" and "Night Songs".  There was a mid set of lull of "Coming Home" and a surprise inclusion of  "Second Wind". When a roadie wheeled out a piano we knew it was time for "Don't Know what You Got (Till It's Gone)" and cue for a mass singalong. The pace then picked up again with "Nobody's Fool" and Gypsy Road". 2 encores followed of  "Long Cold Winter" and set closer of "Shelter Me". Tom's parting words was that they would return, hopefully with a full UK tour this time.
A point to note, Cinderella were supported by Houston. Great AOR sounding band. Check 'em out.
Another point to note, I heard that Bon Jovi played a good gig as well.



Cinderalla Live at Download 2010



LA Guns - Thursday 23rd June 2011 - Camden Underworld, London

This was the second visit for Tracii Guns' version of LA Guns to the Underworld in the last 6 months. Previously I gave them an glowing review. So on the back of that I decided to go again.Would I be so generous this time? Sadly no is the answer. I read that Gypsy Pistoleros had invited them over and that the Pistoleros would be their support, but they failed to play that night. However despite their non show, for me it was a case of familiarity breeds contempt, as I was disappointed by LA Guns's performance. We still had Jizzy Pearl on vocals but there was a change in the rhythm section. Back was Jeremy Guns on bass and a new drummer, Doni Gray. They played a similar set to last time such as LA Guns stalwart favourites of; "Electric Gypsy", "Never Enough", "Face Down", "Bitch Is Back", "The Ballad Of Jayne" and set closer of "Rip and Tear". We even had the same 2 Love/Hate songs, "Black Out" & "Spinning Wheel"! Come on guys, you could have played "Tumbleweed". However unlike last time the Underworld was only half full, despite it being a Thursday night. Those who were down the front seemed to be having a good time (perhaps it was due to the copious amount of beer they were drinking!)  One word sums up tonight's performance, disappointing. I'm now looking forward to Phil Lewis's version of LA Guns here in October.

Jizzy Pearl & Tracii Guns

Journey & Foreigner & Styx - Saturday 4th June 2011, Wembley Arena, London

Having seen Journey at the Download Festival in 2009 I was suitably impressed (not just because they played 'that' song) to check them out if they played againg. Therefore when they announced a tour with very special guests Foreigner and Styx, I decided to go. On paper this is an AOR fans wet dream, the likes of which you would never think that this package would make its way over to the UK. And so it did to Wembley Arena on a hot Saturday evening. Never a great venue for acoustics or seeing the band if you are right at the back but all 3 bands put on a great show. Despite being high up near the back (hence no photo's) I had a great view of the stage.
First up at exactly 7pm was Styx. Now I must admit that the only song I new by them was the soppy 'Babe'. Fortunately they did not play it, instead playing their rockier numbers such as 'Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)', 'Come Sail Away' and 'Miss America'. This may have been due to the twin guitarists James 'JY' Young and Tommy Shaw. I was very impressed and I'm glad I caught all of their set especially as I've never seen a keyboard which spins around at 360 degrees (as ably demonstrated by Lawrence Gowan)!
Next up were Foreigner who played a 1 hour greatest hits set. If I thought Styx were good, Foreigner were even better. Guitarist Mick Jones is the only sole survivor from the original lineup and his guitar playing is superb as ever. Kelly Hansen is lead vocalist these days. not only does he possess a great voice but has a great presence as well. With most of the stage, ramps and visuals on a background video screen at their disposal they certainly put on a fantastic show. Starting off with 'Double Vision', then followed by 'Head Games' this could have been the set picked by their fans. We then had 'Cold as Ice', 'Urgent' and the mandatory ballad 'I Want To Know What Love Is'. By the time they played an encore of 'Juke Box Hero' it felt like Foreigner were the headliners. Magical!
What an act to follow. Were Journey up to it? Sadly in my opinion they were not. Don't get me wrong they were good but maybe their set was a bit too long or I'd seen them before, but for me they lacked a bit of sparkle. However try telling that to 90% of the sold out crowd at Wembley who clearly enjoyed their set. Of course there seems to been a resurgence for Journey due to 'Don't stop Believin' being used on Glee. Starting off with 'Separate Ways' they played an 18 song set ending with 'Lovin',Touchin',Squeezin' to an ecstatic audience. These day's it is Arnel Pineda who is the singer and boy is he good. Not only has he a good set of pipes but a great command of the stage. However he did leave Dean Castronovo to perform lead vocals on 'Mother,Father'. Of course they played 'Don't stop Believin', 'Faithfully' and 'Any Way You Want It'.
Certainly this package was value for money However unlike England (who earlier drew with Switzerland at the Stadium next door), Foreigner were the winners on the night.

T*Rextasy & Aladdinsane - 19th May 2011 - The Orchard, Dartford

First of all I know that Dartford is not in London and secondly the bands I'm reporting on are cover bands playing music from the 1970's! However I don't care as a) it's my blog and I can put what I like in it, b) they both play glam classics and c) I wouldn't get to see them in London. Now that I've got that off my chest let me tell you about the concert.
Two things I noticed when entering The Orchard, firstly it reminded me of a school auditorium (with comfortable seats) and secondly the crowd was off a "mature" age. Neither of this put me off and I was determined to have a good time, and boy did I enjoy myself. As I mentioned these 2 bands were cover bands playing the hits of Marc Bolan (of T Rex) and David Bowie. First up were Aladdinsane who played Bowie songs mainly from 1969-74. The singer dressed like Bowie from this period and certainly sounded like him. Among the songs they played were 'Space Oddity', 'Starman', 'John I'm only dancing', 'Changes', 'Ziggy Stardust','Jean Genie', 'Diamond Dogs', and 'Heroes'. By their final song of  'Rebel Rebel', most people were up off their seats. Thoroughly entertaining and great musicians keeping true to the originals. However my only complaint was that the guitar was not loud enough!
If I thought Aladdinsane were good, T*Rextasy blew them away. Not only were they LOUD, they looked the part especially the Marc Bolan lookalike. They too were excellent musicians. Starting off with '20th Century Boy', they proceeded to play 'Telegram Sam', 'Metal Guru', 'Children of the Revolution', 'I love to Boogie' 'Solid Gold Easy Action' and finishing with 'Get It On'. Suffice to say I spent the whole of their set dancing and playing air guitar! For each band I didn't get their names but you can certainly find them on the net.
I later found out that T*Rextasy will be playing the Islington O2 Academy on 17th September 2011. If you are a fan of T-Rex go and see them, you will not be disappointed. You will certainly see me there.

Tigertailz - Saturday 14th May - Camden Underworld, London

2 songs into their set and Kim Hooker's "knacked"! What is he going to be like at the end of the gig let alone their tour on the 21st! Thankfully we have nothing to worry about as Kim and the rest of Tigertailz make it through a thoroughly entertaining 14 song strong set. The current line includes the aforementioned out of breath Kim Hooker on lead vocals & guitar, along with Jay Pepper on lead guitar & vocals and ludicrous beard, Sarah Firebrand on bass and Robin Guy on drums. They open the show with 'Sick Sex', one of seven songs from the 'Bezerk' album. This was quickly followed by 'Wazbones'. Once we all catch our breath back, they launch into their debut single 'Living Without You' to the delight of a half full Underworld. We get a couple of songs of their latest album - 'Thrill Pistol', namely 'Brain the Sucker and 'Long Live the New Flesh'. We are then treated to a drum solo from the showman that is Robin Guy (ex Rachel Stamp), thankfully not to long but fitted in well in this set. The majority here wanted to hear more off the Bezerk album and we are duly treated with 3 songs in a row. Firstly we had  'Love Overload', then 'Heaven' - dedicated to the late Pepsi Tate. It was good to hear his name being  mentioned more than a couple of times during the concert, showing that his spirit still lives on in Tigertailz, and quite right too. Thirdly we had the audience participation of 'Noise Level Critical' and Kim's fancy footwork!. We are then treated to a Jay Pepper guitar solo - on the back of some samples from Robocop. Now we are on the homeward straight and they finish with 'Call of the Wild'. Due to time constraints we are treated to 1 encore, the unforgettable 'Love Bomb Baby' and it's all over. The band take their bows leaving the stage with big smiles, as do the audience. Snap! Great to see the Welsh glamsters back doing a proper headling tour, it's been a long time boyz.




Kim Hooker - Tigertailz

 Setlist: Sick Sex, Wazbones, Living Without You, I Can Fight Dirty Too, Brain the Sucker, Long Live the New Flesh, Drum Solo, Love Overload, Heaven, Noise Level Critical, Shoot to Kill, Guitar Solo, Tear Your F**ckin Heart out, Dirty Needles, Call of the Wild, and Love Bomb Baby. 

Vain - Monday 4th April 2011 - Purple Turtle, London

Back in 1989 Vain were supporting Skid Row and getting a cover story in Kerrang! magazine. Their album 'No Respect' was a hit due to the single 'Beat The Bullet'. 2 years ago Vain decided to do a 20 year anniversary tour of 'No Respect' with all the original members. Then they played to a packed Camden Underworld. This time they were playing a smaller venue. Sadly without all original members and also without the number of fans. Oh dear not a good start. The first thing that was noticeable when the band walked on stage was that Vain's guitarists were from Deathstars, the instantly recognisable Skinny and the ladies favourite, Cat Casino! Oh dear again! However despite the initial shock both of them fitted in perfectly and played exactly the songs on the records. I later discovered that Skinny was a big Vain fan 20 years ago! For the next 80 minutes they played an entertaining 10 song set, 6 of which were from 'No Respect' the first being 'Who's Watching You'. As usual Davy Vain looked every inch the leader/singer and was on great form despite claiming he was recovering from being unwell. As usual he was telling anecdotes that went on longer than some of his songs! Enjoyable but I'd rather hear more songs. We had 'Love Drug', 'Push', 'Smoke & Mirrors' and 'Whisper'. Davy was proud to say that his band would not take requests as his band is not a requests band. However most of us wanted to hear the songs from 'No Respect' which he duly obliged. We got 'No Respect', 'Secrets' and the aforementioned single, 'Bite the Bullet'. 1 encore of 'Icy' and the gig was over. What a thoroughly enjoyable Monday night's entertainment. Sadly they were never up there with all the other 80's Hair Metal Bands at the time but 'No Respect' is a great album. If you've got it dig it out and give it another listen, if not get it, you'll not be disappointed.

Enuff Z'Nuff - Thursday 9th December 2010 - London Borderline

This was Enuff Z Nuff’s third visit to the UK in 2010. Following on from their joint headlining tour with Faster Pussycat at the beginning of the year and a successful set at Download, they’ve once again returned for a short tour. Having played in London at the Camden Underworld and Camden Barfly, they chose the Borderline to play their intimate London gig. They’ve always had a cult following so it was good to see so many people here to see them (again) in London. Having been delayed arriving at the venue due to the student protests happening in Central London that day, all was forgotten when they opened with “Saturday”. This was swiftly followed by “Baby Loves You” and “We’re Alright”. Two great songs that always get the girls at the front dancing. Donnie Vie was suffering from flu and told us he got an injection in his backside earlier so he could sing tonight. Of course there were plenty of people to assist him vocally throughout their set. Perhaps Chip Z’Nuff had flu as well as he had his scarf on and his coat done up for the entire concert. Still wearing his trademark hat and shades he always looks the coolest musician. Although not 100% fit, by the size of Donnie’s smile, he was clearly delighted to be back in London. After a shot of tequila, he strapped on his guitar, and we were all singing along to “Right By Your Side”. After a cover of The Beatles “Come Together”, there remained only 2 songs left, “Fly High Michelle” and “New Thing”. So after 50 minutes, the gig was over. Short but sweet however they certainly did not disappoint. They said they will return next year, which certainly will not be too soon.

Enuff Z’ Nuff’s set list: Saturday, Baby Loves You, We're All Alright, The Beast, Heaven Or Hell, Right By Your Side, Time To Let You Go, Come Together, Fly High Michelle, New Thing