The previous night i should have been seeing Royal Republic at Koko in London. I decided to skip it as was already getting a bit tired after the few shows i’d seen in a row. Gave my Royals ticket to my mate Rob.This way i could relax a bit more before the next gig.
As my sister had been admitted to hospital,i was initially unsure if i should go to this gig or not. In the end, i decided to go in the hope that it would take my mind off how my sister was & cheer me up a bit. Got to Nottingham a bit later than usual, but still had time to check in my hotel, go out for food & then relax a bit back at hotel.
I won’t bother going into depth about this gig, but can surely say it was “just what the doctor ordered” ! The venue was rammed & everyone seemed to be having a great time. Ok, there a couple of sound issues here n there, but nothing enough to ruin the show.
There were some real funny moments from Justin (as always).
They played a lot of the old classic Darkness songs & it was a really long set.(Probably getting on for 20 songs). It still puts a smile on my face when they play “Christmas Time (Don’t let the Bells End)”…we even got fake snow showering down into the crowd. It was cool when they jammed snippets of “Immigrant Song”,”Sweet child Of Mine” (with the crowd doing i fine job of singing) & “Thunderstruck”. The show finished with “I Believe In A Thing Called Love”. Yup, a great night out !
So the morning after that “wonderful” (sarcasm) experience in London, i took an early train back up to my spiritual home of rock n roll; namely, Rock City, Nottingham. Once there, checked into my usual hotel & chilled for a while. I briefly tried to reflect on last night, but couldn’t as it was such a shitty experience ! So draw a line under last night & move on. At least today, even before it starts, i know the Airboure always put on a good show, so i know it will lift my spirits 🙂 It’s a sold out show, so i’m sure it’s gonna be a great night.
Everything ran smooth with regards to entry & getting a seat on the balcony. The way it should always be 😉
I’d never heard of the opening act “Wild”. Didn’t really do a great lot for me tbh.
I was quite interested to see what “Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons” would be like. It was everything i was expecting 😉 It’s quite amazing to see the “change of look” of Phil Campbell since he joined Motorhead back in the 80s. I’m sure Lemmy would be proud of the impression he had on him over the years.
They played a pretty short set tonight & of course, it had to include a couple of Motorhead songs, namely “Born to Raise Hell” & finished with “Ace Of Spades”. Whilst it was a decent set, i doubt i’d go see them headline anywhere.
So now the real fun starts….Airbourne. I’ve never seen a bad show by them & you can always rely on Joel to put on a show & do some “silly” things along the way (Will never forget when he climbed up the rigging to the top at Download festival 😉 )
There’s a short intro tape before they hit the stage & show us they’re “Ready To Rock” 😉 Next up it’s “I’m Going To Hell For This”
At the end of the song, Joel shows his appreciation for Rock city, by saying ” Nottingham Rock City ! No matter where we go in the world, THIS is the best gig ever ! “. That’s something i’d agree with 🙂
We then get a song from their debut album “Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast”. It’s kind hard to believe that it was released over 10 years ago ! ( What a great debut “Running Wild” was ! They set the bar high & have continued to release more albums of the same quality over the years)
Next, it’s a couple of songs from the last album they released (“Breakin’ Outta Hell”) “Down On You” & “Rivalry”. Before “Rivaly” Joel tells us all : “I know it’s a midweek show & I know you’re going to work, or university tomorrow…but you know what? There is no fuckin tomorrow ! You’re LIVIN RIGHT NOW ! You could always go to work with a hangover or you might not show up. Fuck the boss man “!
As an aside,”Breakin Otta Hell” was released back in 2016 & they’ve been touring it for about 18months. They certainly do work hard to entertain the masses on a global scale.
During “Girls In Black”, Joel does his usual thing of coming out into the audience, carrying on playing & culminating with him smashing the can of lager on his head until it squirts all over everyone. Great showmanship !
We next get “Bottom Of The Well”, closely followed by “Breakin Out Of hell”. Both full on typical rock n roll songs.
Before “It’s All For Rock N Roll” Joel says that Motorhead will live forever. As i’m writing this, it’s just been announced that Fast Eddie Clark has died. So that means all of the “Classic” Motorhead members have left this earth. Let’s hope they’re up there jamming together. Joel dedicates the song to Lemmy & also Malcolm Young. During the song, a flight case is wheeled onto the stage & on the side of it it says “Lemmys Bar”. Joel then pours out 4 Lemmys (JD & coke) for the band members. He also shares his with the front row of the crowd.
The main set finishes with ” Stand Up For Rock N Roll”. Then over the PA we hear the sound of an aeroplane or a “Bomber” a la Motorhead 😉 This is accompanied by an air raid siren being wound on the stage. I also notice a guy down in the press pit who’s holding up a drone & waving it over the crowd. I assume he’s got a GoPro attached to it & is filming it. (Interesting & different use for a Drone eh?) After the siren finishes, the band are back on stage & proceed with “Live It Up”. During the song Joel throws some beers into the crowd. A mate had said when he saw them in London, he couldn’t work it out he he pretty much threw them with nothing coming out during flight.I suppose there must be a knack to it. But tonight, pretty much every one he threw out spilled a bit ! Maybe he was a little over excited at being in Nottingham & it being the last night of the UK tour ? 😉
The night ends with a rousing version of “Runnin Wild”.
Tonight has been fantastic. Really enjoyed the show. Also, most certainly made up after the shitty time in London 😉
The following day, i travelled on to Birmingham to see PVRIS. For this show i’d chose to have the M&G ticket option.I’d had a plan to do something a bit unique & special for my niece as she couldn’t be there. Unfortunately, i’d not had any email to say what time the M&G would be happening etc. I always like to have full info about the schedules etc, so this one i didn’t feel so comfortable about it. After the shitty experience in London a couple of days back, i really wondered how this one would go. In the end, i didn’t need to worry about it as the day/night in Brum just got better & better……
Nowadays, i prearrange to have a seat/stool when i go to gigs. There were a bunch of shows i was going to at Rock City & i sorted those over the phone. A couple of days before H.E.A.T. at the Rescue Rooms, i realised i’d not sorted out a seat for that one. I tried phoning the venue, but couldn’t get through to anyone. Couldn’t even leave a msg on the answerphone as it was already full. I tried messenging the venue via FB & still no reply. Come gig day, i’d still not had any reply. I was getting a bit paranoid about how this was going to go.
The night before this gig, i was up in Leeds, seeing Wolf Alice @ The Academy. Everything ran smooth with the security, letting myself & Lorah in early etc. As i’m travelling down to Nottingham, i’m thinking “Hope security will be as good as they were in Leeds”.
Once in Nottingham, i go check in to my usual hotel “Roomzzz”. “Oh, it’s you again ! How are you?”. They’re getting to know me there now 😉 After a bit of a relax in my room, i ventured out to get some grub. Along the way, i had a quick look to see if there was a queue outside Rescue Rooms, but there was no one there. After food at the Roebuck, i made my way back to the hotel. As i walked past Rock City, i saw that Opeth were playing there tonight. So wondered how much this would effect the sales of tix for H.E.A.T. (damn, i hope they open the balcony !). After hanging at the hotel for a while, i went to Rescue Rooms a bit earlier than usual. There was only a small queue. I opened the side door & had a chat with security, telling them that the venue had not replied etc. A couple of them looked at each other & laughed ” Yeah mate, that’s the usual thing that happens nowadays!”. They were decent chaps. I asked if the gig would be busy, considering Opeth were playing around the corner. “Yes mate, i think it’s close to selling out”.One of them got me a stool & even carried it up to balcony. Once up there, i saw they’d put the merchandise out downstairs on the raised area on the left. Security chap said “Believe it or not, by having the merch there, it loses space for over 100 people. So it will be very packed down there”.
Eventually everyone was let in & the place soon filled up.
I hadn’t heard (of) the support acts before. The first band “Black Diamonds”, were entertaining in a “cheesy ’80s throw back “sort of way 😉
But gotta say, i loved “Degreeds” set way more. So much so, that i filmed a couple of songs. I’ve since bought 3 of their CDs. They’re a quality band.
I noticed the chap next to me had been trying to (not very) stealthily record (audio) the show & asked if he’d done it all so far. Apparently, he’d made an error & he’d not got one of the sets. I asked if he was gonna do H.E.A.T. & he said he would try. So obviously, i asked if i could get a copy 😉 He didn’t seem like he wanted to share it. When i told him that i had got loads of old shows from Rock City in the ’80s, he seemed a bit more interested 😉 But so far ,i haven’t managed to get a cdr copy of H.E.A.T.s set 🙁 I later found out from Scott that this chap was part of the Grimsby crew who’d travelled to the gig.
It didn’t seem that long before the Grenn Frey song “The Heat Is On” was being played over the PA.(A great way for the band to take the stage)
No messin about, they hit us hard with a new one,off the latest album “Into The Great Unknown”, namely “Bastard Of Society”. A great song to start off with as even though it’s new, it still has the trademark H.E.A.T. sound we all know & love. Next up, it’s back to the early days, with the great sing a long song “Late Night Lady”
Erik briefly mentions that “…We’ve been waiting for so long….Nottingham it’s like the second city (after Stockholm) which i’ve spent most time in ! It feels so good to be back..we are honoured…Thank you for making this a sold out show. Thank you.”
We then get another song from the original H.E.A.T. album. The song is “Straight For Your Heart”. It’s kinda strange thinking how they had a different singer on those first albums. Erik really fits well in the band & he really does justice for those older songs. Let me say now, i was a bit late to the “H.E.A.T. party”. It was the album “Tearing Down The Walls” that really got me into the band & 2014 was the first time i saw them live. I really wish i’d heard them sooner than that. Now we get a classic from that album, namely, “Mannequin Show”. I bloody love this song !
Towards the end of “Beg,Beg,Beg”, Erik decides to crowd surf to the bar to get a shot (of redemption? My bad). The crowd glide him along & he makes it to the bar (with only a few people “touching” him along the way). Once there, after having a shot, he looks up to the balcony & i know exactly whats going through his mind ! He’s gonna climb up to us. I must be blessed some kind of way because when i saw them at Islington Academy in 2014, Erik jumped into the crowd almost next to me & he carried on singing amongst his brethren (i caught it on camera as well). Tonight, he climbs up to where i am & once again i’m capturing it! Talk about luck…
He then wandered around the other side of the balcony, before finally finding his way back to the stage.Next up it’s “We Rule” closely followed by “Time On Our Side”. What a show this has been & we’re only about half way through ! Sometime during the gig,someone in the crowd throws up some underpants! What does Erik do? He obviously puts then on his head!
I’m not really a fan of drum solos. The only ones i’ve ever really enjoyed were by either Cozy Powell or Neil Peart they did something special. So when the drum solo starts tonight, i’m thinking “hope it’s over quickly!”. But to my surprise, it was rather cool ! “Crash” played to “Flash”, if you get my drift.
Following that, we get a whole bunch more fantastic classic H.E.A.T. songs. How about this for the home run : “Breaking The Silence”, “Living On The Run”, “Eye Of The Storm”, “In & Out Of Trouble”. Makes me breathless just thinking about it !
During “Living On The Run” Erik just cannot stay on the stage so he jumps down into the crowd & they all sing along with him…”Hey someones touching my ass” 😉
The main set finishes with “Inferno”. Before playing it, Erik says ” Nottingham we love you ! Unbelievable ! Unbelievable ! I’ve got goose bumps on my balls! ” (That’s not something you hear very often lol) It always cracks me up when he sings the line ” I like to drink & masturbate” :-). But what a fantastic song this is. Great vocals & they all just rock out like crazy. This is the kind of gig i live for. Everyone having fun both on & off the stage.
Obviously, they come back for an encore , they treat us to “A Shot At Redemption”. Fantastic stuff & what a way to finish this most excellent night.
I loved every minute of this show.
Afterwards, i went for a quick pint at The Gooseberry Bush, then back to my hotel.
There was a little drizzle as i walked to the train station. Nothing too much. The trains ran fine & was soon at Nottingham. First stop was Argos as needed to collect a couple of things i couldn’t get in Boston. Then checked into Roomzzz hotel. “You’ve been here before haven’t you? So i don’t need to go over everything with you again?” She was correct 🙂 I got a nice room, almost at end of corridor (The best place as you won’t get people walking by late at night 😉 ) I relaxed for a while, then made my way into town to get food.(Yeah, my usual place lol). Walking back to hotel,as i went past Rock City, i saw a chap queuing who i recognized, so stopped & had a catch up with him. (The funny thing about us knowing each other was that i often saw him at various gigs. I think it was at Wolf Alice Leeds 3-16 that we started chatting. I said something like “Ive seen you at a few gigs & recognise your face”. Coulda knocked me down with a feather when he said he was also from Boston! Small world !) After our chat, i went back to the hotel to relax a bit more. As is the usual preocedure nowadys, i went back to RC about 15 mins before doors, talked with security about having a prearranged seat in balcony, then whilst waiting, had another chat with Nige B. Soon got in, at my fave spot on balcony.
First act tonight were “Superfood”. Can’t say they did anything for me. Second act was a band from New York, called “Sunflower Bean”. They were pretty decent. I enjoyed their set. They also got a good reaction from the crowd. Apparently, they’ll be coming back to Nottingham soon & will be playing The Rescue Rooms. Need to check out their album.
There was a pretty quick turnaround before Wolf Alice came on. I noticed the floor was absolutely rammed. The lights went down & Wolf Alice slowly walked onto the stage. From the off, the crowd was very loud. Pretty sure tonights set list was the same as in Amsterdam. Second song in ” Yk Foo ” really livened things up. Already, there were a couple of mosh pits down there. When they played the familiar opening riff of ” You’re A Germ”, the room just goes crazy! It went to another level. You could also see that Ellie was really enjoying herself. THIS is the Wolf Alice i’ve come to love. “You’re Loves Whore” is fantastic.
The more i think about it, i realise that the Melkweg show was nowhere near as good as Rock City. It had been bugging me that i felt something was “missing” at Melkweg but couldn’t put my finger on it. I now realized the thing that was missing, was the great Rock City crowd 😉 Don’t get me wrong, Melkweg was great night out, but Rock City was another level up 🙂 Tonight’s setlist was similar to the other shows i’ve seen on this tour. I think they just made slight changes as to where the songs were in the set. The night ended with the double wammy of “Blush” & “Giant Peach”.
Once my train arrived in Nottingham, i made my way to the hotel via The Roebuck Inn 🙂 Upon checking in, the receptionist said to me ” Ah, that’s a name i remember. You’ve stayed with us a few times haven’t you?”. I confirmed this & told her i’ve a bunch of bookings coming up & could she make sure my room is at the end of a corridor, away from the lifts. I told her that Emma,the manager, had agreed to this after i had a bad nights sleep due to a herd of elephants walking by. She smiled knowingly 😉 (The “herd of elephants” was in fact a very noisy bunch of women,i assume on a hen night 😉 ) I then spent most of the afternoon in my room.
Doors were at 6.30, so went down to rock city about 6.15. Spoke to security about getting a barstool & all went fine. There was already somone in “MY” spot (lol) so i had to move a little to the left. Pretty sure there had been a M&G earlier & that’s how my fave position got took. After a while, my Nottingham friends Jason & Kirsty joined me. Had a bit of a catch up & prepared for the opening act. Tonights show is sold out. It looks very packed on the main floor.
The support act, ” Ho99o9 , were pretty terrible. It seemed most of the audience didn’t like them. The singer (I use that term very lightly lol) seemed to take offence as someone in the crowd voiced his opinion of them. I couldn’t believe it when he went down to the barrier & took a couple of punches at said audience member. I think that security were caught off guard as they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. But they soon swamped him (the band member) & pushed him back to the stage. The perpetrator is on the right in this photo :
Personally, i think their set should have been cut short & he should have been kicked out of the venue due to what he did. I mean, if the tables were turned, the audience member for sure would have been ejected. He needs to understand that being up there, not everyone (anyone?) is going to like what they do & there will be certain knocks along they way. His shouldn’t be punching an audience member.I won’t say anymore. This incident even made the local paper :
http://www.nottinghampost.com/news/local-news/man-rock-city-punched-member-594308 Finally it was time for Papa Roach. The intro music plays then there’s an announcement saying ” Attention This is a serious announcement. Full participation is required. Now put your middle fingers & repeat after me ,FUCK PAPA ROACH ! FUCK PAPA ROACH ! YOU MUTHA FUCKERZ !”. The audience duly complies 🙂
The band kick off with a new one, which is also the title of the latest album, namely, “Croocked Teeth”. There’s plenty of audience interaction with fist pumping the air claping & sing a alongs. Bloody love it
Next it’s an old classic “Getting Away With Murder”. I soon realise that the lighting is a bit of a pain as they are using a lot of lights which are pointing out towards the crowd. This seems to be the norm nowadys. Hardly any bands use follow spots at the back of the room unless it’s in a huge arena.
Next song is “Between Angels & Insects”. About half way through, Jacoby gets the crowd to part. Will it be a “circle pit” or a “wall of death” or just everyone going crazy??
You guessed it; the latter 🙂
Tonight there is a good balance of new & old songs. The next new one is “Born For Greatness”. Pretty much all of the floor gets bouncing along to this. There’s also some great vocals from the crowd. Everyone together & having a bloody great time. A chap goes to the pit/barrier & films it all. Jacoby says “You guys are insane!”
A couple more older songs follow. The audience sings along to “She Loves Me Not”. Then another classic “Scars”. That’s followed by another new song “Periscope”. Seems to go down well. Jacoby then tells the crowd they’ve been a band since 1993…also, “Some of you fuckerz weren’t even born then ” LOL He then asks if “Everybody wants to get rowdy”. Next it’s something unexpected; a great cover of Blurs “Song 2”
We get a couple more new songs ; “Traumatic” & “American Dreams” & it’s soon encore time.
What a way to finish the night ! We get “None Of The Above”(new song), then two old classics which are part of Papa Roachs DNA ; “Dead Cell” & “Last Resort”
Wow! What a night !
I quickly say my goodbys to Jason & Kirsty, then make the long journey to my hotel….ok it wasn’t really that far ! In fact it was next door to Rock City 🙂
As they had the usual club night on after the gig, it meant i could get a bit more sleep. That was needed. Especially as the following day i was travelling down to London for “Indie Daze” all dayer !
I had a last minute (as in they phoned the day before!) consultation with my Oncologist before setting off for Nottingham. Had been awaiting results of my last M.R.I. As expected, the tumor had once again grown. From now on i’ll be having MRIs every two months.
I’d been looking forward to this gig but was really unsure how i’d cope, as previously when they played the Basement i’d always be down the front. With a low stage, viewing from the back would be rubbish. So i thought i’d try it from down on the barrier. Didn’t even bother asking for a stool.
Train journey was fine, checked into “Roomzz”, then went for some food. Afterwards, back to the hotel to chill. Was meant to be meeting Danny before the gig, but it fell through due to the interviews they were doing. A funny thing before going in, i had someone ask me if i worked at Rock City. Been a while since that happened lol
Once inside, i went front left & kinda hung onto the barrier. After a while, my old mate Nigel Natrass came over & we had a good catch up. Hadn’t seen him in ages. More regular faces turned up, namely Rachel, Andy, Jill & then Fi Stimpson.
The support act were a local band, ” Cut The Heroics “. Apparently it was a last minute thing they got the gig. They were ok, but tbh i was just waiting for the headliners.
I noticed they had a video camera at the back of the room. Turns out they were gonna stream it live. (Thought to myself ” I wonder how much of the band will that show ?)
Eventually the VMs came on kicking off with old classics “Dead Man’s Shoes” , “Halo in Her Silhouette” & “Portrait of Red”. The new guy, Ross, had some sound issues to start off. This was first time i’d seen him with the VMs & i was very impressed with his performance. Pretty damn tight & he coped with said sound issues very well.
Whenever they play “I Wanna Take You Home”, i always think of a certain young lady who i’d like to…haha no clues 🙂
Next we get the first new song which was recently uploaded to VMs page. ” Sweet Loretta ” is the first of 3 new songs tonight. It’s very powerful in the live environment. It has that distinctive Virginmarys sound.
More classic stuff follows “For You My Love” , “Running for My Life” & ” Into Dust “. We’re about half way through the show now & everything is just flowing on stage. My VMs friends near me all have huge smiles on their faces…well, that’s not when they’re singing all the words at the top of their voices 😉 The room has come alive.
Next up it’s “Falling Down ” Just look at that sweat pooring off Ally 😉
Nowadays i find that listening to “Moths to a Flame” always brings tears to my eyes. I can so relate to this song after my shitty 2016. I’m still holding on…
We then get another new song ” Sitting Ducks “. From my position, i could see it listed on the setlist clearly, but, for whatever reason, i keep thinking “Shitting Ducks” ! Yeah, i’m strange i know lol. Another new song that has the typical VMs spirit to it. We’re then transported ” Off To Another Land” . Again,classic stuff.
The last new song of the night was ” Through The Sky “. It has a very “bouncy” beginning. A nice song with a great part for a sing a long towards the end. The band are bollock tight with the finish. Spot on.
The adrenaline rush continues with a frantic version of “Just a Ride ” Then the main set finishes with the immense sounding “Ends Don’t Mend”.
They encore with “Motherless Land” & “Bang Bang Bang”.
A good night for sure. I’m quite proud of myself for making it through the gig without dropping back. But it also made me realise, i cannot really do that again. As the phrase goes “My mind says yes,but my body says no” 😉
A couple of other things about the night : Ally said they will record more songs & release eps before a full on album. There was an incident on the right side of crowd where some dickhead was getting over rough. Security eventually intervened. (From what i read online late, the bloke was not only kicked out,but, the police were involved also). Oh yeah, totally forgot i met another lad who i randomly met at gigs a few years back , James Chamberlain. Nice to catch up mate !
Finally, because they had the crappy disco/club night on afterwards, security were really pushing to clear everyone out. So it was all a bit rushed for anyone who wanted to quickly meet the guys from the band. I was stood with Rachel, waiting for Andy & Jill when an old guy asked Rachel if i was her husband ! So funny 🙂 Upon leaving the venue, i couldn’t believe how many kids were queued up to get in ! Said my goodbyes to my friends & was soon back at my hotel…for yet another sleepless night. Roll on The Borderline gig 😉
Originally i fancied the idea of doing a few dates on the tour. But because i had to wait around to see if i had any hospital appointments etc, i had to hold back. Unfortunately, a couple of shows sold out & it didn’t make sense to do what was available. In the long run, it was probably for the better as i’d got a dry cough a few days before the show & i wouldn’t have hacked it. Damn it bugs me sometimes that “my mind says yes, but my body says no”. Whatever…
Got to Notts mid afternoon & checked into Rooomzz. Then just chilled as doors were not till 7pm tonight. Later i met up with a mate & we went for a quick drink. I’d arranged it so he could get in early with me. About 15mins before doors, we go to check everything is set up correct. The same dickhead security guy was there as the TPR gig …” i’ve arranged for a bar stool & early entry..”. Him ” You need to contact the venue manager about that !” Typical confrontational attitude from him ! Me “I’ve already done that…” He shuts the door. He’s about as much use as a chocolate tea pot ! Undetered, i once again phone management. I get a very courteous reply & he says he’ll come down soon to take us in. Got up on balcony & a bar stool was no problem.
Right now, Anthrax are in a very good position. They’d took their time before a proper Euro tour & released a great new album. Announcing they were going to play all of their classic album “Among The Living” was another factor to the interest this tour is generating. Most of the venues seem to be selling out & they totally deserve it.
The first act was “The Raven Age”. I’ve seen them before & wasn’t really impressed tbh. Whilst there’s no denying their hearts are in it & they try to put on a show, i just don’t see anything different or unique about them & a bunch of similar small bands nowadays. Sorry. I think their strongest song is the last one they played tonight.
Pre-Anthrax a bunch of classic songs are played over the PA. It seemed like everyone was singing the chorus to “Run To The Hills”. The vibe in the room has gone up a lot.
The brief intro “Impaled” has a solemn & mournful sound to it. Almost like a funeral march. But tonight will be anything but that! It’s a celebration of all things Anthrax. Going straight into “A.I.R.” they set their agenda for the evening. It’s heavy as hell & the crowd is into it straight away.
“We are the warm up band for Anthrax by the way. We have no name, but we go by the name of something close to the band…whatever” (Scott is kinda laughing as Joey says this) “Hey, how ya all doing?” *cheers from crowd*. “This one is Medusa!”. An absolute classic to my ears. We’re then brought up to date with “Blood Eagle Wings” from the latest album “For All Kings”. This is such a huge ,huge song ! Probably the most epic song they’ve ever wrote. In the live arena things go to another level. I bloody love this song (no pun intended). There’s the usual crowd interaction as “Be All, End All” starts up. It feels like everyone in the place is singing the guitar/vocal part ” Woah-Woah-Woah” ( & how someone near me sounds so out of tune/time on this i have no clue lol). The main set finishes with “Breathing Lightning”. It’s another typical “Anthrax riff” sounding song.
During the interval, the stage set is changed around somewhat. There are now various raised areas on the stage. It just fits perfectly – a big show in a small(ish) room.
Lights go down again & the classic Blues Brothers intro starts up, going straight into “Among the Living”. Tonight they’re playing the full album, though not in the same sequence as the release. It’s like being transported back in time, yet the songs are still as vibrant today as they were back then.
I look down on the main floor during “Caught in a Mosh” & cannot help wishing i was in amongst it all. Looks like hella fun down there. It’s great to hear these old songs played tonight. During “I Am the Law” i remember seeing them at this very venue & i was on the main floor. It was pretty crazy down there ( As an aside, i also saw them in Leicester & Sheffield back in ’87. The covered “Living After Midnight” at both of those shows & Rock City got “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”)
It’s pretty cool to hear these next few songs ,which i think have not been played much over the years : “A Skeleton in the Closet, Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.), A.D.I. / Horror of It All”.
Charlie teases us by playing the drum intro to “Indians” a few times. The audience forms a circle pit & once again it’s like being in 1987 ! Classic stuff.
The show finishes with “Imitation of Life”. But of course, that cannot be all we’re getting ! They finally come back for another encore & truly finish with ” Antisocial” (A cover of the song by French band “Trust”).
What a night ! Just quality abound. THIS was the Anthrax tour we’ve been needing for years. I think they are now at their peak (but would love for them to prove me wrong).
It’s amazing when i think about seeing them open for Metallica around the UK back n ’86 & how their career has ebbed & flowed over the years. Truly an amazing live band.
I quickly say goodbye to my mate & then walk the long distance (lol) to my hotel next door 🙂 For whatever reason i don’t know, but, i had an awful nights sleep. Maybe it was the buzz of the gig or just some rubbish going around my head (there’s been a lot of that recently). Following morning i go down for the “Grab & Go” breakfast quite early & take it back to my room. When i finally decide to check out & take an earlier train than previously planned, i go for seconds at the “Grab & Go” 😉
I took a later train than usual as it was a much quicker journey. Checked into “Rooomzz” hotel & had a little relaxation before going to the venue. After the total clusterfuck with entry at rock city a couple of days back, i phone Rescue Rooms to arrange everything again….& try make sure no one pinches my stool like what happened at the last gig here ! Whilst waiting to be sorted out, i bumped into Rob Maher. Hadn’t seen him in ages. Was just about to have a chat with him & security said i could go in. Tonight it was a much smoother entry 😉 Got the spot i wanted & the bar stool was in place.
About 30mins after doors, the lights go down & it’s the familiar sounds over the PA as the intro to “Heaven in the Back Seat”. The band are right on it. Hard to believe this song is so “old”. As with most of they’re songs, there’s a timeless quality to them. Oh, just need to point out that they have a stand in bassist as Ed Poole is away doing his other gig with Bonnie Tyler in New Zealand. Next up we get “Attracted to the Animal” (from the 2nd album ” Delectable”). 3rd song, from 3rd album is “Touch” This is quite interesting. Did they do it deliberately or was it just the way it happened to be albums 1,2,3, ? Not that it matters, it’s all great stuff. Next we get another from the album titled “Spin”. This time it’s the song “Radio”. It’s great to see everyone up on stage really enjoying themselves. Whilst the audience isn’t exactly jumping around like crazy (you don’t get that at RD shows) they are very appreciative. I see a couple of lasses, a few people back, who are really into it dancin away. That’s good to see.
It’s now time for a bit more audience participation during ” Bittersweet. ”
There’s only about 4 more songs left & they just seem to fly by. These last songs are “Alive” , “Inside Out”, the super emotional “I Cry Myself To Sleep” & finally ” Wild Child “.
Not long back i saw “Heart” at a couple of UK shows & forgot that they had covered ” Wild Child “. They play it slightly different, but of course, it’s Romeos Daughters song & cannot be topped 😉
So that was a very nice warm up to this evening 🙂
After a while it’s time for Tyketto. Tonights show was a rearranged date from last year (as was the whole UK tour). Considering it was a Sunday, there was a fantastic turn out. Just goes to show that if you have a quality line up people will come. During the intro tape, something that stood out to me (apart from the classic music clips) was when the narrator said something along the lines of “…..switch your phones to camera mode….”. I thought that was pretty cool, as i take that as they’re accepting the fact that so many people nowadays will not only take photos, but also record short clips. (Oh how times have changed since i snuck my video camera into Rock City back in ’95 & filmed their gig secretly 😉 ) I guess some of the crowd have been doing this for a while as the guys directly on both my left & right seemed to film the whole show of their Panny TZ cameras 😉
Tyketto kick off with, er… ” Kick Like A Mule ” 😉 After that, Chris plays the memorable riff to “Wings” & Danny asks ” …Nottingham are you ready to sing?..” But of course we were ! Hey it’s Nottingham & a pretty much full house.
After Kick, they go straight into ” Wings “. Such a classic & mighty fine vocals from the crowd. No holding up, we get another timeless classic ” Rescue Me “. Man, only 3 songs in & the night is on fire already. Judging by the smiles on stage, the guys are having a fantastic time.
About midway through tonights set they crank out “Dig In Deep” followed by the amazing “Standing Alone” . It’s astounding that after all these years Danny sounds as good as he ever has done.
There’s only another 5 or so songs before the end of the set. They finish the main set with “Love To Love”.
Of course, there’s been a song missing tonight & it has to be the encore as it just defines Tyketto. Yup, you guessed it, “Forever Young”. What a great night out it’s been.
True to their word, both bands came out afterwards for chats & photos. You don’t have to pay extra for that unlike some bands. (Though of course it’s cool if the punters buy some merchandise as it all makes a difference 😉 )
I go downstairs to briefly meet/chat with Leigh & Craig. Walking up to Leigh, it’s so nice she says ” Simon ! I saw online you were coming “. Again, it’s nice when someone you’ve admired for years says something nice like “…it’s good to see you’re still going to gigs despite what you’ve had to put up with..”. That means the world to me, thank you. Both Leigh & Craig seem taken aback when i show them where i had my brain biopsy done. We were talking about gigs at the same time & i said in my lifetime i’ve been to over 900 shows. Craig kinda misheard me & thought i’d had that many operations ! Leigh soon put him right though 😉
All in all, it was a great night out. Two quality bands for a very reasonable ticket price. These kind of gigs are so much better than arena shows as far as i’m concerned.
It still puts a smile on my face when they play “Christmas Time (Don’t let the Bells End)”…we even got fake snow showering down into the crowd. 
It was cool when they jammed snippets of “Immigrant Song”,”Sweet child Of Mine” (with the crowd doing i fine job of singing) & “Thunderstruck”. The show finished with “I Believe In A Thing Called Love”. Yup, a great night out !
