Album & Live Reviews

‘Cheap Liquor’ is the debut release from vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Joel Gibbons. Released 18th November to Spotify it finds Chatham’s Gibbons pulling together new songs with tracks that have been made available over the last couple of years. With no credits to work with I’ve reviewed this from the assumption the Joel is playing and singing most parts on the tracks. There’s a wide range of styles displayed amongst the seven tracks. Opening track “Free Me” has a distinctly southern rock feel with layered guitars fitting comfortably into the groovy southern rock of Blackberry Smoke, Whisky Myers, and similar bands. The drumming here has a tribal feel that synchronises well with the guitars. Contrasting to “Free Me” track six, “Forever” shimmers with its simpler charm producing a power ballad that counterpoints the other heavier tracks that are around it. There’re acoustic guitars at the forefront here, electric ones embellishing the choruses. The bass rumbles through the whole track and it’s all glued together by some syncopated drumming. Between these two tracks Joel gives us some bluesier moments in the title track choruses, shifting into heavier mode for the verses but keeping things down and dirty. For the rockers there’s “Big Love”. Full of youthful energy and enthusiasm it delivers in a style that reminded me of Def Leppard circa “On Through the Night” or “Pyromania”. There’s further evidence of Joel’s desire to rock hard on “Break Even” and “A Long Time”. The former has the staccato style of sharply defined notes that bands like Judas Priest and Skid Row favour, which should be no surprise to anyone who’s followed Joel’s YouTube output or read any of his online profiles. “Break Even” also has a stop-start tempo and an atmospheric quieter passage before the sound fills back in for the end of the track. Both tracks have some nice guitar work in the solos. According to Spotify “Through the Streets” features Joel Hoekstra. This track closes the album with an up-tempo rocker that has a rowdy chorus and the best solo of the set (Hoekstra?) In places the production seems a bit muddy (I was listening through Spotify so that may play into this) and some of the elements would drop in and out of balance. However, without knowing what equipment was involved and how much multi-tracking was going on its not something I want to draw too much attention too. Joel wears his inspirations proudly. There’s nothing wrong with that, plenty of artists first recordings clearly showed who they were indebted too, Rush, Queen and many others started off sounding like Led Zepp, The Sheep dogs still have moments when they turn into the Allman Brothers, The Struts have never hidden their love of Queen and all things glammy. What matters is that all these bands grew from their debuts and established their own sound. In many cases becoming bands that would inspire those who followed them. There’s a tenacity on display here that makes you think of the underdog fighter looking for his shot at the crown of his heroes. It will be interesting to see if Joel’s next steps see him developing into his own musical identity. “Cheap Liquor” is available on Spotify.

‘People make Glasgow’, was the perfect summary of the energy presented In the Hydro last night when The Snuts tore it apart! The Snuts are a band I’d heard some of my friends rave about, but I never really listened to them much, that will change after my experience from seeing them live. There is something special about watching a band from your hometown, fill out one of the biggest venues in Britain and watch them have such a positive effect on effect people’s lives. On Friday, after a tough week of school and more and more stress leading up to exams, I made the impulse decision to buy a ticket and join my friends in Glasgow for the gig that night. We hatched out a plan on how to get there but soon realised maybe we weren’t quite cut out just yet for travelling to Glasgow and back. We spent a long-time trekking in the rain, sitting in the city centre maccies trying to figure out how were ever going to make it to the venue in one piece. Eventually after giving up, I called my dad and got him to sort us an Uber we made it to the venue at last. I was sad to have missed the first supporting band but shortly after we arrived and fought through the the crowd ‘The Academic’, a band from Ireland, came on. The Academic were loved by the crowd and they were the perfect support for The Snuts, playing a similar genre that went down well with the audience. They had a lot of energy that kept up with the young fans (this was one of the only gigs I’ve been at where I didn’t see a single bald head). They played a short but powerful set. My friends and I were ready for The Snuts! As I was waiting for the band I took a minute to look around as I have never been in the standing section of the Hydro before. I realised how massive it was and how many seats were filled out. I was surprised when I saw the gig was in a venue this big but it just proved how many listeners and fans The Snuts have. It was great to see them performing in the same place I saw The Cure and the same place I dream to see Kevin Bridges! At around 9, the lights turned off and with the crowd were screaming, literally screaming, it sounded like a primary school playground in the best way possible. They kicked off the set with their track ‘Millionaires’. The crowd picked up on it instantly and I found myself in the centre of the mosh pit. I have to say I didn’t expect this - their music didn’t seem like the type to start a mosh. They continued on with playing tunes from the most famous to the more underground of their tracks. Their energy was amazing to see and be part of. It was great to see a young band and young fans. Singer, Jack Cochrane, clearly felt that too smiling, as he was, throughout the entire show. Throughout the night, when they were speaking to the audience, it was obvious how authentic and genuine a band they are. Jack spoke about the struggles the band went through when trying to break into the industry and what it was like to be making music whilst growing up in Scotland. These thoughts paired with some more of the slower tracks from their setlist like, ‘Top Deck’ and ‘Somebody Loves You’ this was of my favourite songs of the night. Everyone, even strangers, had their arms were around each other, it was such a bonding moment and reminded me of why I love concerts so much. The sense of community and belonging shined through in this song. After coming on for their encore, they played a couple of their most listened to tracks, ‘Glasgow’ and ‘Gloria’. ‘Glasgow’ was one of my highlights and having the ‘PEOPLE MAKE GLASGOW’ sign on the big screens just made it a proud Scottish moment. They wrapped the show up and we went home. The Snuts were a great experience and well worth the ticket. I was really impressed by their gratitude towards their fans and the people who support them. I’ll wrap this up with a chant repeated many times that night by the crowd, ‘F*ck the tories!’, that may get cut out but I thought it was great!

The Damned were one of the pioneers of punk back in the strange days of the mid 1970’s; they are also one of the last of the originals still standing. There have been changes of line ups, fall outs, fall ins, relationship breakdowns and relationship repairs; but they are still here. The current line up contains three of the original four members, something of a record at this stage of their career. Their journey has been a long and rocky one, but they are still here and, for that, us old punks are thankful. When I say old, I am really starting to mean that. The venue was sold out on Thursday night, the demographic were not as angry as a ’77 audience might have been, there were far fewer spikes, padlocks and safety pins on display, but the punk audience and attitude was still there. What is ‘punk’ has changed too, and, I think, in a good way. It was great to see a pair of fans, one on a stick and the other just looking after them together at the front - proper punk Barrowland’s is not a place I have seen The Damned play before, indeed, their visit to the venue on Thursday night was the first time they have played the ballroom for over 30 years. As Andy and I munched our pre-gig beer and burgers, there was much to look forward to. By the time we got to the venue we were just in time to hear the last couple of Fleshtones songs. I’m sorry we missed most of their set, these guys are compatriots of the Ramones and came out the same 1970’s CBGBs scene in New York. Their sound absolutely reflected their heritage. I hope they come back again. Next up were a band I last saw when they supported Alice Cooper in 1986! Doctor and the Medics arrived on stage sharp and certainly made the most of their time. The Doctor was resplendent in a checkerboard cloak, checkered eye make-up and dark shades. He was living his part. Now, the thing about most of these retro-bills, and tonight it was definitely one of those – this that, with a few notable exceptions, the bands can play. Tonight, I thought the Medics nailed it. They sounded great and the Doctor carried the show with all the theatrical charm and vocal ability needed to captivate the crowd in spades. I hope they do a tour of their own. On tonight’s evidence, they would easily fill one of the smaller venues full of enthusiastic fans. They were a great pick for this support slot. The lights were out, the backing track was on and The Damned wandered onto the stage. Then, bang, the bass line that introduces “Love Song” blasted out and we were off. “Machine Gun Etiquette” and “Wait for the Blackout” made up the rest of the opening salvo. Dave Vanian, the only constant in the revolving door of the Damned dressing room since the first record, prowled the stage from the off. Back shades, black jacket, shirt and gloves, he was every inch the goth demi-god. The original goth and still, in my view, the coolest front man, not just in punk, but pretty much anywhere. He made the front stage his own. “Plan 9, Channel 7” and “Stranger on the Town” sat well together and “I Just Can’t Be Happy Today” lifted the crowd. This was a really assured performance by a band, who in their more mature years, have discovered, well, maturity. The Captain was still there and still a force behind the humour that sets The Damned apart, but it was his guitaring that was front and centre tonight. Similarly, Monty Oxymoron took up a berth at the back of the band. I really enjoyed his playing and thought the work he did on the keys really added a positive element to the band’s sound. The defining part of the band was, however, the rhythm section. Paul Gray, in his black cap and aviator shades, patrolled the stage all night. So much of The Damned songbook relies upon a strong and prominent bass line. Paul and his red Rickenbacker blasted those parts out giving the music a fantastic gravity. “Rat is back in the box” was the Captain’s shout at the end of the main set, just after a mini drum solo from Rat Scabies. The fall out between Rat and the Captain has been well documented, but that was nowhere in evidence tonight. Rat watched the Captain all night, possibly as throw back to when the stripy topped one was on bass. The pair kept an eye on one another and their chemistry was evident. Rat was always a top drummer and age has not lessened his beat; those skins took an absolute battering. He was the wrapper that brought the band together and really underpinned the sound. It was good to see him back in the fold. “Gun Fury”, “Noise, Noise, Noise”, “Ignite” and “Neat, Neat, Neat” brought the set to a close. I guess one of the things that has kept The Damned relevant is their ability to move between genres - punk, goth, pop they were all represented tonight. The only bit that left me a bit unsure was the psychedelic parts of the night. All very well played, just not my thing. “Is she really going out with him’? “New Rose”, my personal Damned highlight, brought the first encore of the night to an end. Unfortunately, it also brough our time with The Damned to a close. By now the clock had turned 11 and we had 18 minutes to make the 23 minute walk back to the train station. We missed “Smash it Up” and “Sanity Clause”. which was disappointing. We also missed our trains, which added insult to injury! The Damned continue to be one of the shiniest of the punk crown jewels. They might all be approaching or passing their three score and ten, but they show no sign of age or of slowing down. On tonight’s evidence, there is much left in the tank. I hope it's not another 30 years till they return to Barrowlands. If they do decide to wait 30 years, I am pretty confident they will all still be going, still falling in and falling out but will still be the best punk band in the world.

The Old Dr Bell’s Baths is a new venue to me. It is in Leith and is, ordinarily, a wedding destination. It is an old, Victorian, swimming pool. The architecture, the height of the ceilings and the shape of the hall all, very much, point a pool being in the middle of the room. As I wandered in, I thought I could smell chlorine but I’m just guessing that was psychosomatic but you get the picture. The venue is a large white walled room with chairs set out for around 100 people. The stage was no more than 6 inched high. Bearing only a seat and microphone, it didn’t give any performer a place to hide. Tonight was to be a stripped back affair. Rhona and I got there in time to see the second artist of the night, Ciara Watt, take to the small stage. Clutching her semi-acoustic guitar, Ciara gave us 30 minutes of love and loss, friendship and teenage angst. She also threw in a bit of “Caledonia” too. I thought Ciara had a great voice and knew her way around a guitar. She also seemed, to me, to be very comfy in her own songs and the emotions that came as part of those. I really enjoyed Ciara’s half hour and hope to see her again. The first time I came across David B Archibald was in 2018. His band, “The Rising Souls”, were headlining the new bands stage at the Ramblin’ Man Festival in Kent. As I recall it, when they took to the stage there were around 15 of us in the tent, that doubled for the festivals third stage. By the time they finished, the tent was full. The last time I saw David was, again with The Rising Souls, but this then it was in King Tuts in Glasgow. A new guitarist had been recruited and the band were pushing on. Sadly, that push was not enough and they folded. I was really sorry to see that happen, I thought then that they were a band with many good things in front of them and, they should have achieved more success. Fast forward to last Saturday night and I was delighted to see David and his guitar take to the stage in this old swimming pool. It struck me that this evening was something of a showcase, an opportunity for the singer to introduce new songs, not just to friends, (and there were a lot of them there), but also to paying customers who may not have been just as familiar with his work. I felt tonight was a small, but significant step, along David’s musical journey. As I said, tonight offered no hiding place but David Archibald’s voice certainly needs no place to hide. He has a mighty vocal and a range many established singers would envy. He took us on a voyage of soulful music, tinged with Americana, bluegrass and country. His time in Georgia clearly influenced his music, and for the good - even though he had to pen tunes by a cold lake so as to not upset his neighbours! David has returned from America and is back in his hometown. The set ends with “Edinburgh” a song all about David’s early relationship with that hometown. This was a song I particularly enjoyed and it made for a powerful end to the night. Tonight’s hour sped by. Since I first saw David play I have loved his voice and followed his output on social media. I am so pleased he is back home, and the muse is still upon him. I very much hope he gets the big break he, and his voice deserve, if you’ve not heard him before, find his stuff and give it a listen. If you like a big bit of Scottish soul, you won’t be disappointed.

When is a gig not a gig? There has been plenty of talk in rock circles about holograms taking over, most recently after KISS “retired” again recently, but long-time-resting Swedish pop sensations ABBA have actually pulled it off with a lot of help from the people who do the visual effects and animation for Gladiator and the Star Wars reboots and a ton of financial backing. Everything about this production is on a huge scale. It necessitated a lot of hi-tech work, digital imaging and motion capture technology in advance and the show goes on in a purpose-built 3,000 capacity arena near Stratford in East London. They don’t allow any photos or videos at the “gig” to preserve the element of surprise, so we won’t do any plot spoilers either, other than to say that this is a fully-immersive experience with animation, big screens, a live band and, of course, some very lifelike avatars performing on-stage. I had gone off the music of ABBA a bit over the years, probably due to an overload of crap karaoke, dodgy themed hen nights, shite tribute bands, and that awful film with Meryl Streep, the pish James Bond and the lassie with the big eyes from Ted 2. Here however, it all came alive again and it was nice to see tipsy people of a certain age enjoying themselves. Naturally it was a greatest hits set-list including a tribute to a certain Peri-Peri chicken restaurant – yes, we can hear the drums for Nandos! There were a few surprises though and there was also some decent riffage in tunes like ‘Waterloo’ and ‘S.O.S’ so I did feel like dancing from the neck up on a few occasions but some of the mature ladies were giving it laldy throughout. The avatars were quite believable, even in big screen close up. They say that the eyes are the key to the soul and that might be the only slight give away, but the emotions were real by the end of the show and the winner does still take it all. Frankly, if you are willing to suspend belief and reality enough to accept DC and Marvel movies, Sci-Fi in general and get into cos-play tribute bands, then you can definitely easily get on-side with a top-quality avatar / AI musical experience. I can assure you that this experience did not suck. It was not cheap though – but still less expensive than the going rate for recent big gigs at the OVO Methadome in Glasgow. Some other Rockfiend colleagues concur and one of our guys actually went to see ABBA Voyage the day after a Foo Fighters gig at nearby London Stadium and gave both events a resounding thumbs-up. Is this the future of rock & roll? Naw – it isnae. But it is a legitimate part of the future and although it will never replace actual gigs, it can supplement your musical enjoyment and it is a fabulous way to enjoy the songs of icons you cannot actually see perform, or perform well, anymore. ‘Elvis Evolution’ opens in London in May 2025. Hopefully it won’t be like the Glasgow Willy Wonka experience. I am pretty sure that KISS do have the fan base, finances and clout to do one and it wouldn’t be a shock if Queen did something Freddy-themed in the future too. It could be all aboard the avatar train in a few years. But what do you think?

This gig was part of the ‘Virtual Summer’ Tour in support of Sam’s excellent album of the same name. Unfortunately, in Edinburgh it was “actual winter” and absolutely chucking it down with rain. “Cold never bothered me anyway” my arse – I was f*cking frozen! Fortunately, The Devil’s Forfeit were on hand to warm the cockles of the heart, not least singer Angela Grace, who was a veritable ray of sunshine in a bright red top. The four-piece band have been together for about a year now and hail from Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders. They specialise in old school bluesy-rock but with a few musical spritzers. ‘Outer Lines’ was a notably good song and ‘Wonder’ was one “to get your groovin’ shoes on” for, as Angela correctly stated. Whilst the focus is inevitably drawn to the eye-catching singer, the boys in the band have got something going on too. One of the songs had an almost Strokes-ian riff and bass line and there was another with a dreamy ‘Last Dance with Mary Jane’ feel. Guitarist Elliot Waugh even got to sing part of a song that might have been called ‘Hold Your Breath’. On the day of the gig, the band had released a new single entitled ‘For the Money’ which Angela got the tambourine out for while the rest of the band took the music to the Bayou for some down south jukin’. Their last song of an entertaining and well-received set was ‘Playing with Fire’ and I think having The Devil’s Forfeit as a support band would be a very welcome addition to any line-up in 2025. Towards the end of the support slot, Angela asked the crowd if they were looking forward to Sam Millar? “Aye – he’s a sexy wee man” was one response and the former Bigfoot singer certainly looked the part as he took to the stage with his shirt / blouse open to the navel. Naturally, most of the set came from the ‘Virtual Summer’ album – a sneakily good record that generally dwells on the sunny side of rock music, although he started with ‘The Killing Floor’ before moving onto ‘Fooling Yourself’ and the wonderful “woah-oh-ohs” of “Something I’ll Regret”. It was clear that all was not well though, even before Sam announced that he was “not having a good day”. This was almost certainly to do with a weird sound mix that had the vocals submerged and Sam was clearly having trouble even hearing himself. A round of fireball shots for the band briefly lifted the spirits a bit before Sam introduced ‘Forbidden’ as a song about “having a big fat w*nk in a bathtub” and I needed some fireballs too after that just to get ‘Saltburn’ TV flashbacks out of my head. The band were very audible though, especially the drums, and Benji Faith played a stormer on the bass; playing well, throwing shapes, hair-twirling like a good ‘un and even venturing into the crowd for a bit of a play around. Back on stage, the great songs kept coming, like the very modern break-up song ‘Showbiz’, the throbbing intro to ‘Déjà vu’ that seemed very familiar and ‘Chardonnay’ – the obligatory girl’s name song with the bonus posh bevvy reference. It’s just a shame that the singing was verging on inaudible as these songs were crying out for a big stage, big lead vocals and even bigger backing vocals. The last song was ‘Neanderthal Man’ and you just knew there wasn’t going to be an encore in the circumstances. To be fair, it is unusual for bands to suffer bad sound at Bannerman's but tonight it was a case of regret for what could have been. Despite a night to largely forget, I would heartily recommend ‘Virtual Summer’ as a bright and fluffy antidote to the winter blues and a worthy addition to your Santa list. I remember seeing another Sam – Sam Ryder – playing to a tiny crowd at HRH AOR in Rotherham with his melodic metal-core band The Morning After, long before he broke through via Eurovision and Space Man. I think Sam Millar might also have the talent, sass and charisma to break-out and I’ll certainly be watching out for another chance to see Sam and his band live in better circumstances.

Back in the west on what was a nightmare journey to get to the venue thanks to a suspicious package causing gridlock around the grey and cold streets of Glasgow…..no matter it can only get better from here on in. Well, that’s what I thought. First of a number of us trusty togs were waiting patiently for our pass, then waiting more….and more until they finally arrived just as the opener Ayron Jones was finishing his set. So, apologies for no photos or any review of the opening act on this short 5 stop UK Tour by Kentucky rockers Black Stone Cherry. But onto our opening act Skillet. Not a regular visitor to our fair shores and that was referenced during the set when frontman John Cooper mentioned that the last time they played the UK was with Nickelback in 2013. The 4-piece hit the stage and it was obvious that a fair portion of the crowd had come to see them. Plenty of fists in the air and the appreciation was loud. A nice 11 song set and plenty of lights were afforded to the band. Guitarist and wife of frontman John is the bands purple haired whirling dervish tonight. While the band are labelled as a Christian Metal band there is nothing along the Stryper lines of lyrics that make it obvious. There are touches of industrial and grunge rock in here as well and some uber melodic songwriting. John even had a moment to adorn a smoke wielding “flame thrower” contraption for one of the songs that he didn’t play bass on. Unfortunately, due to the poor sound in the Hydro, a common theme sadly, you didn’t miss the bass as it was inaudible for most of the night. A great set though and I’d like to see the band come back but play in a smaller venue more suited to them headlining. On to the main act Black Stone Cherry. 17 years ago, the burst onto the Glasgow stage as youngsters bring their riff laden music to our ears. And hailing from Glasgow, Kentucky a bond was made straight away. After numerous tours the band reach us on what is the final leg of their Screaming At The Sky tour. Playing a mixture of new songs from the album, the trusty “have to play” songs and some that haven’t been heard for a while. Spanning a vast amount of their catalogue the band are on it from the drop of the massive white curtain hiding the stage set. Me And Mary Jane is a strong fan favourite and it’s obvious from the get go that this is going to be a hard-hitting night. On the big stage that any hair metal 80’s band would be proud of guitarist and energy bunny Ben Wells covers all of it….4 ramps and an upper stage at the back are adequately run over countless times. His Fitbit must have been worn out never mind him! “New” bass player Steve Jewell also must have dropped a few pounds in weight as well and he gave Wells a run for his money on the steps gained front. And none of the energetic movements detracted from the playing. With frontman Chris Robertson handling most of the lead guitar work tonight he was centre stage mostly leaving the 2 to run around everywhere. Credit also to John Fred Young who was also a flurry of arms thanks to his drumming style. He must be one of the most under-rated drummers out there. Even when he dropped a stick he never missed a beat. Impressive work. So, bone crunching heavy riffs were laid down all night with hit after hit until we got to the emotion laden Things My Father Said which Robertson stood and sung on his own with some stunning guitar work. He did say that this song is different every time…. sometimes if brings him to tears in memory of his late father, yet other times just makes him smile in appreciation. We are treated to a Kentucky version of American Horse as originally done by The Cult and Ayron Jones and John Cooper join the band onstage to give us a trio of vocalists. Finishing off the night are bangers White Trash Millionaire, Lonely Train and Blame it On The Boom Boom. Boy this was epic to say the least. After a short break and the inevitable “Here we, Here we, Here we f**king go!” chants Robertson and Wells return to the Glasgow stage for a lighter version of Peace Is Free. In this age of wars, conflicts and general unrest in the world the message in this song is clear. Peace IS free and can we just not get on with each other. Robertson gets into the thick of the crowd and delivers part of this song in amongst the rock faithful before making his way back to the stage where the song is finished with all 4 blasting it out before taking their bows. Black Stone Cherry are UK favourites and especially in Glasgow and we were treated to a non-stop balls our rock show tonight. With new material in the works, we probably won’t see them for a couple of years but they will be welcomed back with open arms.

The 6th album from Stefano Lionetti’s Lionville marks the start of a new chapter. Until now, the glorious honey-tones of Lars Safsund have brought life to the songs but the microphone has now passed to Alexander Strandell of Art Nation, who has previously contributed to bands like Crowne and featured to great effect recently on the brilliant Nitrate album ‘Feel the Heat’. The riffy and throbbing ‘Heading for a Hurricane’ opens the album and you can immediately detect a harder edge to Alexander’s vocals in comparison to Lars on the verses but he hits all the sweet spots in the chorus. It’s definitely a noticeable change in tone but it certainly works all the same. Stefano is still the main song-writer but his long-time collaborator Lenny Macaluso is also involved. He masterminded Stan Bush’s ‘The Touch’ from ‘Transformers: The Movie’ and you can easily pick out the 80s vibe on songs like ‘Gone’ and ‘Breakaway’ although ‘The One’ might be the pick of the bunch. Overall, this is a very nice AOR / melodic rock package. The change in style from the smooth West-Coast-style Safsund vocals to the more conventional melodic rock voice of Strandell is noticeable but it still works. It would be a shock if Lionville are not added to the bill for Frontiers Festival in Milan next year and lucky gig-goers in England will get a chance to see Alexander Strandell perform with Art Nation on the H.e.a.t / Chez Kane tour in January.

It looks like W.E.T are back then. The melodic rock “supergroup”, comprising Jeff Scott Soto, Erik Martensson and Robert Sall, had been quiet for a few years but it appears they have a full album ready to go with release likely to be early in 2025 via Frontiers. The first single, Believer, has just been released and it is, of course, up to the usual standard. I interviewed Jeff a few years ago and he told me how it is getting more difficult for him to sing in the higher register best suited to W.E.T but he is in fine form on this song, supported up by some epic modern backing vocals that sound like they have been hyper-produced in the studio, Queen-style. It is a high-tempo song featuring a fine short guitar solo by Magnus Henriksson and ticks all the right boxes. With rumours that a Work of Art album is also in the works, it sounds like 2025 could be a vintage year for classy melodic rock.