GIN ANNIE UK Album Launch Show

Having booked up for this show as soon as it was announced last year it had been something I had been relishing for quite some time. Making sure arrival was in plenty of time to catch all three bands on the night which for the money to get in was an absolute steal especially with the aim of supporting some fantastic bands.
Host for the night was Pete K. Mally and he did a superb job of gearing the crowd and introducing each band seamlessly tying proceedings together.

First up was Operation Guillotine, a band that I knew little about prior to the show which is maybe my failing on not doing my homework on this one, or possibly that I reside in Plymouth and they are from Coventry but who knows! In all fairness there was a pretty decent crowd to see these guys which is always refreshing to see as so many times at gigs the masses flock to the bar and give little attention to support acts. They are fronted up by Alice Clarke on vocals and she clearly looks like she is having a good time, all the time, with cheeky sideways glances to photos being taken and not afraid to get in the faces of the crowd at the front with great movement all over the stage which can sometimes go missing from bands these days but is all important as the visual spectacle is almost as essential as the audio content. They have a wide-ranging mix of influences and this is displayed in the songs they play and the clear enjoyment from what they are doing and the rest of the band play tight as a unit with Fogal, Rhys, Ben and Kate completing the quintet. The first song from them was ‘No Victory’ which was produced and mixed by Jay shredder and Alice revved the crowd and had them hands high and clapping. They played a half hour set which included ‘Shotgun’ and ‘Underneath The Lights’ just 3 of the 4 singles released from last year with ‘Burn’ a track that in a short space of time I have really taken to and the song they finished on. Sandwiched in-between was an unusual cover of Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ which may not be to everybody’s tastes but it’s all about the surprise element and the ability to have a great time on the stage and not to take things too seriously. It didn’t matter if people loved or loathed it, Operation Guillotine played a great set which was even greater to watch.

Statement from Denmark hit the stage lauded as big hitters in the Danish hard rock scene and these guys made fast friends with the boys in Gin Annie on the ill-fated European tour supporting Diamond Head last year. They looked hungry to entertain the crowd and seeing that this show was their UK debut who could blame them. These guys are up to 3 albums into their career with some decent pedigree behind them as Niels Alex has played alongside some greats such as Dio and Motorhead as well as some big festivals. Jannick Brochdorf leads from the front with real presence offering up some great clean and blistering vocals, the music is loud and heavy with Niels on lead guitar, Lars on guitar and rounded off with Martin and Dan on Bass and Drums respectively. It’s a far heavier approach than that offered by the first act but hits the mark with tracks from their new release which I haven’t had the pleasure of yet – ‘Force Of Life’ which was of course the main focus for their set with ‘Feeling Scared’ the driving force in kicking off proceedings. They thrashed through a host of their other songs and this was mighty music as Jannick’s T-shirt suggested as they ploughed through an unexpected cover of ‘California Dreamin’, unexpected by the majority who were witnessing this juggernaut of a band from Denmark for the first time. It worked on every level, not least meaning the crowd had a song that they recognised to sing and cling onto. A first for me seeing them and the hope is they visit these shores once more after this tour has concluded.

So, the stage was set for one of the most anticipated shows in the rock calendar! The men of the moment Gin Annie set to rock The Slade Rooms to its foundations with packed crowd in the house. They threw themselves into ‘New Bad Habit’ from the album but like a lot of Gin Annie songs this has been around for a while which makes it easy for it to be fan’s favourite from the off and the singing commenced and this was followed by ‘All I Want’ and the anthemic ‘Fallin’ with the crowd in full voice again and the guys loving every second of it. ‘Dead and Gone’ another new one from the album goes down like a fine wine before the lyrically cheating number and one of my favourites from the album in the shape of ‘Next 2 Me’. Things were slowed down somewhat for the dedication to close friend Martin Hall who had sadly lost his battle with cancer and the feelings clearly raw as they paid tribute to him with the brilliant ballad ‘Haunt Me’ the emotion pouring out from Dave Foster was immeasurable and as he sang through the tears it hit me and I imagine many others with just how touching this was to witness, the highlight of the night for me bar none. The guys stormed back with ‘Damage’ and Byron Garbett and Brian Green on guitars absolutely killing it with ‘Bass God’ Phill Hammer lapping it all up with smiles almost etched on his face preening to the photo opportunities! Let’s not forget here the skin beating drumming of Jack Ryland Smith who belts those drums like his life depends on it. ‘Love ‘Aint Here’ from the album follows ‘Already Gone’ which I think maybe the first time it was played on the night but does not feature on the release but went down a storm anyway. Another single from the album ‘Chains’ hits the mark before they finish the night with almost their signature song in the form of ‘Born To Rock n Roll’ and these guys are definitely that, putting in one hell of a show and despite the setbacks that they have faced all within a six-month period with the tour last year and the pledge music problems they just keep going from strength to strength. They clearly love what they are doing and spent the time chatting with fans during and after the show and giving the fans plenty of photo opportunities. If you haven’t been to one of their shows or you haven’t got the album yet ‘100% Proof’, what are you waiting for? It’s killer and I am sure that the upcoming shows in Scotland and the rest of the UK will see them pick up even more fans along the way. The show was everything I expected and so much more and the good fortune is surely coming Gin Annie’s way for the rest of 2019.

RD