Classic Rock (January 2020)

INTERVIEWS

























Clutch


A few choice words from the
band’s frontman Neil Fallon.



Clutch’s festive gigs in Britain are
becoming an institution. What makes
them so special?
Well, we started doing them a few years ago
in Europe, and it seems to be a good time for
people to let their hair and their guard down.
Maybe it’s something to do with the coming
of the dark hours and long nights.

The loss of your friend and manager of
twenty-five years standing, Jack Flanagan,
makes the tour bittersweet. Will you be
honouring him in any way? New Model Army
We’re still wrapping our heads around what
happened. Even doing these shows [after his As one of Britain’s most unique and misunderstood bands prepare
passing in mid-October] stands as a bit of
a dedication, and Jack was always the kind of for their 40th birthday, we talk to frontman Justin Sullivan.
guy who believed the show should go on.

A new version of Electric Worry, a Clutch Some groups record in the took a step back and looked at the In a Classic Rock interview
live favourite from 2007, is being released
as a single. What makes it different? Bahamas or similar glamourous bigger picture, including being talking about NMA’s 2013’s
It’s changed so much since we started locations. Why did New Model stuck on this fucking planet which album Between Dog And Wolf,
playing it live, because it used to feature Army visit the tiny Norwegian we’re slowly destroying. you explained that wilful self-
Mick [Schauer, who left the band a decade island of Giske to record their sabotage has always been a part
ago and died recently] on organ and Five fifteenth record, From Here? From Here reached No.13 in of the band’s DNA.
[Oblander from Five Horse Johnson] on We went there because it’s the most the official chart, which is Our attitude has always been:
harp. Now those elements are no longer extraordinary studio in the world. the band’s highest placed whatever they want from you, fuck
presented, we wanted to put a more up-to-
date version of the song out there. I mean, look at the photos of the album ever in Britain. Do such ’em. We used to have an official
place. It’s so bleak and romantic. landmarks still carry any policy: if ever a song threatened to
The band have also curated As a band we love bleak. weight with you? become bigger than the band, then
a Spotify playlist. Not really. As a young musician we’d stop playing it for five years.
Yeah, it’s taken us a long time to deal with Interestingly, Classic Rock’s I used to talk about ‘making it’, And if that annoys some of the
that whole thing [the streaming of music review described the album as whatever that means. What’s more audience, well, tough. It did the
online]. We’re guys of almost fifty, and we “fascinatingly bleak and sparse”. trick [laughs]. It was commercial
like to listen to albums, but we understand
that there’s a new generation that doesn’t Well, there you go then. But besides suicide, they told us. But in 2019
feel the same way, and we must adapt to the landscapes, it’s a state-of-the-art “Our attitude has we’re a band that can do whatever
deliver to these younger ears. studio. We wanted a record that always been: it wants. There’s no song that we
sounded really big, with an ambient have to play.
Did you pick the two special guests, drum sound, and it was the right whatever they
Graveyard and Kamchatka? place to make it happen. Giske is Is there a single greatest
Absolutely. We’ve toured with both bands like nowhere else on earth. On the want, f**k ’em.” misconception about NMA?
numerous times. It makes for a better show last day we threw ourselves into the It kind of annoys me when some
when we’re into the music [of the supports].
sea – it was the coldest water I’ve important is making a living from people think we’re a Chumbawumba,
What do Clutch have in store for 2020? ever been in. it, and we crossed that line back in a Crass or a Billy Bragg-style of
We’re taking three months off, but because 1984. After that it really doesn’t band, where the politics are more
of Jack’s passing most of our time will be Do the album’s lyrics touch upon fucking matter. I mean, who cares? important than the music. Our
spent circling the wagons. We will make new the current political unrest? Last time I looked there was still agenda is entirely musical. We’ve
music but of course that requires us being in No, not at all. Our last album, Winter food in my fridge. even written a number of songs
the right headspace.
[2016], was written before the from standpoints that we don’t
European referendum and Trump. Have New Model Army ever even agree with – including
Do you make New Year’s resolutions?
On January first I am shaving off this damned But we knew all of that shit was made a record that could be trying to get inside the head of
a nationalist – purely because we
described as ‘cheerful’?
going to happen because we’d been
beard at the request of my son who’s nine
NEW MODEL ARMY: GETTY years old and has never seen my face. DL singing about it for years. This time It all depends on what makes you found them interesting. DL
happy. There are some cheerful
we made a very deliberate attempt
songs on the album, but I’ve always
The last date of the tour is in
not to get involved in what
The first date of the tour is December 17.
Nottingham on December 21.
liked songs in minor keys.
everybody’s screaming about. We
CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM 101

Steeleye Span


There’s a lot more to the
band than All Around My Hat.



e talk to frontwoman Maddy
Prior as the folk-rock veterans
Wwrap up a lengthy tour to
celebrate a half-century as a band.


Fifty almost completely uninterrupted
years of Steeleye Span is quite an
achievement. Is there a secret?
No. We never thought it would last this
long. It wasn’t even a question. When we
began, bands never hung around for more
than a few years. So we kind of made it up
as we went along. The bottom line is that
you must be passionate about the music.

Apart from a hiatus between 1978 and
Cockney Rejects 1980, did the band ever come close to
breaking up?
Yes. It almost disintegrated in about 2013,
It’s biggies all night when the band play a special show in London. and then we perked up again. The music
is really what matters, regardless of who’s
in the band. Back in the 1970s that sort
of thing was much more important. And
uitarist Mick Greggus Tell us about the violence that With frontman ‘Stinky’ Turner we got out of having to make two albums
previews the veteran pretty much broke up the evolving into Jefferson Turner, a year, which helped relieve the pressure.
Gband’s 40th-anniversary Rejects during the early 1980s. can you see why some people
show at which they will play their It was mostly our fault and we resisted the change? The anniversary album Est’d 1969 was
very well received. Acknowledging the
Greatest Hits 1 and 2 albums in full don’t moan about it. We were hard Of course! I bet the hair brigade past and yet keeping things in the here
and in sequence. bastards from hard backgrounds, thought: “Who are these fucking
and now must have been a challenge?
and luckily no one got killed. We ’ooligan ’erberts and what the fuck I think it really helped that we got in some
Did you achieve closure still meet fellas today from those are they doing on our territory?” younger players that don’t really know
through the writing of the encounters, and we shake hands, But quietly they loved those fucking much about folk music at all. And it worked
book Life After Lloyd, following have a beer and put it down to the albums! Guilty pleasures, eh? because they approach the songs without
the unexpected death of exuberance of youth. any awareness of tradition.
Rejects bassist Tony ‘Lloyd’ Have you got a favourite Pete
A hit single can be a blessing and a curse.
Van Frater? In what might be seen as Way anecdote?
Which of those categories does the band’s
Yeah, it was cathartic, as back in a radical move, the band brought Several years ago Pete and I had
1975 revision of the traditional song All
2015 it really felt like end of the in UFO’s Pete Way as a producer, a conversation about the late Steve Around My Hat fall into?
band, and that the disaster of Tony’s and even became simply The Marriott, whom I had been lucky to It’s a hard one to sing, but it’s definitely been
death was a signal to disappear into Rejects in 1984. work with. When he asked: “Was a blessing. Without it we might not have
the ether. But the vengeful master Steve still difficult to live with after survived for this long, and I love the fact that
that is rock’n’roll wasn’t done with he died?” I was speechless. it got me onto Top Of The Pops.
us yet, and it still isn’t. “Rejects gigs are During the 1990s you guested with Status
Should a Classic Rock reader
one big party Quo on their own version of All Around My
Why does the book use the word want to attend a Rejects concert Hat, and even toured with them. Is that
‘punk’ so sparingly? these days.” is it safe for them to do so? friendship still ongoing?
I don’t consider us a died-in-the It’s safer than any rock gig. At Absolutely. I’m still in contact with Francis
wool ‘punk’ band. People might Look, we were always a recent farewell show from UFO, [Rossi]. What a great bloke he is.
not understand that myself, Jeff experimenters in sound, and after I was mildly amused to see a bunch
Are Steeleye Span often confused with
and Vince started as total rock our two ‘classic’ punk albums we of pissed-up, aggressive old geezers
Steely Dan?
hounds; we loved Nazareth, Led left that stuff to the imitators who squaring up to each other, flopping
Oh yes, though it used to happen much
Zep, early Queen, Mountain and had sprung up in our wake. Moving beer everywhere. Rejects gigs are more back in the day. Not so much now,
early Aerosmith. And when the on to what we had always loved, one big party these days. There’s because Steely Dan aren’t known so well
Pistols, Stranglers, Gen X and the hard rock, Pete was a natural choice never a hint of any trouble. DL as they used to be, but back in the 1970s it
Clash came along, we regarded it as for producer, as he and I spent many happened all the time. DL DOD MORRISON/PRESS
good rock music, just with a slightly a stoned night dissecting early ZZ Cockney Rejects play London on
The tour ends in London on December 17.
different vibe. Top, Free, the Stones et al. December 14.

102 CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM

Tour Dates RECOMMENDS







ACOUSTIC FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN Cannock The Station May 3
LINDISFARNE, GENE LOVES JEZEBEL, Bridgwater Cobblestones May 4
SAD CAFÉ, QUIREBOYS, MORE
Utoxeter Racecourse May 29-31 BILLY BREMNER’S ROCKFILES,
GERAINT WATKINS TRIO
ALABAMA 3 London Oxford Street 100 Club Jan 20
Manchester The Ritz Dec 13
Glasgow Barrowland Dec 14
Bristol Academy Dec 20 Recommended
London Brixton Academy Dec 21
ALCEST, BIRDS IN ROW, KÆLAN MIKLA BRITISH LION, VOODOO SIX,
London Charing Cross Heaven Mar 4 NINE MILES DOWN
Manchester Gorilla Mar 5 Norwich Waterfront Dec 15
Bristol The Fleece Mar 6 Manchester Club Academy Dec 16
Chester Live Rooms Dec 17
ALTER BRIDGE, SHINEDOWN, Nottingham Rescue Rooms Dec 18
SEVENDUST Colchester Arts Centre Dec 19
Nottingham Motorpoint Arena Dec 14 London Islington Academy Dec 20
Manchester Arena Dec 15
Glasgow The Hydro Dec 17
Birmingham Arena Dec 18
Cardiff Motorpoint Arena Dec 20 BROFEST
London O2 Arena Dec 21 QUARTZ, SARACEN, SACRED ALIEN, MORE
Newcastle Star & Shadow Cinema Feb 28, 29
ANATHEMA
Glasgow St Luke’s Church Mar 6 BROTHERS OSBORNE
London Palladium Mar 7 Birmingham Institute May 10
Cambridge Junction May 11
ANTI-FLAG London Chalk Farm Roundhouse May 12 Maidstone Pizza Express Jan 22 Nottingham Rock City May 20
Brighton Chalk Feb 2 Edinburgh Queen’s Hall May 14 Birmingham Pizza Express Jan 23 Bristol Academy May 21
London Islington Academy Feb 4 Manchester Albert Hall May 15 Minehead Giants Of Rock Jan 24 Birmingham Institute May 22
Manchester Club Academy Feb 5 Leeds Stylus May 16 Hartlepool Small Crafts Club Apr 10 London Shepherd’s Bush Empire May 23
Birmingham The Mill Feb 6 Kinross Green Hotel Apr 11
Glasgow Garage Feb 7 FRANK CARTER AND THE Sheffield HRH Blues Apr 12 HEATHER FINDLAY
RATTLESNAKES, HO99O9 Edinburgh Bannerman’s Bar Apr 13 York NCEM Dec 20
ANVIL Manchester Academy Feb 12 Nottingham Rescue Rooms Jan 9
Edinburgh Bannerman’s Bar Mar 4 Glasgow Barrowland Feb 13 THE DARKNESS, REWS London Highbury Garage Jan 10
Derby Flowerpot Mar 5 London Alexandra Palace Feb 15 Brighton Dome Dec 10 Bristol Thekla Jan 11
Buckley Tivoli Mar 6 Watford Colosseum Dec 11 Newcastle Riverside Jan 15
Bradford Nightrain Mar 7 CATS IN SPACE Manchester Academy Dec 13 Glasgow Oran Mor Jan 16
Milton Keynes Crauford Arms Mar 8 Southampton Engine Rooms Dec 12 Newcastle Academy Dec 14 Bilston Robin 2 Jan 22
Manchester Academy 3 Mar 9 Swansea Patti Pavilion Dec 14 Glasgow Academy Dec 15
Belfast Limelight 2 Mar 11 Tavistock Wharf Dec 15 York Barbican Dec 17 FISH, DORIS BRENDEL
Dublin Voodoo Lounge Mar 12 London Highbury Garage Dec 16 Liverpool Academy Dec 18 Aberdeen Lemon Tree Mar 13
Nuneaton Queens Hall Mar 13 Norwich Epic Studios Dec 18 London Chalk Farm Roundhouse Dec 20 Holmfirth Picturedrome Mar 15
Halifax The Lantern Mar 14 Glasgow Oran Mor Dec 19 London Islington Assembly Hall Mar 16, 17
Bridgwater Cobblestones Mar 15 Buckley Tivoli Dec 20 DELAIN Cardiff Y Plas Mar 19
Swindon Level 3 Mar 17 Birmingham Institute Feb 6 Frome Cheese & Grain Mar 20
Bristol Exchange Mar 18 MAX & IGGOR CAVALERA Manchester The Ritz Feb 7 Northampton Roadmender Mar 21
Brighton The Haunt Mar 19 RETURN BENEATH ARISE Bristol Anson Rooms Feb 8 Brighton Concorde 2 Mar 22
Southampton 1865 Mar 20 London Kentish Town Forum Dec 11 London Brixton Electric Feb 9 Bury St Edmunds Apex Mar 24
London Islington Academy Mar 21 Birmingham Academy 2 Dec 12 Wolverhampton KK’s Steel Mill Mar 25
Machynlleth Y Llew Coch & Y Plas Mar 22 Manchester The Ritz Dec 17 DESERTFEST Manchester Academy Mar 27
MASTERS OF REALITY, COC, ORANGE
ARCTANGENT FESTIVAL NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS GOBLIN, MORE Edinburgh Queen’s Hall Mar 28
OPETH, TESSERACT, IHSAHN, MORE Birmingham Arena May 2 London Camden, various venues May 1-3 SAMANTHA FISH, FÉLIX RABIN
Bristol Fernhill Common Aug 20-22 Cardiff Motorpoint Arena May 3 Glasgow St Luke’s Feb 28
Glasgow The Hydro May 5 BRIAN DOWNEY’S ALIVE AND Leeds Brudenell Social Club Feb 29
ATOMIC ROOSTER Manchester Arena May 6 DANGEROUS, DON AIREY, Nottingham Rescue Rooms Mar 1
London Oxford Street 100 Club Feb 6 Dublin 3 Arena May 8, 9 REBECCA DOWNES Manchester Gorilla Mar 3
Leeds First Direct Arena May 12 Manchester Academy 3 Feb 24 Cardiff Globe Mar 4
BLACK DEER FESTIVAL London O2 Arena May 14, 15 Sheffield Foundry Feb 26 London Islington Assembly Hall Mar 5
WILKO, THE WATERBOYS, THE DEAD Exeter Lemon Grove Feb 27 Norwich Waterfront Mar 6
SOUTH, MORE ROGER CHAPMAN FAMILY Bristol Trinity Mar 7
Kent Eridge Park Jun 19-21 & FRIENDS DOWNES BRAIDE ASSOCIATION Brighton Concorde Mar 8
London Shepherd’s Bush Empire Feb 2 Fletching Trading Boundaries Feb 14, 15
BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL Leicester Academy Feb 4 FISCHER-Z
JUDAS PRIEST, DEVIN TOWNSEND, DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL London Kensington Nells Jazz & Blues Mar 26
SKINDRED, VIO-LENCE, MORE CHELSEA BLUES FESTIVAL IRON MAIDEN, KISS, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, Manchester The Factory Mar 27
Derbyshire Catton Park Aug 6-9 CHRIS FARLOWE, CLIMAX BLUES BAND, MORE
SOUTHBOUND, MORE Leicestershire Donington Park Jun 12-14 FIST
THE BLUES BAND London Chelsea Under The Bridge Mar 28 London Camden Unicorn Nov 15
London Chelsea Under The Bridge Mar 6 DREAM THEATER Newcastle Trillians Jan 24
POPA CHUBBY, RON SAYER JR London Hammersmith Apollo Feb 21, 22
BLUES CARAVAN London Oxford Street 100 Club Jan 22 Glasgow Armadillo Feb 23 FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH,
JEREMIAH JOHNSON, WHITNEY SHAY, MEGADETH, BAD WOLVES
RYAN PERRY CLUTCH, GRAVEYARD, KAMCHATKA FRANCIS DUNNERY’S IT BITES Cardiff Arena Jan 30
Edinburgh Bannerman’s Bar Apr 22 Southampton Guildhall Dec 17 Glasgow St Luke’s Jan 16 London Wembley Arena Jan 31
Hartlepool Football Club Apr 23 London Chalk Farm Roundhouse Dec 18 Wolverhampton Slade Rooms Jan 17
Keighley Studio 5 Apr 24 Leeds Academy Dec 19 Manchester Club Academy Jan 18 MICK FLEETWOOD & FRIENDS
Louth British Legion Hall Apr 25 Nottingham Rock City Dec 20 London Shepherd’s Bush Bush Hall Jan 19 London Palladium Feb 25
Maidstone Pizza Express Apr 26
London Oxford Street 100 Club Apr 28 COUNTRY TO COUNTRY FESTIVAL WILLIAM DUVALL KIRK FLETCHER, BEN POOLE
ERIC CHURCH, DARIUS RUCKER, Dublin Whelans Mar 25 London Oxford Street 100 Club Jan 19
JOE BONAMASSA THE CADILLAC THREE, MORE Glasgow King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut Mar 27
Brighton Centre Apr 25 London O2 Arena Mar 13-15 Newcastle Academy 2 Mar 28 FLYING COLORS
Edinburgh Playhouse Apr 27 Glasgow The Hydro Mar 13-15 Liverpool Arts Loft Mar 29 London Shepherd’s Bush Empire Dec 14
Liverpool M&S Bank Arena Apr 28 Dublin 3 Arena Mar 13-15 Birmingham Academy 3 Mar 31
Gateshead The Sage Apr 30 London Oxford Street 100 Club Apr 1 THE FUZZTONES
Leeds First Direct Arena May 1 CRADLE OF FILTH, AMORPHIS, London Chelsea Under The Bridge Feb 7
Cardiff Motorpoint Arena May 2 WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM EVANESCENCE, WITHIN TEMPTATION
London Kentish Town Forum Jan 22 London O2 Arena April 7 GIANTS OF ROCK FESTIVAL
BOULEVARD HAWKWIND, GUN, QUIREBOYS MORE
Edinburgh Bannerman’s Bar Apr 27 CROW BLACK CHICKEN BRIAN FALLON Minehead Butlins Jan 24-27
Newcastle Trillians Apr 29 Keighley Studio 5 Jan 18 Norwich Waterfront May 15
Nottingham Alberts Apr 30 Skegness Rick & Blues Festival Jan 19 Manchester Academy May 16 GIRLSCHOOL, EVYLTYDE
Barnsley Birdwell Venue May 1 Grimsby Yardbirds Club Jan 20 Leeds Academy May 17 London Camden Underworld Jan 30
Cardiff Fuel May 2 London Oxford Street 100 Club Jan 21 Glasgow Galvanizers May 18 Blackpool Waterloo Music Bar Jan 31

Edinburgh Bannerman’s Bar Feb 7 RECOMMENDS Leeds Belgrave Music Hall Mar 4
Glasgow Oran Mor Feb 8 Manchester Night & Day Café Mar 5
Newcastle Trillians Feb 9 QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT Newcastle The Cluny 2 Mar 6
Stoke-on-Trent Eleven Feb 13 Glasgow King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut Mar 7
Scarborough Music Hall Feb 14 Edinburgh Mash House Mar 8
Nuneaton Queens Hall Feb 15 Oxford The Bullingdon Mar 10
Bristol Hen & Chickens Mar 11
GOO GOO DOLLS Winchester The Railway Mar 12
Glasgow Academy Feb 19
Manchester Albert Hall Feb 21 BERNIE MARSDEN, DEBORAH
Leeds Academy Feb 22 BONHAM
Nottingham Rock City Feb 24 London Chelsea Under The Bridge Jan 24
Birmingham Institute Feb 25
London Chalk Farm Roundhouse Feb 27 NICK MASON’S SAUCERFUL
OF SECRETS
OTIS GRAND AND THE BIG Dublin Convention Centre Apr 29
BLUES BAND, RAMON GOOSE York Barbican May 1
London Chelsea Under The Bridge Jan 17 Leicester De Montfort Hall May 2
Southampton Mayflower May 4
GRAND MAGUS Cardiff St David’s Hall May 5
Bristol The Fleece Mar 3 London Royal Albert Hall May 7
Manchester Club Academy Mar 6 Liverpool Philharmonic May 8
Dublin Voodoo Lounge Mar 7 Sheffield City Hall May 9
Belfast Limelight Mar 8 Birmingham Symphony Hall May 11
Glasgow Audio Mar 10 Bath Forum May 12
Sheffield Foundry Mar 11 Gatehead The Sage May 14
Birmingham Asylum Mar 13 Manchester Apollo May 15
Norwich Waterfront Mar 14 Edinburgh Usher Hall May 16
London Tufnell Park Dome Mar 15 CHANTEL MCGREGOR
MYKE GRAY FEATURING With songs to die for and Adam Lambert filling Freddie’s Derby Flowerpot Dec 12
KIM JENNETT
Swansea Hangar 18 Feb 21 shoes, they’re still killer Queen and they will rock you. THE MISSION
Wolverhampton KK’s Steel Mill Feb 22 Birmingham Institute Feb 29
London Camden Underworld Feb 23 Frome Cheese & Grain Mar 1
Blackpool Waterloo Music Bar Feb 28 See opposite page for dates. Currently June 2 to 12.
Bradford Night Train Feb 29 KEB’ MO’
Edinburgh Bannerman’s Bar Mar 1 Witham Barry’s Blues Barn Apr 4 Glasgow Academy Apr 23 London Ladbroke Grove Subterania Jan 22
Canterbury Penny Theatre Apr 17 Birmingham Academy Apr 24 Glasgow Old Fruitmarket Jan 23
GREEN DAY, FALL OUT BOY, WEEZER London Brixton Academy Apr 25 Dumfries Big Burns Supper Jan 24
Glasgow Bellahouston Park Jun 24 IO EARTH
London London Stadium Jun 26 Birmingham Hare & Hounds Dec 15 SONNY LANDRETH, SON OF DAVE MONSTER MAGNET
Huddersfield John Smith’s Stadium Jun 27 London Islington Assembly Hall Jan 23 Glasgow Garage Jan 22
Leeds Academy Jan 23
HAMMERFEST IRON MAIDEN MARK LANEGAN BAND London Kentish Town Forum Jan 24
TRIPTYKON, NAPALM DEATH, KORPIKLAANI, Donington Park Download Festival Jun 13 London Chalk Farm Roundhouse Dec 10
MORE Belfast Belsonic Festival Jun 15 Bristol SWX Dec 11 MUD MORGANFIELD,
Great Yarmouth Vauxhall Holiday Resort Mar 19-22 Sheffield Leadmill Dec 13 THE CINELLI BROTHERS
HARD ROCK HELL AOR Edinburgh Liquid Rooms Dec 14 London Chelsea Under The Bridge Jan 22
Dec 15
The Ritz
Manchester

GREAT WHITE, AUTOGRAPH, ECLIPSE, Recommended Dublin Button Factory Dec 17 RANDY NEWMAN
MORE Belfast Empire Music Hall Dec 18 London Royal Festival Hall Jun 7
Great Yarmouth Vauxhall Holiday Resort Mar 12-15 JETHRO TULL’S THE PROG YEARS Gateshead The Sage Jun 9
Aylesbury The Waterside Sep 30 THE LAST INTERNATIONALE Edinburgh Usher Hall Jun 10
HARD ROCK HELL PROG IX Leicester De Montfort Hall Oct 1 London Oxford Street 100 Club Mar 17
RICK WAKEMAN, DAVE BROCK, JOHN LEES’ Blackburn St George’s Hall Oct 3 Birmingham Hare & Hounds Mar 18 NEW MODEL ARMY
BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST, MORE Perth Concert Hall Oct 4 Bristol Exchange Mar 19 Brighton Concorde 2 Dec 12
London Shepherd’s Bush Empire Mar 28, 29 Glasgow Pavilion Theatre Oct 5 Manchester Night People Mar 21 Nottingham Rock City Dec 21
Sheffield Academy Mar 28, 29 Hanley Victoria Hall Oct 6 Glasgow Stereo Mar 22
London Shepherd’s Bush Empire Oct 8 JARED JAMES NICHOLS, COLLATERAL
HARD ROCK HELL SLEAZE Brighton Dome Oct 9 LIFESIGNS Bilston Robin 2 Feb 25
LA GUNS, MICHAEL MONROE, JETBOY, Poole Lighthouse Oct 10 Swindon Level III Mar 6 Nottingham Rescue Rooms Feb 26
MORE Reading Hexagon Oct 12 Cardiff Acapella Mar 7 Grimsby Yardbirds Club Feb 27
Sheffield Academy Aug 29, 30 (2020) Bath Forum Oct 13 Southampton 1865 Mar 8 Newcastle Think Tank Feb 28
London Putney Half Moon Mar 11 Glasgow Garage 2 Feb 29
STEVE HARLEY & COCKNEY REBEL Oundle Civic Hall Mar 13 Manchester Soup Kitchen Mar 27
Bilston Robin 2 Dec 20 Norwich Brickmakers Mar 14 London Tufnell Park Dome Mar 28
London Kensington Nells Jazz & Blues Dec 21, 22 WILKO JOHNSON, JOHN OTWAY Southend-on-Sea Chinnerys Mar 15 Bristol The Exchange Mar 29
Worthing Assembly Hall Apr 9 Stourport Fusion Festival Mar 22
JO HARMAN, MIKE FARRIS, DOM MARTIN Poole Lighthouse Apr 10 ORANGE GOBLIN
London Chelsea Under The Bridge Jan 21 Aberystwyth Arts Centre Apr 11 LINDEMANN London Camden Electric Ballroom Dec 20
Nottingham Albert Hall Apr 24 London Kentish Town Forum Feb 23
BETH HART, KRIS BARRAS Shrewsbury Theatre Severn Apr 25 OZZY OSBOURNE, JUDAS PRIEST
ACOUSTIC DUO Portsmouth New Theatre Royal Apr 26 LOOE BLUES RHYTHM (RESCHEDULED DATES)
Dublin Vicar Street Jan 31 Bury St Edmunds The Apex May 7 & ROCK FESTIVAL Newcastle Utilita Arena Oct 23
Belfast Ulster Hall Feb 2 Birmingham Town Hall May 8 THE ANIMALS & FRIENDS, MARTIN TURNER, Glasgow The Hydro Oct 25
Brighton Dome Feb 5 London Islington Assembly Hall May 9 MORE London O2 Arena Oct 28
London Hammersmith Apollo Feb 8 Glasgow St Luke’s Church May 21 Looe Tencreek Holiday Park Mar 20-22 Birmingham Resorts World Arena Oct 31
Birmingham Symphony Hall Feb 9 Whitley Bay Playhouse May 22 Manchester Arena Nov 2
Cardiff St David’s Hall Feb 12 Blackpool Grand Theatre May 23 ERJA LYYTINEN Dublin 3 Arena Nov 5
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall Feb 14 Swindon Wyvern Theatre May 28 London Oxford Street 100 Club May 2 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena Nov 8
Gateshead The Sage Feb 15 New Brighton Floral Pavilion May 29 Bilston Robin 2 May 6
Manchester Bridgewater Hall Feb 17 Manchester RNCM May 30 Edinburgh Bannerman’s Bar May 7 PARKWAY DRIVE
Sheffield City Hall Feb 20 Kinross Green Hotel May 8 London Wembley Arena Apr 18
Plymouth Pavilions Feb 22 LAURENCE JONES, MATT PEARCE Wavendon The Stables May 10
Southampton Guildhall Feb 24 & THE MUTINY JIZZY PEARL’S LOVE/HATE
Leeds Lending Room Dec 12 MAGNUM Edinburgh Bannerman’s Bar Aug 26
ROGER HODGSON Manchester Night & Day Café Dec 13 Garage Glasgow Mar 19 Newcastle The Cluny Aug 27
Liverpool Empire Jun 14 Belfast Limelight 1 Mar 20 Blackpool Waterloo Music Bar Aug 28
Glasgow Armadillo Jun 16 KING KING Dublin Voodoo Lounge Mar 21 Sheffield HRH Sleaze Aug 29
Birmingham Symphony Hall Jun 17 Lincoln Engine Shed Dec 15 Cardiff Tramshed Mar 22 London Camden Underworld Aug 30
Brighton Centre Jun 7 Cardiff Uni Y Plas Apr 3 Sheffield Leadmill Mar 24 Buckley Tivoli Sep 4
Southend-on-Sea Cliffs Pavilion Jun 8 Salisbury City Hall Apr 4 Hull The Welly Mar 25 Bristol The Fleece Sep 5
Bexhill De La Warr Pavilion Apr 5 Manchester Academy 2 Mar 26 Stoke-on-Trent Eleven Sep 6
JACK J HUTCHINSON Bury St Edmunds Apex Apr 6 Holmfirth Picturedrome Mar 28 Chesterfield Real Time Live Sep 10
Hook Echo Hotel Music Club Feb 1 Sheffield Leadmill Apr 8 Cambridge Junction Mar 29 Wolverhampton KK’s Steel Mill Sep 11
Oxford The Bullingdon Feb 20 Glasgow Fruit Market Apr 10 Birmingham Town Hall Mar 30 Swansea Patti Pavilion Sep 12
Gravesend Red Lion Mar 6 Manchester A2 Apr 11 Norwich Waterfront Mar 31 Cheltenham ALTchelt Sep 13
Bedford Esquires Mar 7 York Opera Apr 12 Exeter Lemon Grove Apr 2
Coulsdon Tuesday Night Music Club Mar 10 Birmingham Town Hall Apr 14 Southampton Engine Rooms Apr 3 COZY POWELL BIRTHDAY BASH
Crumlin The Patriot Mar 13 Newcastle Boiler Shop Apr 15 London Islington Assembly Apr 4 NEIL MURRAY, HARRY JAMES, MORE
Pershore Iron Road Mar 14 London Camden Electric Ballroom Apr 17 Nottingham Rock City May 16 Bilston Robin 2 Dec 29
Darwen Big House Blues Bar Mar 15
Edinburgh Bannermans Bar Mar 18 LAMB OF GOD, KREATOR, POWER TRIP JESSE MALIN PRIMAL SCREAM
Newcastle Trillians Mar 19 Bristol Academy Apr 21 Nottingham The Old Cold Store Mar 1 Belfast Ulster Hall Dec 10
Elland Meeting Room Mar 21 Manchester Academy Apr 22 Sheffield The Greystones Mar 2 Inverness Ironworks Dec 13 GETTY

104 CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM

TOUR DATES




Aberdeen Music Hall Dec 14 x RECOMMENDS Glasgow Cottiers Theatre Mar 25
Perth Concert Hall Dec 15 Manchester Night People Mar 27
Glasgow Barrowland Dec 17 RAMMSTEIN Ballymena The Diamond Mar 28
PROCOL HARUM WITH ORCHESTRA VOLBEAT, BARONESS, DANKO JONES
AND CHOIR (REARRANGED DATE)
London Palladium April 2 Bristol Academy Jun 17
KEN PUSTELNIK’S GROUNDHOGS, RICK WAKEMAN’S GRUMPY OLD
STRAY CHRISTMAS SHOW
Chislehurst Beaverwood Club Feb 25 Harrogate Royal Hall Dec 10
Sutton Boom Boom Club Feb 26 Buxton Opera House Dec 13
Southampton The Brook Feb 27 Brighton Theatre Royal Dec 14
Tavistock The Wharf Feb 28 Poole Lighthouse Dec 15
Swansea Sin City Feb 29 Liverpool Grand Central Dec 18
Bristol Thekla Mar 5 Manchester RNCM Dec 19
Pershore Iron Road Mar 6 Cheltenham Town Hall Dec 20
Norwich Brickmakers Mar 10 Warwick Butterworth Hall Dec 21
Nottingham Bodega Mar 11
London Highbury Garage Mar 12 STAN WEBB’S CHICKEN SHACK,
Milton Keynes Craufurd Arms Mar 13 THE SHARPEEZ
Gravesend Red Lion Mar 14 London Oxford Street 100 Club Jan 15
Bilston Robin 2 Mar 18
Blackpool Waterloo Music Bar Mar 19 THE WILDHEARTS, BACKYARD BABIES,
Newcastle The Cluny Mar 20 CKY
Buckley Tivoli Mar 21 Newcastle Academy Jan 28
Belfast Limelight Jan 29
QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT Glasgow QMU Jan 30
London O2 Arena Jun 2, 3, 5, 6, 9 Manchester The Ritz Jan 31
Manchester Arena Jun 11, 12 London Kentish Town Forum Feb 1
If you want plenty of eye-popping flash, bang, wallop along Cardiff Tramshed Feb 3
QUIREBOYS ORCHESTRAL Birmingham Institute Feb 4
London Kentish Town Forum Sep 4, 5 with your ear-battering metal, this is the ticket for you. WILLE & THE BANDITS
RACHEL STAMP Leicester The Musician Feb 26
London Camden Underworld Feb 14 See below for dates. Currently June 14 and 20. Sheffield The Greystones Feb 27
Manchester Deaf Institute Feb 28
RAGE, SAVAGE MESSIAH, SERENITY Glasgow SWG3 Dec 17 Glasgow Stereo Feb 12 Liverpool Philharmonic Feb 29
London Camden Underworld Feb 8 London Malet Street Ulu Dec 20 Edinburgh Bannerman’s Bar Feb 13 Bilston Robin 2 Mar 4
Exeter Lemon Grove Dec 21 Perhsore Iron Road Feb 15 Leeds Irish Centre Mar 5
RAMBLIN’ MAN FAIR Birmingham Institute Dec 22 Newcastle The Cluny Mar 6
Hawkwind, Big Big Train, Monster Truck, more Newcastle Academy Dec 23 TARJA Glasgow Blue Arrow Mar 7
Maidstone Mote Park Jul 17-19 SLIPKNOT, BEHEMOTH London Camden Electric Ballroom Mar 17 Inverness Inchyra Arts Club Mar 9
Mar 19
RAMMSTEIN Manchester Arena Jan 16 Manchester Academy 2 Mar 20 St Boswells Live Mar 10
Glasgow
Clitheroe
The Grand
Mar 11
Garage
Cardiff Principality Stadium Jun 14 Newcastle Utilita Arena Jan 17 Derby Flowerpot Mar 12
Coventry Ricoh Arena Jun 20 Glasgow The Hydro Jan 18 TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND, Gloucester Guildhall Mar 13
Sheffield FlyDSA Arena Jan 20 BLACKBERRY SMOKE Cardiff The Moon Mar 14
THE RAVEN AGE Nottingham Motorpoint Arena Jan 21 London Wembley Arena Feb 1 Guildford The Star Mar 18
London Tufnell Park Dome Dec 13 Cardiff Motorpoint Arena Jan 22 Margate Elsewhere Mar 19
Birmingham Arena Jan 24 THOSE DAMN CROWS London Oxford Street 100 Club Mar 20
RAZOR London O2 Arena Jan 25 Newcastle Think Tank Feb 4 Bideford Palladium Club Mar 25
London Camden Underworld Mar 27 Glasgow Garage Attic Bar Feb 5 Exeter Phoenix Arts Centre Mar 26
SONATA ARCTICA, EDGE OF PARADISE, Manchester Deaf Institute Feb 7 Plymouth The Junction Mar 27
DAN REED NETWORK, FM, GUN TEMPLE BALLS Wolverhampton KK’s Steel Mill Feb 8 Truro Old Bakery Studios Mar 28
Bristol Academy Dec 9 London Camden Electric Ballroom Dec 11 Bristol Exchange Feb 9 Shoreham-by-Sea Ropetackle Arts Centre Apr 1
Southampton Engine Rooms Dec 10 Southampton Joiners Arms Feb 10 Oxford The Bullingdon Apr 2
London Shepherd’s Bush Empire Dec 11 STEELEYE SPAN London Tufnell Park Boston Music Room Feb 12 Wimborne Tivoli Theatre Apr 3
Wolverhampton KK’s Steel Mill Dec 13 Basingstoke Haymarket Theatre Dec 11 Poole Winter’s End Festival Feb 28 Bristol Thekla Apr 4
Norwich UEA Dec 14 Brighton Dome Dec 12
Nottingham Rock City Dec 15 Ilfracombe Landmark Theatre Dec 14 THUNDER DAMIAN WILSON
Newcastle Academy Dec 17 Salisbury City Hall Dec 15 Birmingham Academy Dec 20 & ADAM WAKEMAN
Leeds Academy Dec 18 Birmingham Town Hall Dec 16 Manchester Academy Dec 21 Fletching Trading Boundaries Jan 3
Manchester Academy 2 Dec 20 London Barbican Centre Dec 17 Cardiff Motorpoint Arena Nov 19 Kirton in Lindsey Town Hall Jan 4
Glasgow Barrowland Dec 21 STEELHOUSE FESTIVAL Birmingham Resorts World Arena Nov 20 York The Basement Jan 5
Nov 21
TOM ROBINSON BAND TOM KEIFER, PHIL CAMPBELL, London Wembley Arena Nov 27 Sheffield West Street Live Jan 6
Armadillo
Glasgow
Boston
Jan 7
Blackfriars Theatre
London Shepherd’s Bush Empire May 30 MONSTER TRUCK, MORE Leeds First Direct Arena Nov 28 Dumfries Theatre Royal Jan 8
Ebbw Vale Hafod-y-Dafal Farm Jul 24-26 Glasgow Cottiers Jan 9
ROMEO’S DAUGHTER DEVIN TOWNSEND, HAKEN Kinross Green Hotel Jan 10
London Kensington Nells Jazz & Blues Feb 29 STEEL PANTHER London Albert Hall Dec 10 Stafford Gatehouse Jan 12
Bristol Academy Feb 5 London Chalk Farm Roundhouse Dec 12 London Pizza Express Live Jan 13
ROSE TATTOO London Brixton Academy Feb 7 Nottingham Rock City Dec 13 Windsor Old Court Jan 14
London Camden Electric Ballroom Mar 22 Birmingham Academy Feb 8 Cardiff Acapela Studio Jan 15
Manchester Victoria Warehouse Feb 9 TWIN ATLANTIC Bath Arts Centre Jan 16
SABATON, APOCALYPTICA, AMARANTHE Glasgow Academy Feb 11 Motherwell Concert Hall Mar 3 Cranleigh Arts Centre Jan 17
London Wembley Arena Feb 8 Newcastle Academy Feb 12 Aberdeen Music Hall Mar 4 Wavendon The Stables Jan 18
Belfast Ulster Hall Feb 15 Dundee Fat Sam’s Mar 6 Walton on Thames Riverhouse Barn Jan 19
Dublin Vicar Street Feb 16 Kilmarnock Grand Hall Mar 7
STEVEN WILSON
Mar
Recommended STEREOPHONICS Newcastle Riverside Mar 10 9 Nottingham Arena Sep 17
Academy 2
Manchester
Liverpool University Feb 18 Sheffield Leadmill Mar 11 London O2 Arena Sep 19
SANTANA Leeds Academy Feb 19 Cardiff Tramshed Mar 13
Glasgow The Hydro Mar 26 Sheffield FlyDSA Arena Feb 28 Oxford Academy Mar 14 WIRE
London O2 Arena Mar 27 Birmingham Arena Feb 29 Leicester Academy Mar 15 Bristol The Fleece Jan 27
Brighton Centre Mar 2 Bournemouth Old Fire Station Mar 17 Manchester Band On The Wall Jan 28
Bournemouth BIC Mar 3 Brighton Concorde 2 Mar 18 Birmingham Hare & Hounds Jan 29
London O2 Arena Mar 6 London Camden Electric Ballroom Mar 20 Glasgow Garage Jan 30
JOE SATRIANI Nottingham Motorpoint Arena Mar 7 Leeds Brudenell Social Club Jan 31
Bexhill-on-Sea De La Warr Pavilion May 22 Newcastle Utilita Arena Mar 9 VARDIS Brighton Chalk Feb 1
Glasgow Academy May 23 Aberdeen P & J Live Arena Mar 10 Grimsby Yardbirds Club Feb 14 London Islington Assembly Hall May 21
Gateshead The Sage May 24 Glasgow The Hydro Mar 11 Doncaster The Leopard Feb 15
Manchester Bridgewater Hall May 25 Manchester Arena Mar 13 London Oxford Street 100 Club Mar 13 YES
London Palladium May 26 Cardiff Motorpoint Arena Mar 14, 15 Liverpool Philharmonic Hall May 26
Birmingham Symphony Hall May 28 ROD STEWART DANNY VAUGHN & DAN REED: Nottingham Royal Concert Hall May 27
SNAKE OIL & HARMONY
May
29
SAVOY BROWN Liverpool Echo Arena Dec 10 London Putney Half Moon Mar 12 York Barbican May 30
Gateshead
The Sage
London Oxford Street 100 Club Jan 18 London O2 Arena Dec 17, 19, 20 Milton Keynes Craufurd Arms Mar 13 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall May 31
Sheffield Corporation Mar 14 Birmingham Symphony Hall Jun 2
SKILLET Shepherd’s Bush Empire Dec 10 Gravesend Red Lion Dec 14 Newcastle The Cluny Mar 15 Manchester Bridgewater Hall Jun 3
STRAY
MATTHIAS MATTIES/PRESS Holmfirth Picturedrome Dec 12 London Oxford Street 100 Club Feb 10 Bristol The Fleece Mar 20 Glasgow SEC Hall 3 Jun 20
London
Mar 17
Live Rooms
Royal Albert Hall
Chester
Jun 5
London
Mar 18
SUPERSUCKERS
SLADE
THOM YORKE
Aberdare
Jacs
21
Mar
Jun 19
Eleven
Feb 9
Stoke-on-Trent
Hull
Manchester
The Welly
Victoria Warehouse
Dec 14
Robin 2
Mar 22
The Crescent
Bilston
York
Hammersmith Apollo
Jun 23, 24
Waterloo Music Bar
Feb 11
Academy
Blackpool
15
Dec
Mar 24
Bristol
London
Blackpool
Waterloo Music Bar
CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM 105

soil themselves
with excitement.’



























The horse-drawn funeral ‘The audience nearly
cortege heads towards
the Palladium.


























































































Dave Vanian: yes,
he sings as well!
Dead ringer:
Vanian in his coffin.
106 CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM

REVIEWS





The Damned


London Palladium

Britain’s first punks pull out all the stops, dive into the dressing-up box, slap on the slap and

deliver a truly spectacular show. Oh, and they play some great and classic songs too.

There’s a horse-drawn funeral cortege slowly processing theatrical show. Originally the idea was much more expansive, it
along Argyll Street towards the London Palladium. It’s being was going to contain elements of theatre.”
followed by a veritable horde of vampires. Hundreds of them. There The Night Of A Thousand Vampires doesn’t give any impression
are top hats as far as the eye can see, a significant acreage of capes, of being a compromise. Vanian “wearing quite a lot of different
phalanxes of fangs and more tourniquet-tight corsetry than even hats” has worked closely with both The Circus Of Horrors
Soho is accustomed to. Baffled tourists gape at the unexpected and Hammer House Of Horror to deliver the most immersive Dave Vanian
prevalence of freshly drained Victorian virgins and make-up-caked experience possible.
walking dead. “Is London always like this?” “And who’s in the The CoH provide an apposite warm-up slot with a supporting
casket?” There’s a floral tribute; white wreaths fashioned into nine extravaganza which is, just as Vanian describes: “An old-fashioned,
letters that provide a solution: THE DAMNED. un-PC dangerous circus”. Swords are swallowed, ‘freaks’ caper,
“Well,” observes Dave Vanian, driving force behind the burlesque and circus skills collide in a flaming orgy of murderous
audaciously ambitious Night Of A Thousand Vampires, of which camp and pierced everything. Later the CoH’s performers interact
this mock ceremony is only the initial instalment, “they’ve been with The Damned in a succession of set-pieces during the band’s
trying to bury us for years.” extensive two-part performance.
While The Damned have had more than their fair share of Hammer allowed Vanian unlimited access to beautiful film stills
detractors since their formation in the white-hot crucible of 1976’s from Christopher Lee’s Dracula and beyond, which (when back-
UK punk rock explosion (forever fending off accusations of being projected behind the band) add a touch of old-school cinematic
a mere pantomime approximation of the genre from those with class to proceedings. There’s also a string section, additional
neither sense of humour nor perspective), the veteran combo’s star musicians, actors, an unfamiliar set-list, ornate stage set, costumes,
is very much in the ascendent. Again. hair, make-up and miscellaneous special effects to contend with.
Pinch
You probably don’t need a recapitulation of how we all got here, It’s no surprise, then, that the hectic sound-check (which marks the
but life’s a bitch, so here goes. string section’s first full rehearsal with the band) goes on for so long
The Damned were the first punks to vinyl, with the timeless that Vanian ultimately misses his own funeral.
seven-inch New Rose. Their debut album followed in short order, As the doors open and the ghouls begin to mass around the
and they played their first farewell gig in April ‘78. They returned Palladium’s bars, the band – completed by Black Album veteran Paul
the following year without main songwriting guitarist Brian James. Gray (bass), Monty Oxymoron (keyboards) and drummer Andrew
Captain Sensible switched from four strings to six, Smash It Up ‘Pinch’ Pinching – disappear into dressing rooms, to be transformed
followed Love Song, and the rest is history (including a Sensible- into cosmetically created creatures of the night. This is far from just
free mid-80s when they enjoyed their second batch of Goth- another night on the road. Especially for Pinch, who announced it
defining hits, most prominently Eloise). Anyway, while the world was to be his last performance with the band, after two full decades
at large dropped an E, put on an anorak and looked the other way, in the stool, just a couple of days ago.
30 more years passed until, even with the good Captain firmly “Twenty years he’s had to put up with us,” considers Captain,
re-established under the red beret of destiny, The Damned looked still reeling from Pinching’s shock announcement. “He’s a little bit
to be ‘Sensible’s-A-Wanker’-ing their way towards the end-of-the- younger, so he’s probably not ready to be part of me and Dave’s
pier legacy punk circuit. gentleman’s club of the road. I mean, we used to complain if the Paul Gray
“We were spiralling down,” Vanian admits, “and I wanted to booze wasn’t right, now we complain if the tea bags aren’t the
make one last really good Damned album.” And, having crowd- right brand.”
funded through PledgeMusic, that’s exactly what they did. And they’re not just losing a drummer. “He does so much,”
2018’s Evil Spirits, recorded with Bowie/Bolan producer Tony says Sensible. “Not just stick-twiddling. He’s in charge of lots of
Visconti in New York City, gave the band their first UK Top 10 aspects of the live show.” During the chaotic sound-check, Pinch
album. It took them to the Royal Albert Hall, Madison Square (perched high above the Palladium stage atop a makeshift tomb
Garden and, oh yes, the London Palladium. But it’s not the first which one imagines was probably mapped out on a napkin à la
time that Vanian and Sensible have been to this venerable venue Tap) doubles as ever-so-slightly tetchy musical director, pointing
of variety. They’ve both attended shows here as punters. In the out that classically trained string sections need actual written cues
60s, Dave was treated by his parents to a performance of The rather than a distracted “after the next bit”. And that somebody
Black And White Minstrel Show. (mentioning no names) is playing
And Captain? “In 1974 I went to climactic show closer Black Is The
see The-Glam-Rock-Star-Whose- Night in a completely alien key. Oh
Name-We-Dare-Not-Mention.” yes, he’ll be missed. Captain Sensible
Moving swiftly on… After seats are taken and
Organising The Night Of expensively secured views of the
A Thousand Vampires (so named stage blocked by ornate hats and
after it was decided to attempt hairdos, the Circus Of Horrors take
to break the Guinness World to the stage for half an hour. Thirty
Record for the most confirmed eye-boggling minutes during which
vampires – or at least people one discovers there can be a lot
dressed as vampires – extant in more to hoop-spinning than Grace
a single location) turned out to Jones would have you believe, and
be a mammoth task, and much of that limbo-dancing is apparently
the responsibility fell on Vanian: still a thing.
“Obviously, Halloween is my As topper-ed Monty ramps up
favourite holiday, so I wanted to do the atmosphere with solo piano
more than just a normal gig; a more piece Beauty Of The Beast, The Monty Oxymoron
Using his head: Damned
veteran Paul Gray.
CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM 107

‘During the interval,
Dave Vanian has his
head shaved.’
Captain Sensible: the
beret maketh the man.





















Gottle of gear: Vanian
and friend deliver Dr
Jekyll And Mr Hyde.



























Thank you and
Dave Vanian as goodnight…
Nosferatu, complete
with rubber ears and
freshly shaved head.
“Our audience are amazing,” says Vanian afterwards, Interview With The Vampire, which features a turn from
“They got behind the idea and it was wonderful to see.” young actress Indica Watson wearing a party dress
The Damned’s constituency are uncommonly which Dave spent last weekend painstakingly removing
faithful, and why not? The Damned, on all evidence hundreds of sequins from). But Dave gets into his coffin
presented here tonight, are one of the finest live too early and has to sing both songs from inside. Finally
spectacles available to modern man. Forty-three years emerging from his box during Neat Neat Neat – in order
into their career, and not only are they still peaking, to slaughter the doppelgänger who’s sung the first part
they’re also finding new ways to freshen up their entire of the song dressed as he had in the first act (oh, do
modus operandi. As the performance unfolds, Vanian keep up) – he launches into an epic cover of Bauhaus’s
nods to Dead Of Night by producing a ventriloquist’s Bela Lugosi’s Dead. It’s only then that he realises his
dummy for Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde, the audience nearly in-ear monitor pack has fallen off in the coffin and he
soil themselves with excitement as a barnstorming can’t hear anything. Cue much pacing. “Unfortunately,
Eloise (during the course of which an on-stage murder I’d worked out this spectacular thing with dry ice, and
takes place) confirms that the string section were more the coffin was so full of it I couldn’t find the pack.”
than worth all the effort, before long-established set- But with the entire audience so beside themselves
piece Curtain Call closes the first act on a stunning high. with delight at the sight and sound of a bald Vanian
Damned take to the stage to a rapturous reception. During the interval, as the audience check each other delivering the unofficial Goth national anthem, no
Paul Gray looks like a reanimated smuggler, a tricorne out over Bloody Marys, Vanian proves his commitment one notices, and the show storms on from strength to
hat sets off his trusty Rickenbacker a treat, while to his art by having his head shaved. strength. New Rose, Love Song, an apposite romp through
Sensible’s all frock-coat and plastic specs (the guitarist He’s elected to play the second half of the show as The Doors’ People Are Strange, Smash It Up (Pt 1 & 2) and
appears uncharacteristically subdued throughout Nosferatu. And those bald caps? Well, they just don’t finally, in its correct key, future classic Black Is The Night.
the entire set. “I was concentrating,” he admits. “I’d work: “They can come apart and it shows,” says Vanian, As the inevitable ovation erupts, Vanian returns to
been cramming, but some of the material we’d never “so I had all of my hair shaved off. It took six and a half his casket as Sensible, his usual beret back on his head
played before other than in the studio. Some stuff I’d minutes while people were gluing pieces to me and and his unusually taciturn tongue loosened at last,
played keyboards on and had to invent guitar parts.”) spray-painting me with make-up.” Pieces? Pointed apologises for being “under-rehearsed”, but there’s so
Pinch? Pinch is very high up… Not ideal for a man rubber ears, to be precise. much love in the room no one even calls him a wanker.
who’s used to giving visual cues to his prone-to-a-prog- Anyway, as one might expect, things get rather “I look forward to doing something much, much
noodle bandmates. hectic during Dave’s transformation and all doesn’t go bigger next year,” Vanian says later. “Maybe The
And Vanian? Vanian looks magnificent: an exactly to plan. Originally, as the second act kicks off, Bride Of Frankenstein… A reanimation, live from the
immaculately caped Bela Lugosi-style vampire, utterly with Tightrope Walk (twin aerialists giving it plenty on power station.”
in his element. As he applies his commanding baritone the flying trapeze), Vanian is supposed to sing from Having successfully brought The Damned back from
to Wait For The Blackout, he gazes out into the gilt the side of the stage before secreting himself in a coffin the dead on so many occasions, only a fool would bet
ornature and blood-red velvet plush of the capital’s from which he’ll emerge, triumphantly bald, after The against him succeeding.
most prestigious theatre, to find an entire legion of the Dog (a hitherto overlooked gem from Strawberries,
undead staring back at him. based on the character of Claudia from Anne Rice’s Words: Ian Fortnam Photos: Will Ireland

108 CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM

For the stories behind the best albums and


the bands that produced them…
































has it covered.




























































































Follow us at www.progmagazine.com.


Order your copy at www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/PROG.

‘Most of tonight’s set


Marillion With Friends sounds more Radiohead
than Genesis.’
From The Orchestra

Birmingham Symphony Hall


Proggers pull off the band-with-
strings-and-brass trick with aplomb.

If success is the best revenge, then Marillion’s
enduring high profile as arena-filling Britprog
figureheads feels like a bold two-fingered salute to their
critics. More than 30 years after their commercial chart
peak, the Aylesbury quintet still command an impressively
large cult following despite scant support from mainstream
media or major labels. Their latest tour features a six-piece
chamber orchestra, which adds welcome lightness and
texture to otherwise often overwrought baroque’n’roll.
Frontman Steve Hogarth cuts an agreeably louche figure,
his swashbuckling stage persona falling somewhere
between Lord Byron and Lovejoy. Besides lending Marillion
a vague whiff of real rock-star charisma, Hogarth has also
helped steer them towards more contemporary, melodious,
art-rock territory. Most of tonight’s set sounds more
Radiohead than Genesis, although Steve Rothery’s set-
piece cosmic guitar solos remain unashamedly Floydian.
Drawing heavily on recent albums, the show is thick
with bombastic neo-prog epics like Gaza, The New Kings
and Power, although Hogarth’s impassioned delivery seems
better suited to more conventional, romantic power ballads
like The Sky Above The Rain and The Great Escape. The
expanded orchestral rearrangements are generally effective
too, used sparingly but crisp and lustrous. Impressively,
Marillion are one of the few bands who can perform with Steve Hogarth: a stage persona
falling somewhere between
an orchestra and sound less pretentious as a result.
Lord Byron and Lovejoy.
Stephen Dalton




The Cult The Cadillac Three Steve Hillage Band / Gong

London Hammersmith Apollo Los Angeles The Troubadour London Islington Assembly Hall
Pearls are revisited and deep cuts Nashville band bring a little bit of the The fine art of ‘pot noodling’.
resurrected on this 30th-anniversary South to California. The projections behind today’s incarnation of
victory lap for Sonic Temple. Southern rock travels better the further away Gong are so brain-skewingly psychedelic that
The Cult don’t actually celebrate the 30th from the south it gets, at least these days. an acid-laced migraine would only be a relief. Everyone
anniversary of their Sonic Temple album – the Nashville’s The Cadillac Three can play to 1,000-plus on and off stage is in the midst of a simultaneous
moment when the snaking riffs of Love melded people a night in the UK, but in the US they’re synaptic workout endeavouring to produce or process
perfectly with Electric’s heavy-rock upgrade – by consigned to places like fabled but tiny West a warp-speed proto-prog soundtrack. As a startlingly
playing the album in full. Oh no. By billing the evening Hollywood club The Troubadour. In truth, it suits them, apposite You Can’t Kill Me unfolds, pin-wheeling from
as A Sonic Temple - you’ll note the distinction – they and not just because the saloon-style decor is a match one spiralling riff to another, Daevid Allen’s face
get to mix up the order, jettison the album’s last two for their spit’n’dang mash-up of drawling outlaw appears briefly on screen, as if to tweak our noses from
songs and include some big hits and deep cuts. country and hard-edged rock’n’roll. All their the great beyond. It’s a 48-year-old composition, yet it
They are arguably a better singles band than an considerable energy is compressed on to the small sounds fresh, madly contemporary.
albums one, and the exhumation of rarely-played-live stage here, working up a buzz that’s sometimes absent The 2019 version of Gong, especially vocalist/guitarist
songs such as New York City and American Horse sees at their bigger shows. Kavus Torabi, not only maintain Allen’s startling
The Cult tighten their focus as they leave their Tonight’s small but sold-out audience is rewarded musical mischief, they also immortalise the late
comfort zone behind. Likewise Edie (Ciao Baby) and with a couple of teasers from upcoming album Gongmeister’s legacy with fresh material (a head-
the Led Zep-referencing Soul Asylum, on which they Country Fuzz, set for release in early 2020; Back Home spinning Forever Reoccurring, an astonishing Rejoice)
are augmented by the Leos String Quartet – a fact and the foot-stomping Crackin’ Cold Ones With The that invariably astounds.
that singer Ian Astbury is keen to impress upon the Boys proudly uphold the Cadillac Three tradition of The Steve Hillage Band (with the exception of Hillage
audience in the manner of a teacher admonishing singing about the South (the former) and necking and longtime partner/co-conspirator/keys/synth/sonic
a class of ungrateful school children. booze (the latter). manipulator Miquette Giraudy) also turn out to be
No such pontificating from guitar hero Billy Duffy, They claim to have spread their wings on the new Gong, and it’s a match made in heaven. Material from
who delivers favourites She Sells Sanctuary and Wild album, but here they still sound like a rock’n’roll band Hillage’s defining 70s albums (Fish Rising to Open)
Flower, alongside a muscular Rise, with all the brio of raising hell at the Grand Ole Opry. Yet for all their forms the core of tonight’s set and absolutely nobody’s
someone who’d otherwise be banging his head straw-chewin’, Dukes Of Hazzard schtick, The Cadillac disappointed. Hillage remains an uncommonly adept,
against a wall if his guitars were taken away from Three know how to knock out an anthem: White gloriously fluid virtuoso guitarist with a seductive,
him. And of course it’s all pompous, silly and Lightning and The South are oven-ready radio hits hypnotic tone, Giraudy (forming characteristic
overblown. This is The Cult, and you wouldn’t want just waiting to catch a break in the US. America’s soundscapes) cheerleads agelessly, as Torabi and Gong-
them any other way. loss, our gain. mates play out of their skin. All too much? Almost. WILL IRELAND
Julian Marszalek Dave Everley Ian Fortnam

110 CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM

REVIEWS

‘I assumed you had to be
a ‘nut-class’ Kiss freak…
Boy was I wrong.’






















































Anchors away! Kiss (plus ...and in full-on
a few friends) in civvies… Kisstastic costume.

Kiss Kruise


Miami, Bahamas, Jamaica

Five days of round-the-clock, all-the-way-to-11 fun with Team Kiss.


Before I arrived on board the Norwegian Pearl only can Gene flick a plectrum more than
– a 93,000-ton ‘Jewel-class’ cruise ship that 100 yards, he can do it while firing off half
looks like a major city block gliding through the ocean a dozen more like bullets?
– for the start of the five-day-crazy-night Kiss Kruise, Or maybe back to Paul on the final
I assumed you had to be a ‘nut-class’ Kiss freak to night for his bedtime story: an hour of
willingly submit yourself to such a potentially mind- Bugs Bunny cartoons, a spontaneous Q&A
mangling thing. Boy was I wrong. with all the kids in the audience, plus
It didn’t matter who you were – whatever age, some of the more adult-sized kids, before actually The second and third Kiss shows were at the
ethnicity, gender – if you like the idea of mostly sitting there in his pyjamas while he read us a story. Stardust, and these were full-dress, full-on Kisstastic
innocent 24-hour f-u-n, then this, my friends, was With ‘us’ also required to wear pyjamas. shows that featured an array of different material,
the place to be. Still not interested? Then how about the all-night ensuring you really did have to see both. For me, that
Where to begin? With the eight restaurants, with casino? Or the live shows on the pool deck that went meant unashamed fist-in-the-air romps through Crazy,
the God-knows how many bars and cafes spread over on till 2am? (You haven’t lived the rock star life until Crazy Nights and God Gave Rock’n’Roll To You II, plus
the 12 public decks? With the bands playing multiple you’ve watched Steven Adler lead his band through full-on-tongues versions of Kiss Klassics like Cold Gin,
sets, including three from Kiss, and featuring – deep Mr Brownstone while you’re tits-deep in a Jacuzzi, Christine Sixteen and Detroit Rock City. You could swim
breath – The Darkness, Warrant, Steven Adler, the sipping a frozen pineapple margarita.) Or the massive, through the confetti at the end and many of us had to.
New Roses, the Dead Deads, several others, plus ship-wide Halloween party on the second night, where The Darkness deserve a special mention too. Justin
ultra-brill Queen tribute act Simply Queen? All of the freaks already dressed as Kiss dressed up like freaks Hawkins looked like he was dressed for his own
whom were on-demand fantastic? dressed as Kiss dressed as horny nurses, Walking Dead personal Halloween-meets-Joker party, while the rest
Or maybe the Gene Simmons Q&A, where he guys and stuff? Or the fancy day trips to the islands? of the band strutted and strolled and shimmied and
discussed his recent kidney operation, in which 15 Wait… Did I mention there were trips to islands? molled through their greatest hits and bits.
kidney stones were removed, which he is of course Skipping off the ship five days later, my main And there was Warrant. Come on! Who doesn’t like
now putting up for sale on eBay – money from which memories were of the three Kiss shows. The first, Cherry Pie done by a band so synonymous with the 80s
will all go to charity. Or maybe the Paul Stanley art a ‘sail-away’ performance at 5.30pm on the pool deck, they should give away free Filofaxes at their shows?
class, which he gave from the stage of the Stardust during which an unmasked, largely unplugged and Oh, and the islands. Well, the ship sailed from
Theater. That’s right, laptops, easels, smocks, and totally fun-tuned Kiss played a near-90-minute set on Miami down to the Bahamas, where we spent a hot
a non-stop repartee with the audience in which they a slowly revolving stage. When halfway through they afternoon on a private beach. Two days later it was
not only learned some useful painterly techniques but brought up Bruce Kulick to join them, sailing through Jamaica. Except some of us didn’t make that one as we
WILL BYINGTON also how genuinely funny Paul can be when talking to Kulick-era gems like Domino and Every Time I Look At were passed out on our ninth-deck cabin balcony. But
people? Or maybe back to Gene another afternoon for
that’s okay, because we’ll be back next year.
You, plus some non-Kulick era numbers like She and
Shandi, the fun-o-meter hit overdrive.
Mick Wall
his pick-flicking master class. Did you know that not
CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM 111

Opeth


London Palladium


Still forging onwards and upwards, the Swedes triumph at the historic venue
which has hosted many of the greats of 20th-century entertainment.

Des O’Connor. Jimmy Tarbuck. Ken Dodd. Over the years, Åkerfeldt’s dry, self-mocking
Sammy Davis Jr. Judy Garland. These, each of sarcasm has become as much a part of Opeth’s
them a household name, are some of the stellar performance as the music. “On the ticket that you
names from the world of entertainment synonymous hopefully paid for, it says ‘Opeth’ – that’s us. It’s sold
with the London Palladium. But time moves on, and out tonight. Thank you,” he announces, managing to
a new breed of star is attempting to follow in the avoid sounding astonished or even smug. Later on
footsteps of these iconic figures, some of them with he quips: “It’ll be a while before we come back – like
blood ties; a couple of months back, comedian a week or two at Wembley Arena. We’re playing
Arthur Askey’s grandson Andy Stewart trod the under the name of ‘Kylie Minogue’.”
hallowed boards as a member of the band Cats In On this second date of the tour, Opeth are still
Space when they opened for Bonnie Tyler. learning their new songs and, as Åkerfeldt cheerfully
Equally incongruous, after recent shows there by admits, “trying to remember the ones we’ve
The Damned and Cradle Of Filth, Opeth are the latest forgotten how to play”. The music alternates
heavy rock band to step through the portal of the between noisy, violent bangs and crashes and
Palladium’s stage door. And, performing surrounded elegant, pastoral shades, sometimes with a knowing
by the splendours of its décor and blessed with the nod to the guitarist’s beloved Camel, and there’s
old theatre’s spectacular in-house lighting and pristine something here for fans of every stage of Opeth’s
acoustics, they seem right at home. career. Indeed it must be said that the show is every
Let’s be clear: this is no overnight sensation. Now bit as ornate as the surroundings.
into their third decade, the Swedish band have taken Perhaps surprisingly, given how far the band have
their sweet time in getting to this place, progressing come and over such a lengthy period of time, one or
from the pub-basement Camden Underworld right two limpets from the past remain. The introduction
up to the prestigious Royal Albert Hall, via London’s to “a song from the Damnation album” is greeted by
Wembley Arena, Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Forum, the huffy exclamation “Finally! Thank fuck!” from one
Roundhouse and even the impatient audience member.
Royal Opera House. After a while, Åkerfeldt
At the same time, Opeth stands cross-armed as the
have also developed and ‘This is Opeth’s audience shouts out
grown musically. They started most theatrically a cacophony of song requests,
out as a fairly straightforward then finally responds with
death metal band, but over the staged tour a purposely immodest
past decade frontman Mikael deadpan of: “Yeah, I know. So
Åkerfeldt has allowed his love to date.’ many classics.” Finally, as the
of progressive music to take two-hour mark approaches
control of their records. As it did so, out went circle and the encores come to an end, the band sign off
pits and in came Mellotrons. Naturally, this gradual with Deliverance, the title song of their 2002 album
yet unmistakable metamorphosis took an inevitable co-produced by Steven Wilson, in a display of clipped
toll on the band’s fan base, many of whom whined of syncopated riffing that threatens to bring down the
betrayal before jumping ship. However, just as venue’s luxurious chandeliers. By now large sections of
emphatically, Opeth began attracting a different kind the audience are on their feet, throwing devil horns, all
of follower. 2019 sees the band at a point where, pretence of grown-up behaviour abandoned.
having long-since added a keyboard player to There’s just one thing that Classic Rock doesn’t
embellish and finesse their sound, and with the death enjoy about this show, and that’s hecklers.
growls largely phased out in favour of clean vocals, Unfortunately, the phenomenon seems to be
they can do pretty much whatever they choose. increasingly prevalent at Opeth concerts. What sort
That’s precisely what happened with their of imbecile pays good money to see a prog-metal
thirteenth album. In Cauda Venenum was recorded band, and then spends the entire night yelling out for
originally in the band’s mother tongue and was then Free Bird, or, worse still, bellows an inane comment
reworked in English for the rest of the world. Some during a quiet moment?
might consider this an act of commercial suicide, but Åkerfeldt has become used to this sort of thing,
Åkerfeldt makes it perfectly clear that he considers and as usual deals well with these attention-seeking
the Swedish version definitive, its counterpart a mere cretins, lampooning the now departed Speaker of
copy of the record that he set out to make. the House Of Commons with a grinning plea for
Tonight the band takes to the stage to the pre- “Order! Order!”, although his continued toleration/
recorded sound of their track Livets Trädgård (or acceptance of their behaviour seems only to
Garden Of Earthly Delights) before crashing into encourage it.
Svekets Prins (Dignity), Åkerfeldt opting to deliver the Having taken another step on their remarkable
lyrics in Swedish. This is Opeth’s most theatrically journey, tonight belongs to Opeth. To borrow the
staged tour to date, and from the moment the heads time-honoured words of Palladium veteran Sir Bruce
of five band members appear together in black and Forsyth, it was “Nice to see them. To see them…?” The Palladium’s spectacular in-house
lighting and pristine acoustics help
white on the video screen, Bohemian Rhapsody-like,
Opeth to deliver a spellbinding show.
they make full use of the Palladium’s facilities to put Words: Dave Ling Photos: Will Ireland
on a spellbinding show.



112 CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM





‘Deliverance threatens
to bring down the

luxurious chandeliers.’

















t’s been thirty years since Steve ‘H’ Hogarth that time, they were making noises no one else had
took over as the singer in Marillion. During made. Those things are staples now; a screaming
this time the band have pioneered new ways of Strat, a heavy metal lead singer, the Hammond, but
making the music industry work for them, and they hadn’t been listening to heavy rock, it didn’t exist,
Ievolved into one of the most creative and they’d been listening to the blues and jazz, but there
complex (yet listenable) forces in modern prog rock. they were making this incredible noise, ‘what on earth
Here, the former Europeans frontman recalls how The is this?! It’s amazing!’
Blue Nile and Bowie made him the musician he is
today, and why he’d never have made it as a Beatle.













The




Soundtrack

Of My Life





Marillion


frontman

Steve



Hogarth



on the special


records, artists


and gigs that


are of lasting


significance


to him.




Interview: Philip Wilding



Family Life by The Blue Nile. Achingly sad and anyone
who’s ever had any domestic problems, and I’ve had a
few, it just hits you, this unbelievably sad and truthful
song. I love The Blue Nile.


MY ‘IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE’ SONG
Sexual Healing takes some whacking, as it were. Or This
City Never Sleeps by the Eurythmics. Dave Stewart is
a genius and Annie Lennox is one of the best female
singers to have walked the earth.

THE SONG I WANT PLAYED AT MY FUNERAL
I wrote it, it’s called Arc Light and it’s a song from an EP
of the same name by me and Richard Barbieri. Those
words are what I want at the end, those are my waving
goodbye words. I could have died after I’d written that,
“Deep Purple opened a door for me. because that’s how I feel about dying.

Marillion - With Friends From The Orchestra is out
They made noises no one else had made.” now via earMUSIC


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