Band: Johnny Zhivago Venue: Trillions Rock Bar, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK Date: 4 June 2001
Even before the gig
had started the band had two major obstacles in their way.
Firstly it was a Monday night, which is any town, is always a bad night
for bands to play.
Secondly the flyers had them down under the wrong name, oh dear, tonight
it wasn't Johnny Zhivago playing, it was their long lost uncle Dr Zhivago!
Like I said not a good start for anyone to have to go on with.
Outside the weather was horrible. Inside the crowd was practically
non-existent. The band sat in bewilderment at the end of the room
wondering when everyone would arrive.
The few of us that had realized in time who it really was that was going
to be playing here tonight were starting to get worried.
Would they call it a day and leave without playing? It was not looking
good for either side.
However the band had come a long way up from London to play here tonight
and decided to take the first set rather than headline tonight. Would it
make that much difference?
Half the people knew who they were, the other half had wandered in off the
street to see a band called Dr Zhivago and probably wouldn't realize who
it was they were watching in any particular order anyway.
The band took a deep breath and headed on stage at around 9 o' clock to
the claps of the people who sat huddled together on the front tables.
They did in fact know who it was and were really pleased they had not only
come to play here tonight, but also relieved that they were still going to
go ahead with it. For such a long time we had been hearing such wondrous
things about this band and it looked like at last we were going to find
out if all the rumours were true.
The band looked ready for action as they stormed into their opening song
'Twenty First Century'. The band gave it their all and it sounded really
good. The room started to look interested as they went on to the next one
'Bitch'.
Most may not have been sure who they were watching but they seemed to be
enjoying it all the same.
Realizing that we didn't bite the bands took it that this was as good as
it was going to get and they were going to have to make the best of it.
The band jokingly made light of the fact that the room was a bit sparse
tonight and that they were wrongly named on the flyers.
They laughed at being billed as Dr. Zhivago and said surely they didn't
look like Omar Sharif? The room laughed and things started to relax after
that.
Dressed head to toe
in black lead singer/bassist Lee Wray certainly didn't look a bit like
Omar at all peaking out from behind his dark floppy fringe.
To his right we saw the bands other lead singer Steve Maloney, (yes, they
take it in turns). A man who looks like he has walked straight out of a
new romantics band with his long blonde fringe and super cool dress style.
Dressed in black suit and open necked white shirt he had certainly thought
long and hard about how he wanted to portray himself to the world at
large.
Both guys had big fringes and both guys had wonderful voices.
Jumping around like a true loon on the left hand side of the stage we had
guitarist Jamie Hunwick giving it his all. I'm not entirely sure if he was
aware of the room and the people in it tonight. He certainly seemed to be
going wild in his own little world throughout the whole performance.
To say he had plenty of energy is a huge understatement, this guy was
possessed! He was like a Tasmanian devil with a flop of blonde curls
thrown in for good luck. Even his eyes looked crazed as he played. Someone
ought to tie a rope to one of his legs incase he takes off during one of
his performances.
Last time I saw a look in someone's eyes like that it was Ozzy's. What's
really scary is that he was high on drugs where as this guy just looked
high on life itself!
He jumped, he twirled, and he played like he had sold his soul to the
devil himself.
Behind this amazing looking threesome we had drummer Neil Roberts. A man
who helped keep things together with his perfect timing throughout the
whole set.
How could anyone just sit there and not be infected with the beat? I saw
more than one foot tapping along to the songs as the night went on.
Backseat drummers each and every one of us!
How would I describe the bands sound? Well it's most definitely rock,
mixed together with lashings of punkish attitude and a loud strong
delivery of both guitars and drums.
But that's not all! Oh no! It also has a smooth and classy sound to it
courtesy of the magnificent vocals of Messrs Wray & Maloney.
All in all it has plenty of bite and it is this mighty combination that
makes the songs so addictive.
Anyone familiar with the Classic Rock magazine will have instantly
recognized the song 'Just Wanna Be Loved' which featured on the Classic
Cuts CD No. 13.
When the band first started to play it I wondered why it sounded so
familiar and then it dawned on me where I had heard it from before. This
is an excellent example of the type of rock this band perform. It's loud,
it's furious, but it's perfectly polished and has quite a sexy little
delivery to it when performed live.
Dig it out, have a listen and then some and see them next time they play
your town! Go on, you know you want to.
The set went over at a rapid pace with very little talking between songs
which was a shame, we would have liked to have had the chance to truly
hear what the band had to say for themselves a bit more.
It all came to a glorious end with a cover of the song 'Bad Liquor'.
Hopefully one day the band will forgive the rock fans in Newcastle for not
turning out in force to see them tonight.
One things for sure, no matter where they play if they give it as much
energy and commitment they gave us tonight then they will soon have people
banging down their doors pledging allegiance to them and their music.
I for one can't wait for the new album to come out later in the year.
Setlist:
Twenty first century
Bitch
Just wanna be Loved
One bad Day
Never Enough
Show me your Disease
No Compromise
Love me like it's the end of the World
Diving for Pearls
Rocket 69
Bad Liquor
Dressed head to toe
in black lead singer/bassist Lee Wray certainly didn't look a bit like
Omar at all peaking out from behind his dark floppy fringe.
