Band:
The Quireboys Venue:
Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Date:
21 October 2001
The first thing you'll
notice as you look around the room tonight is that glam rock fans do not
die, they just dye another colour. Although The Quireboys probably never
thought of themselves as glam rock heroes, alongside the likes of the big
hair bands Poison and Motley Crue, over here in the UK the very same crowd
of fans who followed these bands held them in high esteem.
The Quireboys were the vortex of cool. We all knew the songs off by heart.
We all had the same coloured scarves hanging from every part of our bodies
imaginable. There was many a young man to be found in the legendary
Mayfair nightclub who had tried to copy their look in a quest to look like
his heroes.
'Mayfair' was the anthem for the club and the young glam rockers of the
North East of England. We held our heads up high and used it as our party
rock battle cry. Sadly this was the one track the band did leave out of
their setlist. Unforgivable!
Sadly the 80's came and went and so did another great band. For it was in
the early 90's that we lost our beloved band to the ravages of Grunge.
Thankfully our heroes were not dead, only sleeping. The time has come for
them to arise like a phoenix from the ashes and to claim the crown they
once wore so well.
And so here we were tonight; having stood through yet another average set
by the mongrels of mayhem Anti Product, in what at one time was our glam
rock finery. A little faded, a little repaired here and there, and a
little stretched in places (my how we've all grown!). We had tried to make
an effort to rekindle the old times, but would the band return the favour?
Then the band came on. Whoah! Looks like Spike has already started to
party by the way he's half helped onto the stage with a bottle of Jack
Daniels in his hand (or perhaps that was just for show?).
Opening with the only track they could have really opened with we had …'7
0' clock'. Everyone's faces lit up as the memories came flooding back. The
band were really here and they sounded as good as they did the first time
around if not better! Tonight this town was going to party like it hasn't
for over a decade!
The band looked nervous, Spike in particular looked really nervous and
kept taking large swigs from the bottle and cans lying around the stage.
The look in his eye told you he was having a party all of his own and we
were going to be the spectators.
For all he appeared totally out of his skull on drink he still managed to
sing in perfect tone and tune. It was amazing to watch. The guy is a
legend; he is the god of good time party rock n' roll.
Beside him Nigel kept a watchful eye on him and more than twice had to
pull him back onstage when he misjudged the size of the stage and fell off
between the monitors into the crowd. Anyone else and we wouldn't have been
impressed but with Spike you just gotta love him.
The crowd had squeezed up tight to the front of the stage and so each time
he fell he always had a soft landing. The rest of the band played on while
he laughed and carried on like nothing had happened.
With old favourites such as 'Whipping Boy', 'There She Goes Again' and
'Hey You' coming at us like a crazy train, we jumped around and boogied
like we've not done in a long time. It reminded me that the best thing
about dancing to this particular band all those many years ago was that
even if you were completely bladdered and were staggering about it didn't
matter, it all looked part of the party and no one took any notice.
It was expected of you in fact. Not so young any more girlies screamed out
at the band and tried to touch the leg of Spike or Nigel as they
performed.
They rest of the band might have just come along for the ride originally
but after a show like this it will be hard for them to have any doubts in
their mind that this band is as popular as it ever was and there is still
a huge market out there for this kind of rock.
Sitting comfortably
between the old songs were a whole host of new ones off the new album
'This Is Rock N' Roll'. Some reports so far had been good; some had been
not so good. Well I haven't heard the album myself … yet! … But if
tonight's rendition of the songs were anything to go by then I would say
it should be high on the list of albums to check out at the next visit to
the record store.
The party seemed to go on forever and Spike seemed to peak in his drinking
and still manage to stay standing while they did two encores. A few people
came within millimetres of having their eyes poked out when he wildly
swung the microphone stand around before hooking it precariously off a
roofing beam above his head.
You could hear the silence in the room as all eyes were on it wondering if
it would come crashing down on top of him while he sang along as happy as
Larry.
Of course it didn't come crashing down on top of him, there were too many
people onstage keeping a watchful eye over him to let that happen. He is
too precious to both the band and his fans to let him come to any real
harm. A bruised knee is one thing, being impaled with a microphone is
something totally different.
The set finished with
Spike inviting the female part of the audience up onstage with him for
hugs and photos. I say the female half of he audience because suddenly
there was just Spike and what looked like a millions young women huddled
together on the small stage with cameras flashing all over the place by
their boyfriends and husbands.
Goodness knows what happened to the rest of the band. I can only presume
they either leap to safety when they saw the hoards of flesh descend upon
them, or else were squished in the stampede!
Tremendous fun. Whoever said they were past their sell-by date lied big
time. These guys are real party animals. They are adorable. If you're
female you want to smother then in kisses. If you're male you want to take
them out on a bender. Musically they are better and stronger than they
were all those years ago and sober or drunk Spike is still the undisputed
king of Rock N' Roll!
Setlist:
7 0' Clock
C'mon
Show Me Wot
Whipping Boy
This Is Rock N' Roll
There She Goes Again
Never Let Me Go
Ode To You
Hey You
Searchin
Misled
Turn Away
Man On The Loose Encore 1:
Don't Love You Anymore
Julie-Ann Encore 2:
Sex Party
The first thing you'll
notice as you look around the room tonight is that glam rock fans do not
die, they just dye another colour. Although The Quireboys probably never
thought of themselves as glam rock heroes, alongside the likes of the big
hair bands Poison and Motley Crue, over here in the UK the very same crowd
of fans who followed these bands held them in high esteem.
Then the band came on. Whoah! Looks like Spike has already started to
party by the way he's half helped onto the stage with a bottle of Jack
Daniels in his hand (or perhaps that was just for show?).
Sitting comfortably
between the old songs were a whole host of new ones off the new album
'This Is Rock N' Roll'. Some reports so far had been good; some had been
not so good. Well I haven't heard the album myself … yet! … But if
tonight's rendition of the songs were anything to go by then I would say
it should be high on the list of albums to check out at the next visit to
the record store.
