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This gig was
originally billed as Adam Bomb with support from Stolen Sun, but as Adam
had to return to the US for personal reasons at the very last minute, it
was up to Stolen Sun to save to day.
I don't mind admitting that this was a
bit of a relief that Adam Bomb wasn’t playing here tonight as recently his
shows have become a bit samey and to be honest I was only really going to
check out Stolen Sun again.
The bands that were replacing Adam Bomb
were all bands I had seen before except Station Road, who were somewhat of
an unknown quantity to me at this point.
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The first band up were The Valves,
who I must say have improved a great deal since I last saw them at
this very venue a couple of months ago. They really seemed to be
going from strength to strength and did enough tonight for me to
warrant me wanting to check them out again.
Although they did only six songs they
gave it they’re all and seemed to enjoy playing, something that was
sadly missing from the last time I saw them.
With songs like ‘The Outlaw’ and
‘Fast Lane’ sounding just superb this time around and even the
Aerosmith cover ‘Mama Kin’ was good to hear. |
The band even introduced a slide guitar
into their set something I haven’t seen since Sammy Hagar’s Bad Motor
Scooter days. They definitely showed great promise and would
recommend anyone to check them out if they are playing at a venue near
you.
The next band Whitefire are a band who I
have been greatly impressed with ever since seeing them perform for the
first time. I personally think that they are one of the hottest
young prospects I’ve seen for a long time.
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They'd put together a not too
dissimilar set to the one they had performed at the Chillingham Arms a
few weeks ago. But what a difference a proper PA system makes to
a show, tonight they were simply phenomenal firing on all cylinders
from start to finish. The band relished the bigger stage and seemed a
lot more confident on stage with each band member dramatically
improving their stagecraft no end.
They only did a short set but they
crammed in 30 minutes of sheer quality into that short set, with songs
like ‘Give It Up’ and ‘Outspoken’ still sounding like real classic
songs. With the vocals of head honcho Jon sounding really good
tonight, while the rest of the band sounded as tight as a drum.
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The band continue to impress me every
time I seen them perform, and with personal favourites of mine being
‘Pretty Little Lady’ and the stupendous ‘SLR’ being included in their
sets, I have no doubt they will continue to do so for a long time. I
would love to see this band do a longer set and put in a few slower tracks
like the ballads ‘Run And Hide’ and ‘Nothing Left’ off the bands demo ‘The
Damage Is Done’. So lads, if your reading this, maybe next time yes?
Next up were the unknown quantity of
tonight’s proceedings Station Road, they are a band that certainly has
that rock star look about them as they came on stage.
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The band got off to a great start
with a big guitar intro which reminded me of mix between The Alarm and
Bauhaus but a maybe a bit more meatier. Playing songs like ‘You
Found The Love’ and ‘Having A Good Time’ which stuck in my mind as
highlights from their set.
The only criticism of the band would
have to be the keyboards that were almost subdued, I don’t know what
they sounded like on stage but they were hardly audible out front.
I suspect this had a lot to due with the mix because even the keyboard
player seemed bewildered at times and kept checking they were actually
plugged in. |
But this aside Station Road still
impressed me, only not as much as the first two bands, although I wouldn’t
go out of my way to avoid seeing them again and hopefully the next time
the sound guy will bring the keyboards into the mix a little more so we
can all appreciate them.
Now for Stolen Sun, another band that
have well and truly made their mark on me over this past year. Don't
be led into a false sense of security thinking they're going to be a quiet
band because once they kick off there's just no stopping them.
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The band are another local band that
should be getting more exposure than they are getting and hopefully
the bands new album due for release later this year will bring them
the recognition they deserve.
They opened up in typical Stolen Sun
style with both Polo and Gav just churning out some great guitar
riffs, and the new Flying V of Polo brings a warmer guitar sound to
the mix.
The set included some familiar songs
and some new stuff like ‘I Feel Fire’ that really impressed me, but it
was the old favourites like ‘You Really Got A Hold On Me’, ‘Show Me
Love’ and ‘I Want You’ that really got me singing along.
With new material in the pipeline and
a new album due, Stolen Sun will always remain on my roster of bands
that I must see come hell or high water. Their live performances
really lift the hairs on the back of my arms. |
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All in all the nights performances were
another reason why I’ve found new faith in the young bands of today, and I
can't wait till Christmas when all this Emo rubbish is due to come a halt
and proper bands like the four seen here tonight can have their fifteen
minutes of fame, or longer if the music gods are feeling particularly
generous. |
