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Somebody in the Thunder organisation must be psychic, this is the third
time they’ve played in Newcastle on my birthday weekend and going on past
form it’s been a helluva party. Just one problem this time around, I’ve
got a chest and throat infection hanging around from Skid Row the week
before and that does not make for a party hardy bunny in these parts. I
have tried to kill off the germs with copious amounts of red wine but
without success. I was determined not to miss this gig as I had heard
good reports about Lauren Harris, daughter of the mighty Steve. So after
quaffing a bottle of merlot and having a bite to eat, the salubrious
suroundings of City Hall called us in to rock n’
roll.
Lauren Harris hit the stage for her 30 minute set at 8pm and it was
straight into the classic UFO tune, 'Natural Thing'
and Ms Harris does an adequate version. Straight off from where I was
sitting, just behind the desk, it was obvious that the sound tech was
unfamiliar with the equipment he was using cos’ he didn’t have a clue. I
kept thinking the security guy shoulda thrown him out earlier when he
couldn’t find his AAA pass.
I felt Ms Harris had an underwhelming voice
and the band weren’t hotshot sidemen but they were all working the stage
and Lauren makes use of as much of it as possible, running from side to
side and doing a bit of headbanging. Shame someone forgot to switch the
bass guitar rig on, oops sorry that bloody sound tech again!
Drummer Tom
McWilliams reminds me of a game show host and guitarist Ritchie Faulkner
gives it his best Zakk Wylde moves. Lauren worked through some mediocre
songs, 'Your Turn', 'Get Over It',
'Come On Over' and included another cover,
'Steal Your Fire by Gun', which was passable. I was feeling like I had been
misled by reports I’d heard until Ms Harris finished off the set with her
best song, 'Cover Me'. I was left feeling unimpressed, but taking
everything into account, I feel I owe it to Lauren Harris to give her
another chance so the next time she’s in the area I’ll trot along.
And so to the main event, Thunder, using the same lighting rig and pa as
last year, Danny Bowes bounds onstage and the crowd immediately go into
party mode. Last years gig was an absolute stormer so I was hoping for a
match. My voice dies to croak by the end of the first song so I just have
to dance and clap along for the remainder of the gig.
Watching Thunder is
like watching a bunch of mates, Danny is a jovial, chatty frontman, Luke
Morley ain’t no Jimmy Page or Slash but he has come up with some classic
riffs and hooks over the years. Unfortunately tonight he seems to have
swapped his guitar sound for an amplified wasps nest. Ben Matthews still
looks like Jonathon Ross, or is it the other way round and plays some
beautiful piano at one point, Chris Childs is a solid bass player and of
course, has a second job in the Illegal Eagles, talk about Life In The
Fast Lane!! Harry of course, is just Harry, and dons a rather large pair
of underpants thrown onstage by a member of the audience.
The band played
a
selection of their classic tracks, 'Backstreet Symphony',
'Love Walked In',
'She’s So Fine', 'Low Life In High Places',
'River of Pain'
plus newer songs,
'Think I Love You More Than Rock n'
Roll', 'Robert Johnson’s Tombstone',
'The
Devil Made Me Do It', 'Can’t Keep A Good Man Down'
as well as tracks from the
new EP, 'Chain Reaction'
and 'Dirty Dream', which stand up to their earlier
material and left me well impressed.
The crowd got to sing, dance and
jump around but we didn’t get Harry doing his stand-up routine and there
was no 'Better Man' or
'Dirty Love'. I did leave feeling as though I’d been
short-changed, but for one and three quarters of an hour, I and the rest
of the crowd had smiles on our faces. And was it me or was there an
inordinate amount of people with aftershow passes in attendance!
Thunder can
still pull an audience and Newcastle enjoys a party, long may they return
and if they can carry on coming up with material as good as tracks on Six
of One
... then
people will buy tickets for the shows and I will probably be one of them.
* Review by Brassy.
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