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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
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