| OK,
let's get this over with before we get onto the serious stuff. Yes the
bass player did look like he'd come straight out of porn flick. Dressed
in red pants and open jacket he stood there before us with his bronzed
6-pack dripping raw sex appeal. Any female who claims she didn't take a
second glance at him is quite simply a liar plain and simple.
The name of the man in question is
EJ Curse and with looks like that it must be a curse to be taken
seriously as a talented musician. Now then on to the serious stuff.
Here's another band that we'd gone from knowing very little about them
other than the tracks on the aforesaid Z compilation album, to rushing
over and buying their CD from the merchandise stall.
Only two bands made us do this and
this was one of them. Not normally impulse buyers but hey when rock
sounds this good you just gotta get yourself a slice of it to take home.
Not content with being a one
singer band, all three of the guitarists took turns in being lead
singer. Quite often they even swapped over in between songs and you know
what, they sounded bloody brilliant. All three have been gifted as not
only being very talented guitar players but also being blessed with
golden vocal chords.
Apart from Bonfire I think I would have to say that this band was my
second favourite act of the day. They really were my kinda rock. Those
who heard them perform 'I'm a Rebel' live will understand where I'm
coming from here. They are a great little rock n' roll band who throw in
a tad of tongue in cheek attitude with some blistering riffs and a back
beat that has more than your foot tapping.
The songs are well written and executed in a way that makes every one a
winner. Rousing verses that burst into a crescendo when they reach the
chorus. They leave their imprint on your brain with their addictive big
production sing-a-long chorus's.
Obviously we weren't the only ones to be wowed by this band as I
distinctly remember 'Unchained' being played more than once over the PA
system throughout the day. Unchained is one of those songs that
looks you in the white of the eye and says ... 'hey dude, don't mess
with me, I mean business'.
Somewhere in the bands distant past Gene Simmons was their record
company producer and his influences in some of their songs are evident.
Kiss undercurrents threaded through the tunes but without being corny
which was something Kiss were for a lot of the time.
'Whiskey Woman' we were told was about the bands favourite pastimes …
Whiskey and Women! Lol. Hey not only do these guys rock big time but
they have a sense of humour too. 'Remember Me' reminded me of
those catchy hits Billy Idol used to have that the clubs used to play a
dozen times a night. It had a cheeky sneer to it that made it delicious.
I wonder how many people recognized the cover of Alice Cooper's song 'Is
it my Body?'.
They came all the way over from sunny California to perform for us all
and can now go home safe in the knowledge that they've conquered the
UK's AOR fans wholeheartedly. This is a band who have been around for
the last 17 years and who have well and truly honed their skills into
producing the magical music experience we witnessed here today.
Don't leave it too long before you return to wow us some more will you!
Setlist
included: Still
Alive, Serena, Don't touch me There, Is it my Body, Unchained, I Wanna
Feel it Again, Whiskey Woman, Rich, Young & Pretty, Remember Me, At
my Command, Rebel with a Cause, Heaven & Hell |