|
There's very
rarely a decent gig on a Saturday night in Newcastle lately, so when
this pair of rock legends rolled into town I jumped at the chance to go.
In front of a crammed-to-the-rafters Academy with a crowd of all ages,
NWOBHM veterans Diamond Head kicked off proceedings with one of their
trademark tunes, 'It's Electric'. The band and in particular
singer Nick Tart were on top form, which left me puzzled as to why the
band haven't really hit the heights lately as they did when they were at
their peak in the late 70s.
The band cruised through a set of tunes old and new, including the
classics 'To The Devil His Due', 'Call Me' and 'Sucking My Love', right
up to later tracks like 2005's monster riff-fest 'Mine All Mine'.
Guitarist and founder member Brian Tatler was on top form tonight, and
I'm sure that the band will have garnered themselves a lot of new fans
from this tour with this lengthy support set.
Ending with the famously-covered-by-Metallica epic 'Am I Evil'?, Diamond
Head got the crowd warmed up perfectly for their counterparts, and
headliners tonight, Europe.
|
Beginning
with the grandiose orchestral tinged 'Last Look At Eden' from their
latest album of the same name, Europe launched into a set which
included classics both old and new. Singer Joey Tempest was on
particularly excellent form and the band looked like they were
genuinely having a great time and were pleased to be in
Newcastle. At one point Joey's twirling of the mike stand got
out of hand (literally!) and the stand flew off and almost hit
drummer Ian Haugland!
Joey also had a bit banter with the crowd, mentioning the musical
ability of Ant and Dec a few times, and also trying his hand at the
Geordie accent! At least he tried I suppose!
The bands
set included some more cuts from the new album, such as 'The Beast',
'Gonna Get Ready', and 'New Love in Town', which contrasted well
against some of the early less heavy material. Bassist John
Levens understated approach also added a lot of beef to the songs and
gave them a heavier edge.
|
|
Of course a
Europe gig wouldn't be a Europe gig without some of the bona fide
classics that have stood the test of time so well for almost 30
years. Classics such as 'Cherokee', 'Rock The Night, a semi
acoustic 'Carrie' and 'Superstitious' were belted out with all the vim
and vigour of a band half their age, and they also chucked in a couple
of lesser known tracks such as 'Start From The Dark' from the 2004 album
of the same name.
Finishing with 'The Final Countdown' (well it couldn't be anything else,
could it?) the band got the crowd bouncing all the way home (or to the
pub!). I have to say I didn't really know much of Europe's output
but I was taken aback by how popular they were and really impressed by
their set tonight.
Can't wait for "The Final Countdown" to Europe's next gig in
Newcastle!
Review
by: Dan
|