Venue: Barfly, Camden

Planet Rock invited us to a very intimate gig at Camden Barfly in London on the 21st of September, that featured a few bands including Leogun and BlackWolf, two bands that have already supported some pretty big bands in the past.   

The last time I have seen Leogun was when they opened up for Extreme this year.  I remember that I had already been pretty impressed back then as their songs were very catchy and a great mix of blues, motown and a bit of classic rock à la Led Zeppelin.  When Leogun started playing their tunes this time, more influences popped into my mind.  The guitar riffs seemed heavier - like something Tony Iommi might come up with and some bits, especially the solos, reminded of Hendrix or another band I recently discovered called Reignwolf. So in fact really great tunes with a catchy rhythm like they had already showcased at their previous gig. 

To my surprise one thing had changed though which didn’t seem as obvious from the beginning. Their performance basically had started out like I remembered it, but after just a few songs it changed and together with it did the atmosphere.  It was a bit as if the performance led up to a climax in which the band members would completely lose themselves in their music in a very positive way. Positive because it gave their performance a certain wow-factor, something you can’t take your eyes off basically, and together with that very intimate atmosphere at the Barfly, it just created one perfect moment that was very hard to forget. It’s always great to see bands progress and in my opinion Leogun definitely did.   

But that was not the only band that had improved that night.  BlackWolf was another band I had seen before when they were supporting Winger. They already had stood out back then and certainly did now as well.  This time their sound reminded me of a mix of Led Zeppelin and 'Appetite for Destruction' Guns ‘N’ Roses, with heavy guitar riffs, but also some very bluesy parts like in 'Faith In Me'.  During their performance vocalist Scott Sharp announced that the band had been working on their new album since the end of the Winger tour.  One of their songs from that album 'Kiss The Fire' will be featured in the newest issue of Classic Rock, so lookout for that magazine. The crowd’s response to that song was phenomenal with people moving along and enjoying themselves, so you can be pretty sure that tune rocks. 

Besides their catchy songs and great energy on stage, especially from both guitarists John Greenhill and Jason Cronin, BlackWolf certainly stood out because of Scott’s inventive methods to get the crowd going.  Not only did he animate the audience to sing a melody with him (and successfully got most of them to follow his lead), but he also got them to dance and clap along to a few songs, one of them being their probably catchiest one 'Sea of Mercy'.  Even though their performance had already been great when supporting Winger, personally I think it got even better, overflowing with energy and passion for what they do.   

It was great to see both bands again, especially with the progress they had made. So if you are into any of the bands I have mentioned as possible influences before, you better check them out on Facebook (here, here) and follow them on Twitter (@leogunband, @ukblackwolf) because, let me assure you, you’ll definitely hear more of them in the future.

Review by: Anna Zurek

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