The venue is already looking packed tonight as we arrive just in time to catch the opening of CJ Wildheart's (9) set.
The former Wildhearts guitarist has had a very busy year or or two with lots of new material and plenty of live shows. Tonight we see him in fine form, performing songs from his recent releases and from the upcoming new album Slots. As you would expect, we get a lively set of punk tinged rock ‘n’ roll. CJ is his usual jovial self, exchanging banter with people in the audience, little stories and anecdotes. He really is enjoying this chapter in his career and it’s probably the most creative and productive he’s been for a long time.
He doesn't forget his roots though and we get the odd Wildhearts and Honeycrack songs thrown in for nostalgic effect. CJ gigs are like going to watch your mates band play down the local, loads of fun, plenty of banter and simply just good old rock and roll. I’m looking forward to the new album (due out 20th Dec) and hopefully a tour in the New Year to promote it.
As a very impressionable 18 year old I was enamoured by the deluge of glam and sleaze rockers that were thrusting their way onto the rock scene in those post punk years.
The bad boy image of masses of hair, leather, studs and eye-liner was very attractive to us rock chicks at the time, and one of the most striking of these was a young band not from LA or New York, but Finland of all places! It was, of course, Hanoi Rocks and the very delicious Michael Monroe (10). Their breakthrough album Two Steps From The Move was actually their fifth release, but it attracted world wide attention, helped by the increasing popularity of MTV.
40 years later and Monroe is celebrating that album by performing it tonight in it’s entirety.
Opening up with that first track, a cover of CCR’s Up Around The Bend and it’s clear to see that Monroe still has the energy and passion of a young 20 year old. The now 62 year old covers every inch of the stage, jumping, high kicks and even the splits! How he keeps this up for the rest of the set I’ve no idea but I’d love half of his energy! The band play off his infectious energy and they all look like they’re having a whale of a time as they plough through track after track off that album, barely pausing for a breath. They finish off this part of the show with Cutting Corners before leaving the stage for a short break.
The second half of the show was soon underway, and Monroe still looked fresh and ready for more, and more we got with another ten songs taken from his solo career, a couple more Hanoi Rocks songs and even two from his short lived project from the 90s Demolition 23. It was great to hear some of these songs live. Last Train To Tokyo, 78, Ballad Of The Lower East Side, and Malibu Beach Nightmare were fantastic, but the final encore track Dead, Jail Or Rock ‘n’ Roll sealed it for me, and summed up the night perfectly.
You could feel the excitement and love in the room. A room full of old rockers and punks who were transported back to their youth for a short while, thanks to the ever youthful Michael Monroe.
40 years later and Monroe is celebrating that album by performing it tonight in it’s entirety.
Opening up with that first track, a cover of CCR’s Up Around The Bend and it’s clear to see that Monroe still has the energy and passion of a young 20 year old. The now 62 year old covers every inch of the stage, jumping, high kicks and even the splits! How he keeps this up for the rest of the set I’ve no idea but I’d love half of his energy! The band play off his infectious energy and they all look like they’re having a whale of a time as they plough through track after track off that album, barely pausing for a breath. They finish off this part of the show with Cutting Corners before leaving the stage for a short break.
The second half of the show was soon underway, and Monroe still looked fresh and ready for more, and more we got with another ten songs taken from his solo career, a couple more Hanoi Rocks songs and even two from his short lived project from the 90s Demolition 23. It was great to hear some of these songs live. Last Train To Tokyo, 78, Ballad Of The Lower East Side, and Malibu Beach Nightmare were fantastic, but the final encore track Dead, Jail Or Rock ‘n’ Roll sealed it for me, and summed up the night perfectly.
You could feel the excitement and love in the room. A room full of old rockers and punks who were transported back to their youth for a short while, thanks to the ever youthful Michael Monroe.
2 demolition 23 tracks.... Hammersmith pallais and Nothins Alright. We now need a demolition tour of the uk
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