Blue Öyster Cult & The Temperance Movement, The Anson Rooms, Bristol
Many moons ago I saw BÖC play at St David’s Hall. Dec 5th, 1985 to be precise. A half empty venue, my abiding memory of the band was how boring the whole evening was. I can’t even remember (Don’t Fear) The Reaper being played. Move forward 33 years and my view has changed substantially. Having been blown away by the sheer slickness of the band when they played at HRH a couple of years ago, this was a gig I was always very interested in attending. Moved from St Philip’s Gate to the sterile Anson Rooms in the University area of Bristol, the event sold out several weeks in advance and the snaking queue of predominantly middle age men indicated that it was going to be a busy evening.
The line-up included a stellar support, if a little left of field for a band of BÖC’s fan base. The Temperance Movement (8) are great favourites of mine. Having first seen them in the middle of the afternoon at Steelhouse Festival in 2013, I’ve followed the band with interest ever since and have seen the band several times. Their rock and roll swagger, akin to The Stones and The Small Faces may be less than original, but the band deliver in a style which is appealing, genuine and totally engaging. With three albums under their belt, it wasn’t that long ago that the band were headlining their own sold out UK tour at Academy sized venues, so it was a surprise when they were named as the support slot for this tour.
Whether they play first or last never bothers The Temperance Movement and without the shackles of headliner status this was a relaxed and confident 45 minutes. Frontman Phil Campbell looked particularly comfortable, cajoling the crowd, delivering his smoky vocals and whirling around as he always does. A true frontman in every sense of the word, he charms, engages and generally enjoys himself on stage. An eight-song set list comprised five tracks from 2018’s A Deeper Cut with the remainder hewn from the band’s eponymous debut release. Surprisingly, nothing at all from their sophomore album White Bear but the band played it straight. Five raucous and infectious songs including Only Friend and Take It Back got the audience interested and the genuine fans excited before Campbell, guitarists Paul Sawyer and Matt White, drummer Simon Lea and bassist Nick Fyffe eased back the throttle for the gentle Another Spiral and A Deeper Cut. Having slowed the pace, the band fired it back up for the concluding track, another from A Deeper Cut, the pumping Built In Forgetter. With the room close to capacity, this was another quality set from a band who improve on every viewing.
With a back catalogue that dates to 1972, it is no surprise that Blue Öyster Cult (9) reached deep into the past to retrieve some golden oldies for their set. Whilst the band only retains Eric Bloom and Donald ‘Buck Dharma’ Roeser as original members, the line-up has been settled for many years with drummer Jules Radino and rhythm guitarist/keyboard player Richie Castellano both well into their second decade with the New York outfit. Bassist Danny Miranda re-joined the band in 2017 after three years absence but has played with BÖC from 1995 to 2014 prior to that departure and subsequent return. The band has varied their set from night to night, adding a different track each evening as well as moving the set list around to accommodate a range of classics and less familiar songs. Although they haven’t released a new album since 2001’s Curse Of The Hidden Mirror, there is plenty to challenge both band and audience. Having entered the stage to the Game Of Thrones theme, the band launched into The Red And The Black and comfortably eased their way into a 17-song set which contained numerous magical moments.
As musicians, few of their peers can hold a torch to them, with Buck Dharma demonstrating his exceptionally underrated guitar work throughout the evening. Whilst their songs may appear simple on CD or vinyl, in the live arena they take on a different complexity and hauling tracks such as This Ain't The Summer Of Love, Shooting Shark (co-written by Patti Smith, no less) and Then Came The Last Days oO May out of the archives was a total joy to hear. With Bloom taking the MC role, there was plenty of wit and humour to enhance the evening. The Vigil was exceptional, with some stellar guitar interplay from Dharma and Castellano whilst Buck’s Boogie allowed the band to let loose on the lengthy instrumental piece. Of course, there were always going to be people there for that song, and happily they were forced to wait. Instead, Bristol was treated to True Confessions from Agents Of Fortune (celebrating its 45th anniversary), a track penned by original keyboard/guitarist Allen Lanier, whose name was mentioned with fondness by Bloom.
With four tracks from 1972’s debut release included in the set, the final one was the fantastically titled She’s As Beautiful As A Foot, a mellow and calm track, where Castellano fluffed the initial intro. This was followed by monster sound effects as the band eased into what else but Godzilla! My all-time favourite BÖC track and with three guitars those riffs were massive. Dharma followed this with a guitar solo which I could have done without, but then it was time as the room became truly animated as (Don’t Fear) The Reaper closed the main set. A song that is timeless, superbly clever and much more intricate than it is given credit for, the 1200 capacity crowd sung along to every word before the band left the stage.
A double track encore consisted of The Golden Age Of Leather and Hot Rails To Hell, and as the crowd melted away into the damp Bristol evening, there was a buzz of gratitude about having been there to see one of rock’s giants in such an intimate setting. When you realise that Eric Bloom is 74 and Buck Dharma 71, this gratitude was only increased. A truly stunning performance, polished, confident and completely professional. Musicianship of the highest quality. And despite the usual idiotic behaviour of a few present, the majority treated the event with the respect it warranted.
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