Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons, Tramshed, Cardiff
On a night when you could have attended several top quality gigs in the Welsh Capital and surrounding area, for me there was only one place to be as one of Wales’ favourite sons finished off his latest tour in style at a bouncing Tramshed. It’s been a bizarre and remarkable four years since the passing of Lemmy, and his right hand man for 30 years, Phil Campbell. The grief which at times remains viciously raw for fans and which Campbell spelt out in Rocking Chair on his recently released solo album has spurred Campbell onward to a new career and direction. The All Star Band morphed into The Bastard Sons, much to Mrs Campbell’s displeasure, and Campbell, vocalist Neil Starr and Campbell’s three sons, Dane, Todd and Tyla have forged a reputation as one of the most exciting bands in the UK today. Hard working bands are in plentiful supply in the UK right now but PCATBS must be in the top division with their relentless tour schedule.
Cornwall’s King Creature (6) were one of several surprise packages a couple of years ago at a freezing HRH in Pwllheli. They had sufficient cutting edge to stand out from the crowd with an energy and fire that spiced up their generic classic rock style. Whether the effects of the current tour had caught up with them or whether it was the somewhat muted response from the Welsh crowd I don’t know, but Creature were rather flat. New song Desolation didn’t last long in the memory, whilst early sing-a-longs to Lowlife elicited a response which whilst rousing didn’t take the roof off. King For A Day upped the intensity a little but despite plenty of sweat and no little effort, the band failed to really ignite the partisan crowd to the extent one might have expected.
Unsurprisingly, a heroes welcome awaited PCATBS (9) as they took to the stage following a roaring Highway Star. The band are sharper, tighter and simply a rock and roll juggernaut. A setlist that mixed tracks from The Age Of Absurdity, two songs from the brilliant Old Lions Still Roar and a scattering of Motörhead classics raced by and by the time Lost Woman Blues and final encore Killed By Death had finished, there was limited oxygen left in the venue. Campbell may be carrying slightly more weight than when he first linked up with Lemmy back in 1984, but he remains a masterful guitarist, his calm and easy style belies his blues values which had always been allowed to shine in Motörhead. Plenty of opportunity to share the axe work with son Todd, whose own fretwork improves on every showing. Neil Starr’s honest working of the crowd harks back to the old school style, the audience participation on Get On Your Knees honed from hundreds of gigs. Phil’s forays to the microphone were brief, mainly a humbled “thank you” but he did bring a tear to the eye when dedicating a ferocious Ace Of Spades to all who had ever sailed in the good ship Motörhead. As a band, PCATBS get better every time I see them, and judging by the roar of the crowd in the venue, most in attendance would agree.
The setlist for those interested: Step Into The Fire, Freak Show, Rock Out, These Old Boots, High Rule, Born To Raise Hell, Dark Days, Get On Your Knees, Rockaway Beach, R.A.M.O.N.E.S, Straight Up, Silver Machine, Ace of Spades, Ring Leader. Encore: Big Mouth, Lost Woman Blues, Killed by Death.
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