I am quite unashamedly, a huge fan of (reunited) 80s/90s all-girl band Vixen - indeed, theyre the main reason Andy and I went to Firefest in 2013. You can thus imagine I was rather pleased when the Down N Outz announced that Share Ross was to be their bass player on the upcoming tour, and we nabbed a pair of tickets to see them at the Wolverhampton Slade Rooms. Fast-forward to Firefest 2014, where we find ourselves sharing the same hotel as James Martin, whos the keys player with VEGA. So what? Well - I havent the first clue who they are, but Andy does: we get talking to someone by the sound desk at Firefest, who happens to mention that the support for the Down N Outz is - you guessed it, VEGA. Ok. I can take a hint - time to nab a copy of the new album (Stereo Messiah) and check it out... By gum, but it rocks. Dec 12 in Wolverhampton is just looking better and better... And so last night, Andy and I pile into the trusty Roomster, and by some weird quirk of fate, manage to do Peterborough to Wolverhampton in under 2 1/2 hours on a Friday evening, pull up in a cheap carpark with loads of free spaces a minute from the venue, find time for food at the local Wetherspoons, and are four rows or so from the front when VEGA hit the stage. Things cant get any better... Holy ... They do. VEGA remind me, in one particular aspect only, of 70s era Fleetwood Mac. The studio album is a piece of superbly produced melodic heavy rock, but onstage they turn into a completely different, rawer, live animal. Nick is possibly one of the best frontmen Ive seen live since Freddy Mercury - he really knows how to grab and work a crowd - and the rest of the band are superbly tight. Absolutely awesome set, no dead spots, no losing the crowd, just flat out immense. Half an hours pause to reset the stage, and cue the Down N Outz. Ill freely admit I dont know much of the Mott/Ian Hunter/British Lions back catalogue, but Joe Elliott (that Joe Elliott, yes), does, and the Down N Outz are very clearly a labour of love. They open with a full on 11 minute take on Elton Johns Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, and, despite the fact that four of the six musicians have varying grades of the winter flu-like sickness, they kick arse. The arrangements are nailed-on tight, full of tricky stop/starts, the twin guitar attack of Paul Guerin and Guy Griffin (with Joe on a silver glitter Les Paul) is why the Good Lord invented valve amps (and getting awesome noises out of sub-400 quid JHS/Vintage guitars, too!). Share and drummer Phil Martini hold it all together, with extra sparkle from Keith Weir (and occasionally Joe) on keys. Phil is a monster drummer - its so ridiculously tight and precise - I need to show James (son) the DVD if there ever is one, as he sets his kit up the same way, and James is definitely toward the /precise/ end of the the drumming spectrum. And Share - whoa. Nailing that lot on THREE days rehearsal, including a pile of backing vocals? Respect. Ive seen enough of her playing in Vixen to know she can really play, but the DnO set is trickier stuff yet. (And how does she manage those stretches down the low end of a Precision with such small hands???) Gutted for the guys though - when somethings so obviously a labour of love, it must suck to have your short tour marred by colds/man-flu/laryngitis and not feel youre able to give it everything youd want to. That aside? Brilliant set: I was hoarse at the end of it... Well draw a veil over the homeward journey. Suffice it to say the M6 was closed by the M42, and the resulting trip round the back of Coventry got us home around 2.15 am. *yawn*
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 18:02:49 +0000