Page 50 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine - Issue 100

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YYYYY Excellent YYYY Very Good YYY Good

YY Listenable, Just Y Poor

THE DEAD DAISIES – BIRMINGHAM O2 INSTITUTE, 21.11.18
With their fourth studio album released in April and despite a UK tour back then to coincide, The Dead Daisies have set foot on our soil again be-
cause, well, the UK loves them.
After a set from the Stourbridge classic NWOBHMers Diamond Head, The Dead Daisies – John Corabi, Marco Mendoza, David Lowy, Doug
Aldrich and Deen Castronovo – soon get things moving. “Are you ready to get crazy with us?” John Corabi asks before the rousing ‘Make Some
Noise’. We most definitely are – and for two hours straight, Birmingham is treated to some of the most kick-ass rock of our time. These long-term, well-
established and known musicians have all paid their dues and reaped the rewards. They all know what the audience wants and they definitely deliver
it. Their 23-song setlist includes a mixture of their four albums, which includes both their own music and various covers. New drummer Deen (who
took over from Brian Tichy) gets his share of the spotlight during an acoustic section of the show, which sees the five members sat on stools and lights
dimmed. He sings Rod
Stewart’s ‘Maggie May’ and
does a damn fine job, almost
sounding like a replica of
Rod. We are most im-
pressed. Later on, the band
share their take on The
Rolling Stones’ ‘Bitch’ – giv-
ing it a more current rock
vibe, while still retaining its
classic funk. And when each
member of the band is intro-
duced, we get a snippet of a
few more well known covers,
such as Alice Cooper’s
‘School’s Out’, Joan Jett’s ‘I
Love Rock ‘N’ Roll’ and
AC/DC’s ‘Dirty Deeds Done
Dirt Cheap’. Guitarist Doug
Aldrich is captivating to
watch, pulling the coolest
rock stances while engulfing
the crowd with sparkling
solos and riffs. At one point
he even throws himself on
the floor, and rolls over so his
feet are dangling over the
stage and he’s sat in the
centre to take the spotlight
for some floral fretwork.
Marco Mendoza has his own
microphone headset on, so
he can sing while playing his
bass without being chained
to a mic stand. And of
course, David Lowy, who is
the main founder of the
band, similarly contributes
with his proficient guitar
work. ‘Resurrected’, the
opening track from their lat-
est release, is to “all those
people that write you off”.
Some of these guys have
their own experiences of
being resurrected and they
are definitely now even
stronger than ever. Other
songs in the set such as
‘Rise Up’ and ‘Song And A
Prayer’ show that, despite
being serious subject matter,
they are perfect songs to
rock out to. Ending with ‘Hel-
ter Skelter’ is the icing on the
cake, a cover that never gets
old, with the band showing
their love for the Beatles,
and British music in general.
And while they love British
rock, us British rockers most
definitely adore The Dead
Daisies even more.
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Shari Black Velvet Doug Aldrich (The Dead Daisies) Photo By
Shari Black Velvet
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