Page 47 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 104

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PHIL X & THE DRILLS / COLLATERAL / DEVIL'S DICE - BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY 3, 12.03.20
Bon Jovi’s lead guitarist Phil X recently found
time to come over to play some shows here in the
UK with his band The Drills. Unfortunately, the Eu-
ropean leg had to be cancelled at short notice due
to the threat of coronavirus, which meant that the
Birmingham show was the last one they could play
before heading home. But, as Phil announced, that
just made them more determined to have lots of
fun and play a bit longer, much to the delight of the
enthusiastic crowd.
Birmingham-based band Devil's Dice get the
evening off to a very fine start with their very palat-
able blend of classic style rock/metal influenced by
such greats as Judas Priest and Thin Lizzy, as ev-
idenced by the melodic twin guitar leads of Dave
Clark and Chris Webb, but also given a modern
feel, in no small way thanks to the capable vocals
of Matt Gore, who may be from Dudley but speaks
to the audience in a posh accent between songs.
Classy material from their debut album 'Libertarian'
such as 'Feed The Flames' and 'Destiny Calling'
show that the band certainly have a lot of promise.
Up next is Collateral, a Kent-based rock band
who are certainly causing a stir on the scene
thanks to their highly entertaining live shows which
have seen them grace stages as impressive as
Ramblin' Man Fair and the Jon Bon Jovi European
summer cruise, thanks mainly to the soaring vo-
cals and flamboyant stage moves of Angelo Tris-
tan and the flashy guitar skills of Todd Winger.
'Midnight Queen' and 'Lullaby' are particularly no-
table and leave the audience suitably impressed.
Phil X's solo material is a bit of a contrast to
the kind of songs
that Bon Jovi fans
are used to seeing
him perform. It's
faster, harder, but
still catchy rock
tracks. Most of the
songs included
tonight are from
their 2009 debut
EP 'Kick Your Ass
In 17 Minutes',
such as 'Sunny Days', 'From The Future', and the
amusingly titled 'I Wish My Beer Was As Cold As
Your Heart' and 'Air Hockey Champion Of The
World'. We also get 'You're Not Happy 'Til I'm Not
Happy' from 2011's EP 'We Bring The Rock 'N'
Roll' plus the slightly more laid-back and bluesier
'No Woman Of Mine' from the 2019 'Stupid Good
Lookings, Vol. 1' EP. Phil's jaw-dropping guitar
skills are displayed at every possible opportunity
during the songs, and why not, as he is simply an
amazing player and it is a joy to watch as he
makes it look so effortless, and he even occasion-
ally finds time to perform the neat trick of swinging
his guitar round his back and over his shoulder in
between all the shredding. His fellow band mem-
bers are definitely not slouches either, with Daniel
Spree on bass and Andy Galeon on drums proving
that they are more than capable musicians when
it comes to handling all the technicalities and
slightly unusual arrangements that the songs
throw at them.
Phil's keen sense of humour is also very much present throughout the show in between songs and his banter with the audience is almost as en-
tertaining as the music, with Daniel also chipping in when he jokes that the strange whistling noise we can hear when everything goes quiet is that
'The kettle's on!' Daniel also gets the chance to prove he can sing too, as well as being a damn fine bass player, on a new track that he wrote for the
band called 'Feel Better'. The band also treat us to quite a few of their favourite classic rock covers too, such as a medley of famous Led Zeppelin
tracks including the legendary solo from 'Whole Lotta Love', AC/DC's 'Walk All Over You' and Jimi Hendrix's 'Fire', all of which are rocked up even
harder than the originals, and Angelo Tristan from Collateral joins Phil on vocals for a full-on, rock-out rendition of Van Halen's version of The Kinks'
'You Really Got Me'. Unfortunately, the evening has to come to an end eventually but not before we are submitted to one final cover, this time a breath-
taking performance of Led Zeppelin's 'Communication Breakdown', which features Phil's already-noteworthy vocal prowess taken a notch higher, dis-
playing his best Robert Plant-style high notes. The band and crowd are all smiles afterwards and quite rightly so, as this phenomenal show was one
to be remembered for a very long time.
YYYYY
Ian Trigg
Phil X Photo By Shari Black Velvet
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