Page 60 - Black Velvet Issue 88

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THUNDER / TERRORVISION / KING KING – LONDON SSE
ARENA WEMBLEY, 20.02.16
Wembley Arena is already booming with life as Glaswegian rockers King King
take to the stage. Opening with the punchy 'More Than I Can Take', their heavy
blues-rock is immediately a big success with the Thunder fans. Kilt-wearing singer
and guitarist Alan Nimmo has a belter of a voice and a fun, likeable stage pres-
ence that warms you to the band. Despite this, it's clear that King King aren't quite
built for arenas yet – lacking in the visual side of the performance, they would be
better received in a smaller venue. Regardless of this, they make the most of
their 30 minute slot by treating the crowd to bluesy, smouldering tunes like 'Rush
Hour' and 'Waking Up', which show off their songwriting ability and sheer musical
quality.
Next up are Terrorvision, who were very
popular in the 90's before splitting up in
2001. Now reunited, Terrorvision are ready
to show Wembley what they've got, storming
onto the stage with the energetic 'Dis-
cotheque Wreck', before launching into 'Pre-
tend Best Friend'. Terrorvision have always
had a reputation for being an incredible live
act, and tonight they don't disappoint. Vocal-
ist Tony Wright bounces around the stage
like he's a dad at an old-school disco, mak-
ing the crowd laugh while delivering out-
standing live vocals. All of the songs are
memorable and the band show off every-
thing from newer songs such as 'Babylon' to
their greatest hits, 'Oblivion' and 'Alice,
What's The Matter?', which both see a fair
amount of faces in the crowd singing along.
It's a nostalgic set and an all-round good
time, with shameless dancing and big riffs
which has certainly proved that Terrorvision
are still every bit as good as they were in the
90s.
Before Thunder take to the stage, the
backdrop shows us a slideshow of iconic im-
ages from the seventies, everything from
David Bowie to Kermit the Frog. The
slideshow leads into album title track 'Won-
der Days', a track that reminds everyone why
it was they first fell in love with this band.
Thunder's career had been built on their live
reputation, and tonight it's easy to see why.
Vocalist Danny Bowes' voice is immaculate
and his phenomenal ability to control the
crowd is something only seen in the best and
most experienced musicians. Thunder lead
the audience through a journey of both
newer material like 'Black Water' and fan
favourites like 'Empty City'. There are dance-
able grooves like 'The Devil Made Me Do It'
thrown in with beautifully nostalgic sing-
alongs like 'Like A Satellite', which is deliv-
ered by Danny with piano accompaniment
before the rest of the band join in for the fi-
nale.
Thunder tick every box tonight, with
stunning musicianship accompanied by
great visuals and crowd interaction. It's great
to see rhythm guitarist Ben Matthews on top
of his game once more after a lengthy battle
with cancer; in fact, all of the band are on
point tonight, including lead guitarist Luke
Morley who blasts out some arena-sized
solos in true rockstar style. Thunder wrap up
a lengthy set with some of their biggest
songs, 'Love Walked In' and 'Dirty Love',
which get everyone in the seats standing up
and singing along and proves that there's still
plenty of life left in these nostalgic songs.
Thunder really are just five normal blokes
giving everything they've got to an audience
of devoted fans who love every minute of
their rock ‘n’ roll stage craft and musical hits
– what more can you ask for?
YYYY
Carissa Thorne
Danny Bowes (Thunder) Photo By Carissa Thorne
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