Page 47 - Black Velvet Rock Music Magazine Issue 92

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ANDY BLACK / WILLIAM CONTROL / PALAYE ROYALE – ST. LOUIS DELMAR HALL, 18.02.17
After touring his ‘The
Shadow Side’ solo album
since last May, Andy Black is
now wrapping the tour up to
get back to Black Veil Brides
work. This final US leg is the
‘Curtain Call’ and sees
William Control and Palaye
Royale as opening bands.
Palaye Royale are just
what the doctor ordered. And
indeed, they have a song
called ‘Mr. Doctor Man’. ‘Mr.
Doctor Man’ and co. are bites
of glamorous, attitude-filled
rock ‘n’ roll. The self-pro-
claimed fashion art band
have a striking image and
songs to match. The flamboy-
ant outfit perform a cover of
‘Teenagers’ by My Chemical
Romance, much to the delight
of the crowd. All eyes are on
vocalist Remington Leith as
he jumps off the stage, and
when the set ends he takes
his top and trousers off, to
much amusement. These
guys are fun and well worth
going to see.
William Control takes
fans down a completely differ-
ent path. Originally making
his name in the heavier rock
band Aiden, William Control
(AKA Wil Francis) has now
ventured into a new wave,
dark, synthpop forest.
Thumping beats act as a
foundation for William, who is
inspired by artists such as Joy
Division, Depeche Mode and
New Order. He whips his mic
lead around as he sings elec-
tronic numbers that wouldn’t
seem out of place in a rave in
Ibiza – albeit a more gothic
one. The dominating front-
man tells fans in the front row
to tie his shoelaces for him.
Control by name, control by
nature, ‘Razor’s Edge’ is dra-
matic, while ‘The Monster’
shows Wil’s dark, domineer-
ing side. A lot of Andy Black’s
fans also like William Control
although the two are very dif-
ferent.
‘The Shadow Side’ was one of our favourite releases of 2016 and a
much underrated one. Andy’s own inspirations prompted an album full
of pristine and perfect dark pop tunes. It’s a privilege to get to hear them
live in a small club. Beginning with the hopeful ‘Stay Alive’, Andy imme-
diately connects with the audience and they sing loudly in unison. The
lighting is dark to match the tone of the music. Andy covers Billy Idol’s
‘Dancing With Myself’ early in the set and chats a lot to the audience in
between songs (as if to lengthen the short set), introducing his band-
mates after ‘Ribcage’. He jokes about a movie called Bagger Vance,
urging fans to look it up on YouTube and post comments (about Andy)
on it. ‘Louder Than Your Love’, co-written by Gerard Way, is a melodic
dream, while ‘Put The Gun Down’ punctures our heart in the best way
possible. The set is over all too soon, ending with ‘We Don’t Have To
Dance’ – a song that makes the audience jump with joy and this time in-
cludes a drum solo by Beaux Evans. It may be a while before we see
another Andy Black solo show, but we’ve got our fill for the time being.
YYYY
Shari Black Velvet
Andy Black Photo By Shari Black Velvet

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