Page 54 - Black Velvet Rock Music Magazine Issue 92

BV92 pg54_BV92 pg54 22/03/2017 02:00 Page 1

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BLACK STAR RIDERS / BACKYARD BABIES / GUN – BIRMINGHAM O2 INSTITUTE, 18.03.17
As Ricky Warwick notes, it is now five years since the formation of lent introduction!
Black Star Riders, initially from the touring members of Thin Lizzy. This After a half-hour pause, Black Star Riders take the stage and blow
latest tour in support of their third album ‘Heavy Fire’ firmly cements their the roof off the building. It’s always interesting to hear the difference in
status as a dynamic, cohesive and extremely good band with their own sound quality between the opening bands and the headliners. Ricky War-
reputation to uphold. wick’s vocals are clear as a bell, Scott Gorham and Damon Johnson swap
Openers, Scottish rockers GUN, receive a very positive reaction, their lead guitar duties and each give a masterclass in the art of the solo, and
short set being a mix of old favourites and a taste of new material which the whole performance is tight as a drum. Seven songs come from the
warms up proceedings nicely. The classic chart hits ‘Word Up’, ‘Steal Your new album – including ‘Heavy Fire’, ‘Dancing With The Wrong Girl’ and
Fire’, and their first single ‘Better Days’ go down very well. Before ‘Shame ‘Cold War Love’ – mixed with older favourites like the tale of betrayal, ‘Sol-
On You’, vocalist Dante Gizzi tells the crowd, “Feel free to go back to your dierstown’, and ‘The Killer Instinct’, plus a single nod to the band’s origins
youth and pogo like it’s 1989” – and that they do. There’s also a trial run in an enthusiastically received ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’. Ricky tells
of ‘She Knows’, announced as the lead track for their forthcoming album the crowd that ‘Hey Judas’ could be classed as a golden oldie now, as it’s
due in September. It’s an energetic start with instant crowd engagement. from the band’s debut album (released in 2013). The finale of rousing ren-
Backyard Babies enjoy themselves with a run through of their better- ditions of ‘Bound For Glory’ and ‘Finest Hour’ (prior to which, Ricky com-
known standards. Starting with ‘Th1rt3en Or Nothing’, they rip through ments, “I dunno what they put in the water, but keep drinking it!”) seem to
‘Dysfunctional Professional’, ‘The Clash’, ‘Brand New Hate’ and ‘Bombed come far too soon, leaving the crowd to go out into the night in a buzz of
(Out Of My Mind)’ amongst others. Guitarist Dregen takes a moment out rock-induced euphoria.
of his very physical performance to dedicate ‘Painkiller’ to his former Hel- YYYY
lacopters bandmate Robert ‘Strängen’ Dahlqvist, who died in February. In Clare Huckett
response to a question from Nicke Borg it becomes clear this is the first
time many of the audience have actually seen the band live. It’s an excel- Ricky Warwick & Damon Johnson (Black Star Riders) Photo By Shari Black Velvet

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