Page 52 - Black Velvet Issue 97

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BRITROCK MUST BE DESTROYED FEAT. REEF, THE WILDHEARTS, TERRORVISION, DODGY – BIRMINGHAM
DIGBETH ARENA, 05.05.18
It’s a gloriously sunny day, which is just as well as tonight’s show is at an open-air venue. It’s Digbeth Arena’s first event, and if you haven’t yet
been there, a quick bit of info – it’s not an arena. Gates open at 3pm, although first band, Dodgy, aren’t on until 5.30pm. There are a number of food
vans and a public bar, plus lots of wooden benches and tables, so the aim is to relax and chill before the evening’s entertainment. Although the rest
of the Britrock Must Be Destroyed tour saw the bands in indoor arenas, tonight’s open-air venue gives off a real mini festival feel.
Unlike the three co-headliners, Dodgy, as openers, only have half an hour, although this is still long enough to play classic Dodgy hits such as
‘Staying Out For The Summer’, ‘Good Enough’ and ‘In A Room’. Although possibly a little bit more Britpop than Britrock, Dodgy are the perfect band
to kick off the sunny, summery Saturday. Their mellow, feel-good tunes are the sort that would go hand in hand with daisies, buttercups and sunshine
– not that there are any flowers in this converted builders’ yard, but you know what we mean. It’s a nice, relaxed vibe that will only pick up pace as the
evening continues.
Terrorvision are the first band to get a
full hour – and it’s a good job they do as
they have so many old fan favourites, they
need it. We’d almost forgotten how many
hits they had but the band reel them off with
such energy and vigour you’d think they
were half the age they were. Tony Wright
does a number of high kicks and runs on
the spot, barely standing still while singing
songs such as the quirky ‘Oblivion’, ‘Perse-
verance’ and ‘Discotheque Wreck’. His
bandmates are mostly dressed in matching
white clothes, which give them an unmis-
takable style. Although Leigh Marklew in
particular is unrecognizable compared to
how he looked in Terrorvision’s heyday (he
is bald now), he still knows how to pull off
the rock star stance on stage. And although
frontman Tony has never had the best voice
in the world, the fun and entertainment fac-
tor is huge and make Terrorvision a great
band to see.
The band that probably the largest pro-
portion of the audience most wants to see,
however, is The Wildhearts – complete with
bassist Danny McCormack, who now has a
prosthetic leg after having to have one of
his legs amputated. There are cheers for
Danny as soon as the band come on stage.
He manages to play one song standing up
before needing to sit for the remainder of
the set. He hasn’t yet built up the strength
to play a full set standing up – but no doubt
that will come in time. As far as the set
goes, Ginger, CJ, Ritch and Danny give us
all the hits and favourites such as ‘Sucker-
punch’, ‘Vanilla Radio’ and ‘Caffeine Bomb’.
It’s the set you’ve been waiting for; high-
paced and energetic, dynamic and brisk. Al-
most every song is a sing-along anthem,
especially ‘Sick Of Drugs’, ‘I Wanna Go
Where The People Go’, ‘My Baby Is A
Headfuck’ and ‘TV Tan’. The Wildhearts
have most definitely been missed and
tonight’s set is pure brilliance.
A number of the audience leave after
The Wildhearts, with the crowd being less
tightly-packed in. Reef then have a slightly
tougher time wrapping things up. The first
half of the set is very soulful and gospel-
like, with the addition of two backing
singers, one being Lynne Jackaman, the
other Gerri Cunningham. By this point, it’s
also gotten dark and when Gary Stringer
comes to the front of the stage, he has no
lighting on his face, due to no front lighting,
so is half in darkness. Songs such as ‘Place
Your Hands’ and ‘Consideration’ are very
chilled, mellow, and full of soul while ‘My
Sweet Love’, which sees Gerri come to the
front to sing with Gary, has a country vibe
(the album version features Sheryl Crow).
As Reef’s set progresses, some of their
rockier tunes thankfully make an entrance.
The title track of their new album, ‘Revela-
tion’, is revved-up classic rock while the
band’s set ends with ‘Naked’ before an en-
core of ‘Yer Old’ and ‘End’.
CONCERTS