RICKY WARWICK, Acoustic TV, Mark Curran @Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton 26/7/13

When we came out tonight, RTM expected many things from the evening. If we are honest, however, not once did we expect to hear someone covering “Destination Anywhere” by Jon Bon Jovi. Mark Curran seems to like Jovi, though, because not only does he do just that, he plays “Blood On Blood” as a set closer. The Irish born, New Jersey raised frontman of a band that bears his surname is an entertaining diversion before the main event(s).

So Terrorvision. Acoustic. It’s gonna be great, isn’t it. Or shit. There will be no in-between. Actually it is absolutely marvelous. Acoustic TV is Tony Wright, who takes to the stage in a suit Shawaddywaddy would have been proud of, and one time Paradise Lost Touring member Milly Evans, and they just have fun for an hour. Wright retains all the cheeky-chappie charm he always had and remains one of the most likeable blokes on the British rock circuit.

The “shit ‘ot” persona sometimes can hide the fact that Terrorvision (in whatever guise they are playing) have some fantastic songs, full of clever wordplay and hooks in abundance. They air plenty of them tonight. From “Alice What’s The Matter” (which features “Elvis Tony” wearing a cape…) to “Oblivion” and “My House” the whole thing is triumph. They even chuck in a cover of “Moonage Daydream” for good measure.

RTM has seen Ricky Warwick do one of these acoustic shows before. Back about 10 years ago, he played The Princess Charlotte in Leicester to about 20 people. During the course of the gig he told the story of how, when The Almighty split he was forced to sell sandwiches to make ends meet.

Fast forward these few years, and it’s a very different era for Warwick. The world has woken up to the Belfast man’s prodigious talents. He has released some superb singer/songwriter tinged solo records, been the singer in Thin Lizzy, and now fronts the quite phenomenal Black Star Riders. The sandwich days behind him, he can instead tell tales about getting drunk and ruining a two grand Macbook in the process.

Don’t let that fool you into thinking Ricky has gone big time on us though. He is still the same bloke he’s always been. Now (as he tells us onstage) 47, he still retains the air of a bloke that would be in the crowd with us if he wasn’t playing.

Certainly there is nothing remotely “rock star” about the way he walks onstage. No fanfare, no music, just a man and his guitar and a chap called Jack playing percussion.

He begins with a cover of “Summertime Blues” one of several covers he plays during the course of the evening. It isn’t long, thought, before The Almighty get a track played. In common with many in the crowd we suspect, RTM’s first exposure to this band came with “Wild And Wonderful” back in the late 1980s so we are quite nostalgic for its return. With typical self-deprecation Warwick – who claims “never to have had an original thought in my life” says he ripped the verse off Hanoi Rocks and the chorus off Brian Adams, whatever, it proves why the Almighty are still, to this day, so revered.

The rest of the show is augmented with work from his entire career. “Bound For Glory” and “Hey Judas” from the BSR album to songs from all his three solo records, complete with Almighty favourites and covers. At one point “Ooops I Did It Again” by Britney Spears gets played and it seems that hundreds of rockers – just like RTM – are happy to admit they liked all along.

As Springsteen’s “Born To Run” closes the show, “How I Survived The Punk Rock Wars” by Ginger’s latest project blasts out the speakers as we file out the venue. Whether this is Warwick’s choice or not is unclear, but it is pertinent. That song, which deals with Mr. Wildheart’s views on the record industry contains the lines “if you want to take your 15 minutes of fame/And stretch it over 40 years in this game/You had better learn a little word called integrity.”

Such a verse sums up Warwick too and probably explains why RTM remains such huge fans of his work and why for nearly 25 years his music, particularly in The Almighty, has formed such a huge part of our lives.

That might be too deep and sentimental for what was essentially supposed to be a bit of fun. We leave with a grin, but on so many levels, this evening delivered more than just laughs. It was quite brilliant.

MAGNUM, Simon Lees' One Man Rock Show @Robin 2 25/7/13

The phrase “One Man Rock Show” worried us a bit when we read it on the ticket. We thought of a disco (always crap) then of one of those blokes who walks around with cymbals on his knees (which thinking about it might have been kinda cool.)

In actual fact, Simon Lees’ One Man Rock Show (to give him – and his act – their full name) are none of those things. What he is, in actuality is a supremely talented guitarist (once of Budgie and sometimes of Anubis) who plays, if you will excuse the expression, with himself. That is to say, (ahem!) that he plays drums and bass on a backing track and overlays it with guitar riffs and sometimes his own vocals. When he does sing, it has a AOR, sort of FM feel about the tracks, “I’ll Give You Anything” for example is anthemic, while instrumentals like “Way Out West” showcase some real skill. This was a support slot that was way, way better than might have been expected.

When The Quireboys very own Spike walks in at 9.29 (and by the way, have you ever seen Spike at a gig when he wasn’t dressed as Spike?!) you know something damn good is going to happen at 9.30. What does happen is UK rock royalty Magnum walk onto the stage in their usual understated fashion and just like always they do so to a room full of the converted who are ready to be entertained.

This warm up show is to prepare the band for their appearances at this weekend’s Steelhouse Festival and The Cambridge Rock Festival in a couple of weeks. Broadly speaking it follows the same path that the shows they did last winter – and just like that show it is quite superb.

Last year’s stellar “On the 13^th Day” record gives us opener “All The Dreamers” and from there the next 90 minutes a tremendous romp through one of the most underrated back catalogues around. The stuff like “All England’s Eyes” and “How Far Jerusalem” from the “On A Storytellers Night” is absolutely superb and the plaintive “When We Were Younger” gives a nice counterbalance to the early tracks.

After the closing “Kingdom Of Madness” there is an encore, which like last year, provides RTM with the chance to hear the song that got us into the band all those years ago, “Rockin’ Chair” sounds as catchy now as it did then, and whilst the lyrics might – given the ages of most of the band – might have taken on a different meaning (“I need my rock, but I don’t need a rockin’ chair,” sings Bob Catley”) the song is still fantastic.

It is hard to pinpoint exactly what makes this band so good. Is it Catley, the supreme guitar work of Tony Clarkin, or the fact that Thunder’s very own Harry James is belting the kit as only he can? Who knows! The fact is, though, that if you put it all together you get something very special indeed.

A little bit like Uriah Heep or UFO (or Saxon if you take it forward to the NWOBHM movement) Magnum’s legacy occasionally gets forgotten in comparison to perhaps more illustrious colleagues. That does not, however, make them any less excellent. 

MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, Federal Charm @Robin 2, Bilston 20/7/13

Federal Charm are absolutely desperate for you to remember their name. Lead singer/guitarist Nick Bowden must repeat it 10 times during the course of their half hour. He is also keen to let you know that their debut album has just been released. On the evidence of this evening it is most probably a fine affair, as their set is packed full of retro charm. There are many bands ploughing this type of furrow right now but Federal Charm have something a little bit better than most.

“Reaction” and “Tell Your Friends” are good, but perhaps what sets them apart is “Reconsider” as not many bands of this ilk could change to out and out blues as easily – or as well.

The Michael Schenker Group is a pretty stellar outfit. In addition to the eponymous hero, they also have a couple of ex members of The Scorpions in the shape of bassist Francis Bucholz and drummer Herman Rarebell, session musician extraordinaire Wayne Findlay and Tank singer Doogie White.

Such a cast list has bought the public out into the blistering heat of The Robin and the masses are not disappointed. Notoriously volatile, Schenker at his best is pretty formidable, and he is bang on form tonight.

Kicking off with “Lovedrive” by The Scorpions, and following it up with a second in “Another Piece Of Meat.” This sets the tone, as this is a trawl through Scorpions, MSG and UFO tracks for the next 100 glorious minutes.

There is also time for a couple of brand new songs from a forthcoming album due in November. “Horizons” is good, but “Before The Devil Knows Your Dead,” dedicated to the late, great Ronnie James Dio is absolutely brilliant.

The second half is a quite stunning affair, largely because it is in this section that the band chooses to play most of the UFO songs. The chance to hear these songs played by the man who played these riffs is a chance not to be missed. “Shoot Shoot” excellent, “Only You Can Rock Me” is better, but best of all, perhaps, is “Rock Bottom” complete with a quite phenomenal solo from Schenker. Oh and by the way, in between all these they casually toss out “Rock You Like A Hurricane.”

How do you top this? Well you could come out for an encore that includes “Doctor Doctor” I suppose. Not a bad way to end, really.

In the last few months RTM has seen guitarists like Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler and Joe Satriani and Schenker is in that class tonight. One of those nights that is actually far better than you thought it would be.

It was quite, quite brilliant. 

KARMA TO BURN, Desert Storm, Alunah @Asylum 2, Birmingham 18/7/13

Birmingham’s very own Alunah are very much the go-to band when a well-known stoner group comes to town. It’s easy to see why. Their down tuned Sabbath type grooves have been honed over the years, and songs such the title track of their most recent album “White Hoarhound” arguably deserve a bigger stage.  Since we last saw the band in January – when perhaps predictably they opened for The Sword in January – they have undergone a line up change. Tonight is their first show with their new bass player and not even some initial poor sound can spoil their half an hour.

Oxford’s Desert Storm are a new one us at RTM, but not for long, if the tunes they play are anything to go by. Straddling the same type of riffs as our favourites Orange Goblin, they are tremendously entertaining. During their set they become the first band we have ever seen who asks for the strobe lights to be turned off as they were epileptic and one of the only non-death metal band to attempt a track called “Enslaved In The Icy Tundra.” The band are back in September, supporting Peter Pan Speedrock at the same venue, and you really need to check them out.

Karma To Burn  the stage with “Just The Two Of Us” blasting. This appears their little joke on the fact that, well, there is just the two of them. Don’t bother looking for explanation on their website as to why bassman Rich Mullins isn’t here, as it hasn’t been updated for over a year.

As you can tell K2B are a group that is content to let the music do the talking. Handy then, that they are instrumental band. And not just any old instrumental band. If you never heard them, then imagine Monster Magnet with no lyrics, just huge riff after huge riff.

Another thing Karma To Burn don’t bother with are song titles in any conventional sense. Rather they just deal with numbers. So it is that they kick off in tonight’s blistering heat at the Asylum 2, with “Eight,” then move into “Nineteen” and then towards the end nominal front man William Mecum – the master behind all these monstrous creations says ‘here’s a newer one for ya, it’s called “53.”

Of course, by definition this type of music is always going to have a limited cult appeal. RTM has seen them once before, when they opened for the aforementioned Monster Magnet, we liked them a lot, but the person we with couldn’t stand them, which really couldn’t be beaten as a metaphor. Those that (to use a really smug phrase) “get it” find much to enjoy, as whether a two piece or a trio there is nothing quite like Karma To Burn. They are never going to win over the doubters – and you suspect that they couldn’t care less.

METAL TO THE MASSES FINAL (Gethika, Valous, Aceldama, Eradikator, Eyes Of The Raven, Husk) @ Roadhouse, Birmingham 14/7/13

The sold-out signs are up at The Roadhouse tonight and there is a palpable sense of anticipation in the air. The reason is absolutely obvious. Tonight is a Battle of the Bands with a difference. The winners get a place at Bloodstock next month – if that’s not enough there is a chance they will be going to Wacken 2014 too. So of course there are some nerves in the air.

The format for this evening is quite simple. Six bands have won through the heats and semi-finals to be here and the band that is considered to be the best by Bloodstock’s Simon Hall (who tells us that he has seen 100 bands in the last four weeks on his travels all around the UK at these things) will get the prize.

Husk have been drawn out of the hat first. The Wolverhampton band are a metal-cum-thrash band and one that has been gigging for a while. “Confessional” and “Remnant” are great big slabs of heaviness and the group are extremely entertaining.

Following them are Eyes of a Raven. Playing with less of a straight bat than the openers, they claim to be One Direction and have a break halfway through their half hour for a drink. Best described as groove metal, and with a sound not too dissimilar from Beholder (the band that tonight’s compere fronts) songs like “Never Broken” and “Bury Your Demons” have huge choruses and great huge riffs.

Next up are Eradikator. RTM is a huge fan of the band, and their “Dystopia” record is as good an album of straight up thrash with no pretensions as there has been for a while. They are quite fantastic, playing the most polished show we have seen from them. “Hells Sentinels” and “World Of Compulsion” are the best songs played this evening. But do they win…….?

Aceldama are billed as “something different.” In practice this means they are the only ones tonight with a female singer and the only ones to play a cover (“I’m So Excited” by the Pointer Sisters). They have problems with their drums, and play a simple brand of rock – one of the tracks is called “Metal And Beer”  for example.

Valous have been on the Brum metal scene for a good few years, and like Eradikator, RTM has seen them before and like the group. We find ourselves sitting with their fans tonight too, and they let no one down. “Fools Dance,” “Justified” and “Blistered” are excellent tracks and they can still have a bright future win or lose tonight.

The performances of the five bands already had made it an excellent night, then it was Gethika’s turn.

In the words of one of the other bands tonight, what Gethika did was “hit the stage and blow the fuckin’ walls off.” The band are the most extreme band on show – blending black metal with conventional heavy stuff – and they put on a quite stunning performance. Dressed in dinner jackets and bow ties and complete with painted faces, they throw plastic top hats into the crowd and set a smoke machine off while they are at it. Their songs are tight too, “Impossible Question” and “We will Prevail” are excellent, while “Bedlam” sums up what they do perfectly.

In the end the winner was fairly obvious, and RTM wishes Gethika (who had lost out in a previous final) well when they play the New Blood Tent on that Saturday afternoon, but what this evening did prove was just how many magnificent bands of all types we have in this area.

The whole of the unsigned metal scene can be very proud – and Bloodstock proved again why it is such a marvelous thing.

SUGAR MAMA, The Mighty Young, Temporary @The Roadhouse, Birmingham 12/7/13

Temporary stepped in at the last moment. Answering a plea to be the opening band, the impossibly young group are evidently enjoying themselves onstage tonight. Resolutely retro, “Cold Inside” owes a debt to the Black Crowes, while “Madness Love And Fear” has a fine solo. For a band clearly in its infancy they have plenty of potential and if they learn to connect with their audience slightly better they really could do decent things. Keep your eye on them.

The Mighty Young list themselves on their Facebook page as a three piece (you suspect that Solomon Hotcoals might not be his real name) but tonight – if he exists at all -  they are one short. As everyone knows there is something inherently odd about two-piece bands. From the obvious ones like the White Stripes to newer ones like The Graveltones, they are perhaps by their very nature, outsiders.  Drummer Robb Cartin bashes away and singer/guitarist Joseph Gatsby chucks out the riffs.

The style might be a trifle limiting, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with tracks like “Goodbye Blues” or “The Science Of Love” in fact the only tiny criticism of the group is – rather like the openers – they struggle to make any connection. Again, ones to have a look at – and you suspect that they would be better with a bassist.

RTM is here tonight because we saw Sugar Mama support Gerry McAvoy last November and very good they were too. This should have played this show in January but the snow put paid to that. So the question is: was it worth the wait?

The answer, happily, is yes. By far the most polished band of the evening, the band isn’t trying to change the world. Billing themselves as “dirty, filthy, stinking rock n roll” they don’t quite get into that territory, but they are a very decent heavy blues band.

Like the other groups on show this evening Sugar Mama are very young but they are much more professional than the duo that had preceded them. They have honed some decent tunes too, “Love Nor Money” and “Bullfight Blues” are self-penned but exciting nonetheless.

In common with most bands of this type there are plenty of covers. “Louie Louie” sounds excellent, as do “All Over Now” and “Maggie’s Farm.” That said, there is a suspicion that perhaps they overdo the medleys. The band are talented, though, and finish with an entertaining version of “Money.”

An interesting rather than stunning evening, but you suspect that all three of these groups can have their say in Blues circles in years to come.

CLUTCH, Sons of Icarus, General @Rock City, Nottingham 9/7/13

Balding men in the mid to late 30s who also have beards, seem to have found their role model if the crowd tonight at Rock City is anything to go by. The venue is packed with just that type of clientele.

The reason that we (and lets be in doubt that RTM is in its late 30s, is balding and has a beard) are in the East Midlands is to worship at the altar of Clutch and specifically their frontman Neil Fallon, who would act as our spokesperson, if we only knew what the hell he was singing about.

But before all that, let’s break it down to brass tacks, as Fallon might say himself. Joining Clutch on this tour are two young British bands, who might – given the sense of anticipation for the headliners, expect a difficult time. Actually, such fears prove unfounded and General go down pretty well. The Coventry band have evidently listened to a lot of Corrosion of Conformity, and songs such as “Monkey City” showcase their talent nicely.

Another fast rising UK combo, Sons Of Icarus, are next up. The Guildford based four piece have garnered some rave reviews for their early shows. Not quite as overtly stoner as the openers, and without the all out riffery of Clutch, instead they knock out some infectious hard rock grooves and, with a new album due to out soon, are ones to keep an eye on  - although one of the tracks did stray a touch too close to power balladry.

It was in this very room where RTM was anointed into the cult of Clutch. A few years ago they were the main support to the aforementioned CoC. They were brilliant. Then we saw them support Thin Lizzy 18 months or so back. They were brilliant.

This is, though, our first experience of seeing the band – Fallon on vocals, occasional guitar and cowbell, Tim Sult on guitar, Dan Maines on bass and drummer John Paul Gaster – headline. They are in town because in March the put out what very well might be the album of the year when such things are totted up in December. “Earth Rocker” is a quite stunning piece of music that for our money is right up there with the best they have ever done – which makes it very, very good indeed.

They begin with its title track. The song does two things. First, it encapsulates everything that good about the band. It has massive riffs, is catchy but interesting. Second it is perhaps the only song in metal history to contain at his heart the word “bloooahaha” (just listen to it).

The band clearly think “….Rocker” is as good as we do, because during the course of their hour and half with us they knock out 10 songs from it (or in other words, all but one). “DC Sound Attack” and “The Face” are perhaps the best of them.

There is a dip into some of their older material, with four songs from “Blast Tyrant” and arguably their best known song “Electric Worry,” which closes things.

What happened tonight was quite phenomenal. The crowd response to the four-piece is verging on the rabid and proves the band are on the very verge of becoming genuine stars.

To borrow another line from one of their songs, “if you are gonna do it, do it live on stage, or don’t it at all.” And quite frankly that is exactly what they did. We are close to being in gig-of-the-year-so-far territory. Clutch are our band, everyone. And they are quite, quite fantastic. 

THE BASTARD SONS, THROW THE GOAT, Serpico @Eddies, Birmingham 5/7/13

This is one of those uncomfortable evenings where the amount of people in the bands onstage outnumbers the people in the crowd, which lets be honest, always puts a dampener on the show.

No matter a recently reactivated Serpico kick off in cheery fashion. They carry with them obvious mid 1990s influence, and are soon playing Therapy?’s “Screamager” as if to prove it. First time around, the band got themselves a slot at Download and got Radio play on Kerrang, this time, even with the sparse crowd, they play with a smile on their faces. “Feeling Minnesota” is catchy, and new song “The Antidote” is enjoyable. Whether they can get back to the heights of a year or two ago, only time will tell, but this represents a promising start.

California’s Throw The Goat are the reason that RTM has turned up tonight. The Idyllwild band stuck out an album called “Black Mountain” a few months back, which veers between all sorts of styles from stoner, to punk, to metal, and always remains entertaining.

Originally slated as headliners, the tour is now a co-headliner and they are on in the middle of this three band bill. Essentially they do what they do on record, and you can imagine that they would be damn fine thing to watch on a sweat-drenched evening in a small venue that was packed.

To their credit they put on a decent show, even if they are almost literally are entertaining themselves. “Burn The Bridges Down” chugs along, “Buffalo” veers into the type of area occupied by The Bronx and they chuck in a cover of “Whole Lotta Rosie” before concluding with the plain daft stomp “Having A Beer.”

York mob The Bastard Sons have blagged themselves a slot at Bloodstock this year, so their star is very much in the ascendancy. It is easy to see why, as they have a similar type of metal growl to the Black Spiders – particularly on the track “O Brothel Where Art Thou.”

They are, however, on first viewing, a slightly strange combination. Their singer JJ plays the gig from the floor, with the rest of the group behind him on stage, which is a bit odd, while elsewhere they are slightly hampered by being, and I am not quite sure how to put this, JJ being a touch out of shape. He explains he’s hungover, which is fine, this is after all rock n roll, but he is severely out of breath by the second track.

This is a shame as the band clearly have the songs to do well for themselves and RTM looks forward to seeing them at Bloodstock.

Not a bad night by any means, but you suspect that all the bands involved would have had shows they enjoyed a lot more than this. 

JJ GREY AND MOFRO, Big Boy Bloater And The Limits @Robin 2, Bilston, 2/7/13

It is tempting to dismiss Big Boy Bloater and The Limits as a bit of a joke band. Any group that, with a reasonably straight face, announces “this song is called ‘She Gets Naked For A Living’” cannot be doing so with tongue totally out of cheeks.

They follow this up with other songs, like “Insanely Happy” (which apparently is about “chopping up your girlfriend”) and “Shut Your Fat Trap” but actually they are better than they sound.

Big Boy Bloater – who rather like Popa Chubby is aptly named – is a convivial host and a talented guitarist, and the songs, despite their rather throwaway titles are decent rockabilly numbers and the band are entertaining.

JJ Grey And Mofro’s profile is rising in this country. This is the first night of their UK tour, but comes after a slot at Glastonbury, where according to Grey himself they went on after Bruce Forsyth. Neither Grey, nor indeed Mofro, had come across Brucie before and they were impressed, “Man, what an entertainer,” he says. “And he’s married to Miss World, wow……”

Such chat is actually in-keeping with the relaxed atmosphere of the show. JJ and Mofro are in England on the back of their quite brilliant new record “This River” a loose-limbed piece of soulful blues that builds on the nearly as good album “Georgia Warhorse” that preceded it.

The title track of “….Warhorse” is played tonight, and it turns out it concerns Grey’s Grandmother, who is evidently close to. She died earlier this year and Grey talks about her frequently, adding a personal, singer/songwriter touch to what elsewhere was almost a Southside Johnny-esque soul review.

It had begun an hour or so before with the track “Six Ways From Sunday” which allows the band to announce themselves in a fine way. Mofro are an extremely talented band, but perhaps their best moment comes with the fantastic saxophone and trumpet duel between Art Edmaiston and Dennis Marion during the opening track from “….River” “Your Lady, She’s Shady.”

That track is one of many that are played from the new record – the band are clearly proud of it – a tremendous album, it is one of RTM’s favourites from this year, taking in many styles along its journey – “The Ballad Of Larry Webb” which Grey claims is a true story about a man that lived down his street, is a real heart-warming tale of the common man that wouldn’t be out of place on a Bruce Springsteen album. Perhaps the best moment, though, comes in “99 Ways From Crazy” (which has appeared on the latest Classic Rock cover mounted record, which is catchy and funky and great fun.

In fact, only once does the gig dip. A rather unnecessary and lengthy jam during “Ho Cakes” rather spoils the flow, but overall this doesn’t matter too much.

There has been a clamour to market JJ Grey as the new cult bluesman, but in reality, although there is bluesy elements to what they do, there is a lot more to it than that, what we saw here tonight proves that music doesn’t need categorizing, it just needs enjoying and JJ Grey and Mofro make that very, very easy.