In the before times (you know the ones I mean), independent venues were vital for the grassroots and unsigned music scene. Now, in 2022, they’ve become even more crucial to help artists perform to their fans and grow their fanbase. Every town should have one and if you live in a major city like Glasgow, Manchester or Birmingham, you’ve likely got a good handful to choose from. Even the mighty Barrowlands counts as an independent venue. Independent Venue Week is one of the music industry’s most important weeks and as a band who proudly wear their independence on their sleeves, The Virginmarys are a perfect fit for this.
Bradford’s Nightrain is a venue I’ve wanted to visit for some time, partly because it takes its name after the best Guns N’ Roses song but also because Bradford is a town that I’ve never seen The Virginmarys in (nor have they played). Suitably decked out with rock regalia and a cut-out of Slash which I debated nicking to add to my shrine (even if the song of the same name’s main riff comes from Izzy Stradlin), it’s a proper rock venue. Much like Bathgate’s Dreadnought, every town should have a Nightrain. With the original support acts unable to make the evening, Ally Dickaty took it upon himself to perform a stripped-back set powered by his trusty Les Paul, wanting to give the attendees as much value for their night as possible. Moreover, it feels appropriate under the circumstances of how fluid circumstances remain, the week we find ourselves in and speaks volume to the professionalism of Messrs Dickaty and Dolan.
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Such a set from Ally allows for some old favourites like “Sleep”, and “Stripped” which have always worked excellently as acoustic numbers but backed with a full plugged-in setup allowed them to feel just as raw and spell-binding as ever but with some extra heft to them. Meanwhile, “Kill the Messenger” has newfound pointedness to it whilst feeling as appropriate in 2022 as it did in 2016, if not even moreso now and deep cut “Keep Me on the Run” has a rare airing. However, the most poignant moments of the set come in the form of “Passing Place” and “Moths to a Flame” with Ally giving a moving tribute and dedicating the latter to our dear, departed friend, Simon Clapham. Closing out the set is “Spiders in My Stomach”, angst-fuelled and driven by the pandemic, it’s a powerful song which everyone can relate to in some shape during these last two years.
Following one-man roadcrew, Azda (I’m still hoping Kevin Feige fits him into Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe) making the final touches, the light flashes, ready for The Virginmarys to take to the stage to raucous roars. The duo launch into the punchy new number “NYC”, it has a few of us bouncing immediately with a sense of familiarity borne out of their October tour and their new material medley on YouTube. However, Ally and Danny get us into fine form to bounce and sing early on with the groove-filled “Sweet Loretta” and the gritty “Off to Another Land”.
Whilst the setlist doesn’t deviate much, if any, from last October in terms of song choices, the different running order brings a fresh feel to it, putting the new songs deeper into the set. Met with the same hearty response as the standards, it also shows the belief the band have in their new material that they don’t need to rely on them. Personal favourite of the new batch, “Lies Lies Lies”, somehow sounds even bigger and filthier than before. Rage-filled screams from Ally combine with Danny’s stampeding drums for one of their most intense songs. Elsewhere, “Killer” may have far more aggression to it but its cynicism evokes hints of Leonard Cohen’s “Democracy”. Intended as their first single as a two-piece, “Meds” is just as biting as it takes aim at the dreary monotony of the rat race with some of the most direct lyrics Ally has ever written.
As Danny assumes his standard standing position for the intro to “Portrait of Red”, he hits his cymbals with as much force as he can muster, it gets the rest of us primed to bounce with the chorus, a feat repeated later with “Motherless Land” and “Lost Weekend”. With as much passion as they gave the previous night in Northampton and ensuring they gave those of us assembled in The Black Prince everything they could, as tradition dictates on a Virginmarys tour, they’ve upped their game for tonight. Ally and Danny fuse together into one unit, a perfect symbiosis of rhythm and melody, each of them feeding off each other whilst the crowd and band encourage one another to go harder – which everyone does. With palapable chemistry in the room, much like every Virginmarys show, it’s too hard to tell who’s enjoying it the most – us or the band.
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Mainstays like “Into Dust” and “Dead Man’s Shoes” are furious sprints, leaner but somehow more vicious in the duo format as toothy punk tones bleed into blues licks. Groove-laden “Devil Keeps Coming” is the perfect comedown after the thrashy “Just a Ride” for a breather and “Look Out For My Brother” has us closer to dancing than bouncing. Traditional final song “Bang Bang Bang” signals the end is upon us and everyone in the room digs into their reserves, the perfect march of Danny’s drum work binds with Ally’s impassioned fretwork and screams for our standard crescendo.
Whilst The Virginmarys can never be accused of holding back, it’s perhaps just as well Coventry was cancelled (through no fault of their own) as this would have been a difficult one to top but they would have risen to the challenge. After a short break from last year’s Christmas gig with Gun, the band took it in their stride as if it had only happened last week and serves as a welcome warm-up for their upcoming tour with Glasgow’s finest Anchor Lane. As the spirit of independent music is well and truly honoured for both band and venue, it’s a great start to the year.
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