The weather was starting to break on Friday night as I parked up and headed to Slay, avoiding a very angry man swearing at a taxi on his mobile phone and wondering why there were two police vans parked in the middle of the road just up from the venue. Ah, Glasgow.
I arrived just in time to jostle for space to watch CJ Wildheart open the show to a venue that was already beyond busy, but which thankfully has chilly air conditioning. An affable character, CJ has been working the music industry for many a year and I first met him at Bradford Rios when he was touring with a band you may have heard of that he was in for a while.
I will be honest and bar a few listens here and there I’m not as familiar with CJ’s non-Wildhearts material as our photographer Gary is. What I am aware of, after tonight, is that CJ rocks as hard as ever and that the material has a wonderful raw, punk edge – especially live. He introduced his band as the “Kit Kats” (not sure of the spelling), and they certainly seemed like a cohesive band rather than “some people playing alongside CJ”.
There was some nice chat between songs, though I find it interesting that he apparently wrote two songs about Glasgow women and only one about his wife! Maybe that depends on the subject matter… Being the only support act, CJ and company got more than the usual half hour and the audience lapped it up. Definitely an act that they already knew, there were fists pumping and voices raised amongst the faithful, and the applause throughout and at the end was well earned.
A little diva strop (his words) was justified, so I’d like to ask Slay to make sure there’s some water available for him the next time he visits… because we’d love him back!
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Headliner Michael Monroe is another act who made his name with a band, this time Hanoi Rocks, before going solo. A couple of HR’s songs made it into the set, but the majority was Monroe’s solo stuff which is along the same lines – sleezy, catchy hard/glam rock. Just what the audience ordered.
Sound issues were to plague the show, unfortunately, but credit to the band for dealing with it professionally while still being vocal about it. Initially Michael’s vocals weren’t in the monitors, then we had some weird beeping coming through, and finally one of the guitarist’s monitor simply went silent so he couldn’t hear any of the rest of the band. As they kicked into the next song he initially didn’t play until Monroe had a word (I assume along the lines of “it’s rock and roll, do your best”) and honestly he did brilliantly. I’m no musician but I know the talent needed to play live. To play “deaf” as far as the rest of the band are concerned and still be completely in tune/time with them… well done.
The band came on at 9pm and didn’t leave until around 10:30. I do say this a bit in my reviews, but it’s because it matters. Ninety minutes is a good length for a set and I, as a fan, appreciate it. Especially when I see so many bands hit 60-70 minutes and it’s “thanks and goodnight”. I also note that it’s regularly the older bands who play longer. The ones, like me, who have more right to be heading for slippers and cocoa after an hour!
There were definitely no signs of slowing down from Monroe and his motley crew though. MM himself was all over the place. When he plays a venue, he plays a venue. I mean, he was on stage sometimes, but also hanging over the edge of it, leaning into the audience (the entire first song), walking along the barricade, on not one but two separate bars… He absolutely does not stay still. Hell, he’s got a decade on me and I want to know his secret. Energy drinks? Exercise and a vegan diet? Being Finnish? Whatever, his energy and willingness to continue to be a true balls-out rock and roll performer is a joy to behold.
I recognised a few of the songs, but the audience seemed to know every note of every one. “Last Train to Tokyo”, “Don’t You Ever Leave Me” and “Dead, Jail or Rock ‘n’ Roll” went down particularly well as did a cover of CCR’s “Up Around The Bend”. The whole performance was the perfect blend of note-perfect musicianship meets rock and roll chaos. Despite only knowing a few of the songs before I arrived, I enjoyed the hell out of the live show and can honestly say I’ve not seen a better frontman than Monroe. Funny, charismatic, energetic, communicative – he is every bit the live performer that any prospective rock singer should seek to be.
A great evening’s entertainment and I thank Gary for wanting to cover the show otherwise I’d have missed out!
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Photos by Gary Cooper
