Well here we are again, back at what is becoming one of my fav venues in Glasgow, Slay. We are here to catch a real singing legend in the form of Mr Graham Bonnet. He is doing the majority of Michael Schenker Group’s 1982 Assault Attack album (on which he was the singer) plus a few other tunes from his amazing career.
But first up, we have local lads Victory Or Die, who are Graham’s touring support. I have caught the boys previously in Edinburgh and thought they were really good. The boys stroll on stage and launch into “New Rock Revolution” from their excellent 2425 EP. From the first guitar chord, it’s obvious the boys mean business with this fast-paced rocker of a song, with its hints of The Almighty meets Motörhead – a quality start.
The boys play the whole of the EP tonight, with the punchy “I Lose Control” and “Hang The DJ” (with its sing-along chorus). Great stuff, with the boys all over the stage throwing all those classic rock poses. They take us to the “House of Love,” a great song with some fantastic melodies; a real classic rock-style song with fantastic drumming and quality guitar work. The crunching guitars kick in as we enter “The Bone Trap,” a real fast-paced, drum-driven killer of a song.
The boys power through a fantastic set with the likes of “Live in a Crypt” and the quality “Rock & Roll’s Alive” – and it most certainly is with these boys tonight. The band has certainly stretched and grown since the last time I saw them. This was a proper, full-on rock band tonight who definitely deserve the larger stage and used all of it to produce a killer show. It’s nice to see a proper rock band with proper rock songs actually killing it live. Go see the guys if they are playing anywhere near you and enjoy some proper classic Rock n Roll from a band who are just on fire.
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The main event now, as Graham Bonnet and the band arrive on stage and Conrad launches into the guitar riff that starts “Assault Attack”. Along with those pounding drums from Francis, Graham takes care of the vocals, with Ami pounding the bass and Alessandro’s keyboards weaving around it all. What a killer start to the night.
The drums and cymbals crash as we catch sight of the “Dancer,” as Graham’s vocals carry us along with the keyboards matching him note for note. Ami just cruises along as Conrad lets loose some killer riffs. One of my fav songs off the album. Hard to believe Graham is actually 78, standing there belting it out for all he’s worth. Stunning.
The guitar opens up and comes in at a dirty swagger of a pace as they “Rock You to the Ground,” and Graham carries it along with some dirty vocals. He certainly picked a winner with Conrad, who is just killing it on the solos tonight. We get the melodic rocker that is the “Desert Song,” a real 80’s classic with the keyboards and pounding bass lines, some killer smooth solos, and fantastic vocals from Graham, before the band goes “Searching For a Reason” – a real groover of a song that just thumps along, carried with some amazing catchy guitar riffs.
We get an interesting instrumental version of Deep Purple’s “Lazy,” which gave Graham a chance to chill side stage while the band stretched out with the song, featuring some tasty guitar and keyboards. The pounding drums kick in as we get into some “Night Games,” which gets the crowd really going tonight. Just a killer song from his Line-Up album, with those classic 80’s vocals, keyboards, and guitar riffs. A real crowd-pleaser for sure.
We get a double whammy now from that classic Rainbow album, Down to Earth, starting with the classic that is “All Night Long”. That most recognizable guitar riff kicks it off, along with Graham’s vocals which just power this song on as the crowd sings along. It always takes me back to when I first bought the album when it came out. What else but “Since You’ve Been Gone” next? And yes, another one of those most noticeable guitar riffs starts up the song, and again the crowd sings along with the band, who are all on fire tonight. The rhythm section of Ami and Francis has been a powerhouse tonight, along with Alessandro on keyboards, matching Conrad on these epic tunes.
The band cruises through “Jet to Jet” (complete with a drum solo which the crowd loved) and we get the crunching, guitar-driven “Into the Night” from his 2016 album The Book. Then we catch up with the “Samurai” as the guitar swirls in with just a fantastic tone before Graham opens up and carries us along, the rhythm section just pounding away in the background. I think this is my fav song on the album; I think it’s the way the vocals carry the song when he sings the title.
We have an Alcatrazz song now as the thundering drums introduce “Too Young to Die, Too Drunk to Live,” which ends the main set. What a setlist! They wander off stage left to thunderous applause, and rightly so. The obligatory shouts of “one more tune” from the crowd, and the band obliges by ending a killer night with another double-barrel from Down to Earth.
Starting with one of my all-time fav Rainbow songs, “Eyes of the World,” with its haunting keyboard intro which just builds and builds before the band explodes. A real goosebumps moment as Graham launches the vocal attack, with Conrad just nailing those haunting guitar solos. Just a killer song that will never age. The galloping drums can mean only one song as the band ends the night with another epic in the form of “Lost in Hollywood.” Just a steamroller of a song with a killer rhythm section and another epic guitar solo.
This was a real nostalgic trip down memory lane from a man whose voice has carried many a great band along with him. The band was super tight and a joy to watch on stage as Graham shared many a tale from the road, which got more than a few laughs. A fabulous night all round from a man who just loves what he does, and it shows. It goes without saying to catch him when you can, as there is no telling when he may decide that this is the last tour, and that will be the end of an era. Get out there and see him live now while you can.
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Photos by Gary Cooper
