HEAVY METAL KIDS, JD And The FDC's, Starving Dogs @Roadhouse Birmingham 26/9/12

“Tuesday night in Birmingham.” Says Heavy Metal Kids frontman Justin McConville, as he looks out on a crowd of about 40 people. You could forgive him for wondering why they bothered.

McConville knows, though, that this could have been a lot worse. Starving Dogs, the covers band that opened this evening had suffered from the most awful sound RTM has ever heard in 21 years of gig going. In fairness they also suffered from a dreadful lack of ability, and their version of “The Boys Are Back In Town” wouldn’t have sounded good blasting through Wembley’s PA. How you can spoil Thin Lizzy, who knows, but these boys do. They do, however, achieve one feat. They have a go at “Whole Lotta Rosie” and manage to make a a bigger dogs dinner of it than Guns N Roses in 2010, hitherto the worst cover version RTM has ever heard – so well done to them.

Thankfully by the time JD And The FDC’s hit the stage things sound wise are largely sorted, and good job too, as JD and his mates are superb. Dressed in black and playing their instruments like they damn well mean it. The band manage to blend early Wildhearts, Total 13 era Backyard Babies and The Clash and make the whole thing sound fresh and new.

“Never Gonna Stop” sounds to RTM a little like “Hey Kid” by the long forgotten Johnny Crash. But their anthem is the amazingly catchy “Burn This City Down.” By the time they have finished “Stupid Music Played By Idiots”- which sees JD and various FDC’s marching round the sparse crowd and getting them to sing the chorus, you would have had to have been idiot yourself not to love them.

The tiny audience might have left the HMK’s deflated, but they still get out and do the business. It is easy to see why they might have given up. Quite why no one wants to watch a band play the likes of “Blow It All Away,” “Chelsea Kiss,” “Crisis “ and “Old Time Boogie” is anybody's guess as they are tremendously well-crafted late 1970s sounding hard rock.

The band – featuring three long term members, drummer Keith Boyce, bass man Ronnie Thomas and guitarist Cosmo - have been doing this for years. The tour is to celebrate the re-issue of their classic 1977 album “Kitsch” and they feel able to knock out their big single from that record “She’s No Angel” halfway through the 70 minute set with the confidence of a band who can do this in their sleep.

They play Montrose’s “Rock Candy,” a track they had done when supporting UFO earlier in the year before finishing with a race through the barroom punk boogie of “Delirious.”

HMK’s – together with a huge help from a fantastic support act – managed to rescue a victory from the jaws of what looked like a car crash at one point, and for that they deserve credit. But RTM will bet right now that the next time they play Brum it won’t be here. 

UFO, Heavy Metal Kids @Wulfrun Hall 31/1/12

Whilst you could probably prosecute the Heavy Metal Kids under the trades descriptions act, given that they don’t actually play heavy metal nor are they kids, you probably would let them off as they are pretty entertaining.

With Justin McConville taking over on lead vocals after John Altman left last year they appear less of a laugh and more of a serious band than they might have been when they first reformed, and with original (and only surviving) members guitarist Cosmo and drummer Keith Boyce in the line up they are an interesting proposition.

A cover of “Rock Candy” is perhaps unfortunate as all it does is make you wish you were watching Montrose instead, but their best-known track “She’s No Angel” is full of pub rock swagger.

You do have to feel a little sorry for UFO. Around since 1969 and with a cannon of very fine songs indeed, they never seem to get the same treatment as some other bands do on those history of Heavy Rock shows that pop up on Sky Arts or BBC4 from time to time.

Of course the Schenker/Way glory days are behind them, but that rather misses the point. For not only do UFO have a back catalogue to envy, they have with their last three releases post reformation in 2004, been on top form. 2012’s “Seven Deadly” is a marvelous slab of hard rock that should be somewhere near RTM’s end of year best of. 

As such this evening is a both a celebration of old and new. “Mother Mary” from 1975’s “Force It” opens things before the outstanding “Fight Night” kicks off four tracks from “…Deadly.”

There is a large crowd in a sweltering Wulfrun and they lap up the older songs, such as “Only You Can Rock Me,” “Lights Out” and “Rock Bottom.” The latter is used as an excuse for Vinnie Moore to showcase his formidable talent and he plays an astonishing solo to solidify his reputation as one of the finest guitarists around.

Singer Phil Mogg, by contrast is struggling a little. Not vocally, in fact he sounds great, but not only does he have a cold, he is in a rather forgetful mood. He can’t recall the name of the new record, nor does he know the setlist running order and finally he thanks us for “spending Sunday night with the band.” Bless.

Thankfully he does recall the lyrics to encore numbers “Doctor Doctor” and “Shoot Shoot” which round off a very fine evening indeed. An evening that has seen UFO underline the fact that not only are they only one of the most under-rated bands in British Hard Rock history – they are also one of the best.