THIN LIZZY, Clutch @Wolves Civic Hall 27/01/12

When four normal looking, slightly rotund, beardy blokes stroll out on stage before a gig it is usually the roadies, lets be honest. But when these unassuming men plug in their instruments and the magnificence that is “Slow Hole To China” starts up, then it is a signal that Clutch are in town.

If the total lack of image probably accounts for why they don’t headline these type of venues – and why about half of the crowd isn’t in their seats by the time the set starts - then their brilliance should make them household names anyway.

This is a band of huge, monstrous grooves and a superb rhythm section, topped off by vocalist Neil Fallon’s fine delivery and rather idiosyncratic stage dancing, it is also a band with ”The Devil and Me and “Electric Worry” in their arsenal – which makes them a cut above most bands.

Most bands, but not Thin Lizzy.

Before we get onto the nuts and bolts of the thing, lets deal with the elephant in the room. Phil Lynott isn’t here. But this isn’t a tribute band, the presence of Scott Gorham, Brian Downey and Darren Wharton means that they can justifiably and legitimately use the Lizzy moniker.

And the 2010 decision to recruit former Almighty man Ricky Warwick to perform singing duties was inspired. Warwick is a fine songwriter and a fine frontman, and can admirably sing these songs in his own right, while acknowledging the presence of Lynott.

This is the second time this version of Lizzy has his these parts. Just over 12 months ago they gave a stunning performance of some of the best rock n roll songs ever written and tonight – almost literally as the setlist is basically a replica – is just the same.

Albeit with one key addition. Guitarist Damon Johnson is in the 2012 model, replacing Def Leppard man Viv Campbell, and Johnson is a revelation, Adding a US cool, he is the perfect foil for Gorham, who is content to almost play second fiddle to the younger man.

Maybe the understated Scott is just enjoying the set? It isn’t hard to do so. Packed with classics, kicking off with “Are You Ready?” they toss out “Jailbreak” second song in and follow it up with “Bad Reputation.” This is an evening to celebrate the legacy of one of the greatest bands of all time.

Highlights are many but “Still in Love With You” which sees Warwick and Wharton share vocal duties is right up there, However it is perhaps the last five songs that really bring home the sheer scale of repertoire Lizzy have. “Cowboy Song,” “The Boys are Back In Town,” “Emerald,” “Rosalie” and “Black Rose” are right up their with any band in history.

This version of Lizzy is apparently recording songs for a new album, and it needs that, because while a little nostalgia never hurt anyone, the six men in the band – completed by bassist Marco Mendoza – still have much to offer, and it will be interesting to see what they come up with.

In the meantime we have had the memories of tonight, which just likes last year will be one of the gigs of the year.

A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH, Awake By Design, Blood Runs Deep @Slade Rooms 26/1/12

Surprise is one of the great joys of gig going. Always has been, always will be.

That feeling when you turn up to watch a concert and see a band you have never heard of and what they do sounds so damn good you just have to buy their CD.

This is what happened the very second that Swiss band Blood Runs Deep took to the stage. Dark, miserable swathes of metal complete with a layer of keyboards all combine to make a racket of the type not heard since the earliest Paradise Lost CD’s.

The bands own website describes their music as “rather slow and depressing”, but that doesn’t do it justice. Singer/Bassman Stefan Vida only chooses to introduce one song – “Suicide is Life” – but the half hour they are on stage is a thrilling one.

The same cannot be said, unfortunately, for local band Awake By Design. They try, and they try hard – singer Adrian Powell spends more time on the floor of the venue than on the stage -  but there’s no real “wow” factor. Musically there is much to commend them, all Maiden-esque twin guitar attack, but too many of the songs tread a path we have heard so many times before – and better.

Brooklyn’s A Pale Horse Named Death released a magnificent record last year called “…And Hell Will Follow Me.” A heavy, doomy masterpiece it was a favourite of RTM’s. Tonight, though, the band – which includes former Type O Negative, current Life Of Agony man Sal Abruscato and another ex Type O man, current Seventh Void drummer Johnny Kelly  - is suitably cheesed off.

The curse of the Slade Rooms sound has struck again and some grumpy looking Americans are tuning their instruments unhappily as all manner of feedback is happening. Eventually they are happy (ish) and things get going.

And they get going in fine fashion with “To Die In Your Arms,” with even Abruscato proclaiming that “maybe tonight wont be so awful after all.”

And he’s right. It’s actually very good.

As you would expect from a band who only has a debut album to plunder they mine …And Hell pretty extensively but the likes of “And Crows Descend Upon Me” and “Heroin Train” are just great songs.

It isn’t an evening for people who like cheerful music, as songs like “Die Alone” and “Pill Head” would tell you, but by the time they have ending with the crushing, almost punk “Bath In My Blood” there are plenty of smiles around on stage and off.

“Maybe I will see you again but maybe I will die soon” says Abruscato by way of a goodbye, which is, I suppose, one way of looking at these things.

Doom and gloom doesn’t get better – or moodier - than this.

An Evening With Danny and Ben @The Glee Club 10/1/12

It is something of a quirk of fate that my last gig of 2011 was the Thunder Christmas show and my first of 2012 involves their singer and rhythm guitarist.

That is, to be fair, where the similarities end though, as this is a long way from the crowded environs of Rock City and the party atmosphere of that December triumph, for this evening sees Danny Bowes, vocalist with the Brit Rock stalwarts, and Ben Matthews, who has been at his side in various bands since they were kids, ditch the amps and play some songs acoustically and tell some stories.

It’s the story telling side, you suspect, that they were most looking forward to, as these naturally convivial men get the chance to relax.

The tour has caught the imagination; a series of initial shows was booked in small venues (this one takes place in a comedy club in a trendy part of town). These sold out so quickly that larger gigs were tagged onto the end – indeed the duo will find themselves in Wolverhampton in a couple of weeks.

All of which proves, as RTM said at Christmas that Thunder – in whatever guise – still have much to offer.

Danny explains the format early on. “We’ll play a bit and tell lots of stories. We will play some songs we like…. and some Thunder ones.”

And he’s as good as his word, the pair share some genuinely funny tales of life on the road, with drummer Harry James coming for some good natured stick as he flies through the air thanks to an alcoholic pulley operator, is made to play the same overdub for an hour and a half and is sick on a Bullet train in Japan amongst others.

There are other tales too, from the sheer terror that befell the band before their now legendary appearance at Donnington, the struggles they faced in the early days and a Hammond Organ that just wouldn’t work.

There are also some fine renditions of songs. The Thunder numbers – Like A Satellite, Better Man and See My Baby Walking – are obviously the most popular, but Bowes is given ample chance to show his formidable talents on, amongst others Bad Company’s “Seagull,” “Squeeze Box” by The Who and Chuck Berry standard “Nadine.”

There is also a frankly bizarre end to the Paul McCartney song “Blackbird” as audience participation is taken to a different place, probably, than ever before, with about 50 people blowing birdcall whistles. It was an idea that probably sounded a good one in rehearsal but it provided the only moment that didn’t quite work here.

With the pair rattling on for over two hours they have broken their 10 o’clock curfew, so there is just time for Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” as an encore before a very enjoyable evening ends.

Less of a gig more an informal gathering of friends, you wouldn’t want every concert to be like this – but you are glad this one was.

Best of 2011: Part 3 - The Gigs

So here it is.

Part three.

The main bit.

At RTM I concern myself mostly with gigs. Live music is what I love and that is why I go to so many gigs.

79 last year and I hope more in 2012.

Here are the best 20.

1.Dream Theater	Wolves Civic	23rd July
2.Cinderella	Shepherds Bush Empire	25th June
3.Thin Lizzy	Wolves Civic	14th Jan
4.Dan Baird	The Musician	9th December
5.Iron Maiden	Nottingham Arena	27th July
6.Deep Purple	LG Arena	27th November
7.Iced Earth	Acedmy 2	5th November
8.Wolfsbane	Academy 3	3rd Dec
9.Alice Cooper	NIA	27th October
10.Dimmu Borgir	Academy 2	26th November
11.Ghost	Civic Hall	2nd December
12.Marillion	Institute	13th Dec
13.The Hold Steady	Academy 2	6th Feb
14.Europe	Academy	18th Feb
15.Rival Sons	Slade Rooms	7th November
16.Symphony X	Robin 2	23rd March
17.Gentlemens Pistols	Academy 3	9th May
18.Electric Boys	Rescue Rooms	8th October
19.Holy Grail	Academy 3	16th March
20.Saxon	Wulfrun	18th April

Best of 2011: Part 2 - The Albums

So following on from yesterday's best 25 songs, here are the best 25 albums of 2011.

I heard over 370 albums from 2011, and picking the best wasn't easy.

The worst were Glamour of the Kill and Metallica/Lou Reed, but here, in reverse order are the 25 that really floated my boat!

As always, feel free to argue, thats what Twitter is for.

So in reverse order are the top 25:

25.Neonfly	Outshine The Sun
24.Black Country Communion	II
23.Graveyard	Hisengen Blues
22,Whitesnake	Forevermore
21,Lazarus AD	Black Rivers Flow
20.In Solitude	The World.The Flesh. The Devil
19.The Treatment	This Might Hurt
18,White Wizzard	Flying Tigers
17,Rival Sons	Pressure And Time
16,Malefice	Awaken the Tides
15,Morbid Angel	Illud Divinum Insanus
14.Exit Ten	Give Me Infinity
13,Dream Theater	A Dramatic Turn Of Events
12,Michael Monroe	Sensory Overdrive [UK version]
11.Sylosis	Edge Of The Earth
10.Electric Boys	And Them Boys Done Swang
9.Evile	Five Serpent's Teeth
8.Saxon	Call To Arms
7.Megadeth	TH1RT3EN
6.Iced Earth	Dystopia
5.Black Spiders	Sons Of The North
4.Gentleman's Pistols	At Her Majesty's Pleasure
3.Anthrax	Worship Music
2.Mastodon	The Hunter
1.Symphony X	Iconoclast

The End of Year Awards: Part One - The Songs

Its that time of year when all the magazines have an end of year poll.

So I thought RTM should be no exception, and over the next three days I will include my run down of the best 25 songs, best 25 albums and the best 20 gigs of 2011.

Starting tonight with the songs.

The main list is not in order of preference but rather in the order of a rather spiffing playlist I made on my Ipod (something me and may mate Donnie from www.visionsfromthearkside.blogspot.com do every year) but I will put a top five below

Tomorrow will be the top 25 albums, before I  finish on New Years day with a rundown of the best 20 gigs – seeing as that what I concern myself with reviewing on RTM I thought I would leave that until last. These are in preference order.

So maybe your favourite is on here, maybe it isn’t – if you want to argue with me on Twitter about it go ahead.

For the record though, the top five best songs of the year are:

5. Trick of the Wrist: Michael Monroe

4. Devil You Know: Anthrax

3: Misery Loves Company: The Trews

2. Life: Exit Ten

1. Curl of the Burl: Mastodon

                                                                                                                                                                                                The playlist is as follows:

Living In Sin Again	Gentleman's Pistols	At Her Majesty's Pleasure
Trick Of The Wrist	Michael Monroe	Sensory Overdrive [UK version]
The Devil You Know	Anthrax	Worship Music
Blood Of The Kings	Black Spiders	Sons Of The North
I Think I Saw A U.F.O	Neonfly	Outshine The Sun
Cult	Evile	Five Serpent's Teeth
Father	Misfits	The Devil's Rain
The King I Was	The New Black	II: Better In Black
Build Me Up, Break Me Down	Dream Theater	A Dramatic Turn Of Events
Hammer of the Gods	Saxon	Call To Arms
Soul On fire	Saint Jude	Diary Of A Soul Fiend
Delirium	Malefice	Awaken the Tides
Misery Loves Company	The Trews	Hope & Ruin
Anthem	Iced Earth	Dystopia
Black Rivers Flow	Lazarus A.D.	Black Rivers Flow
Tear It Down	Burn Halo	Up From The Ashes
All Over The Road	Rival Sons	Pressure And Time
Sands Of Time	Sylosis	Edge Of The Earth
Living A Lie	Skindred	Union Black
Reeferlord	Electric Boys	And Them Boys Done Swang
Arms of the Sea	Textures	Dualism
Black Swan	Megadeth	TH1RT3EN
Life	Exit Ten	Give Me Infinity
Curl Of The Burl	Mastodon	The Hunter
Electric Messiah	Symphony X	Iconoclast

THUNDER Christmas Show @Rock City Nottingham 20/12/11

When Thunder announced another retirement in 2009, there was disbelief amongst fans.

That disbelief came on two fronts. Firstly, with the band as popular as ever, no one could quite believe they were quitting again (ostensibly because frontman Danny Bowes wanted to concentrate on his day jobs of gig booking and managing bands) and secondly, no one believed that they wouldn’t be back.

So no one was too surprised when partial reformation was announced in summer so the band could play the High Voltage festival, that rapturously received performance has led to these Christmas shows – something the group often did. The first (which RTM couldn’t make) sold out so quickly that a second night was announced. This sold out too. The public, it seems, have missed Thunder.

As always at these things, the five-piece play two sets. The first is an acoustic, almost knockabout section, which sees them kick off with a bluesy “Everybody Wants Her,” and take in covers from the likes of Queen (“You’re My Best Friend”) and Rod Stewart (“You Wear It Well”).

The highlights, though are the different versions of Thunder favourites. Pete Shoulder, singer/guitarist with The Union – a band which contains both Thunder guitarist Luke Morley and Bassist Chris Childs - is guesting tonight, together with a couple of backing singers and a Hammond Organ player, and he adds his voice to a stunning “Once in a Lifetime” to provide an obvious peak, before “Just Another Suicide” brings things to a close.

After a short break (“We are just off to put our sparkly boob tubes on” says Danny) the stools are gone and the amps are plugged in. And this is what we came for.

Part two begins with “Loser,” a track that has always summed up the ethos of the band perfectly. Catchy, with a massive sing-a-long chorus, it is a tale of boy-gets-girl, ending with the line “I’m just a loser with a band.” Thunder have always been quintessentially British working class heroes, acutely aware they are privileged to be on stage rather than in the audience, and this probably accounts for their enduring popularity.

From here it is a romp through their greatest hits, their hymn to self-abuse, “The Devil Made Me Do It” is followed by a song about longing for something new “Higher Ground,” which sounds so fresh that it is easy to forget that it is over 20 years old.

There is a magnificent rendition of “Like A Satellite,” which ends with a Thin Lizzy-esque twin guitar solo from Morley and Ben Matthews, the anti-drugs "Eveybody's Laughing" and an unexpected cover of “Live and Let Die,” before “I Love You More Than Rock and Roll” brings the curtain down the main set.

An encore of “Better Man,” as usual, sees drummer Harry James take centre stage, before the ubiquitous – and always magnificent - “Dirty Love” leaves everyone with huge smiles on their faces.

That songs normally ends things but it is Christmas after all, so “Merry Christmas Everybody” performs those duties – and sees the band joined by giant inflatable Santas all over the place.

Time moves on. Morley and Childs have the aforementioned The Union, James drums with Magnum and other bands and Bowes is a busy man, but it would be a real shame if Thunder became a Christmas cabaret act. This is one of the finest rock bands on the planet; with a back catalogue to equal most and this show proves they still have plenty to offer.

Like the t-shirt they are selling downstairs says: Thunder, a great British Tradition.