HRH Sleaze - 02 Sheffield - Saturday 28/8/21
Live review; by; DeeDee
After the brilliant HRH Highway To Hell contest last night and then a late drink in the Dove and Rainbow, one of the top rock bars in Sheffield, it’s time to get sorted and make the short journey from the hotel to the 02 Academy. With 2 stages and interviews booked, it’s impossible to see every band over the weekend, but I did manage to watch most of them. Of course the line up is completely re-arranged from the original version, now there are late withdrawals and only one band has made it from the USA, but if you saw organiser Toby Winch on Friday, battling to get the running orders sorted, you can only applaud the guy for managing to fill the TBA gaps and shuffle the sets so we had a full bill on both the main days. Agreed there wasn’t any overseas Sleaze due to the current situation, but it meant there were incredible UK bands on stage and quite a few I hadn’t seen before.
A bit late on stage one, the first band of the day are TWISTER who won the Highway To Hell contest last time around in 2019. The beginning is a sumptuous banging of Jack Corbett’s sticks, with the guys helping him out on two massive kettle drums either side of the stage, it’s a great way to entice the audience to step further forward. Stevie Stoker has lashings of personality and it always shines through when he sings, many from the 2020 debut album ‘Cursed And Corrected’ are on the set list today. With over eleven thousand followers on social media and nonstop appearances around the country, these guys must be favourites with most folk here today. Great to see them up there and enjoying themselves and whether it’s 1.30pm or 1.30am, you know Twister will give you 100%.
The TAKEAWAY THIEVES formed back in 2018 and have supported the likes of Quireboys, Enuff ‘Z’ Nuff and Love/Hate, to name just a few. They have a style they can call their own, a mixture of sultry guitar, breezy enriched vocals and a sturdy rhythm section, all on a base layer of hard rock. They emit warmth and charm that leaves you with a satisfied smile and today they sure please the crowd with their intoxicating set. Check out the debut album ‘9’ that is due later this month, together with a launch gig at their favourite hangout the Waterloo Blackpool. See socials for dates.
There is a long wait for the next band so I pop over to stage two for the LIBERTY SLAVES and so glad I did. The EP ‘Everyman For Themselves’ from 2017 is currently my playing here at home, just to remind me of their incredible show. Vocalist Ryan Meehan has enough gravel to cover a driveway and the ‘kick in your teeth’ rhythm from the band is an uncomplicated relish. I managed to grab a set list (Not easy) and being a new band for me, I wasn’t aware of the song titles, but ‘Heavens Above’ and the title track from the EP did stand out. New creations ‘Losing My Touch’ and ‘Cat Got Your Tongue’ may be on the next record and were instantly addictive. Whoo, Huddersfield boys you certainly nailed it.
A quick dash to catch the GYPSY PISTOLEROS on the main stage as they are one of the most engaging bands of the weekend. Think of a mixture of Latin American, Flamenco, Sombrero wearing Mexican Bandits, with a Day of the Dead theme, all with monochrome painted faces and even a double bass and you can attempt to picture the scene. The set is made up from the latest album, ‘The Mescalito Vampires’ and Lee Mark Jones leads us through tales of gun slinging desperadoes and small town desert hotels with all the romance and flare of a Sergio Leone, Spaghetti Western. With titles like ‘Gonna Die With A Gun In My Hand’, ‘Viva La Revolution Viva Zapata’, ‘Cisco Kid’’ and the take on the Eagles classic with ’Welcome To The Hotel De La Muerta’, you have to admire the creativity and unique talents of Lee, who is also an actor and writer. ‘Vida Loca’ from 2012 ends the refreshing set, adios my fellow Worcestershire friend and it was great to see you afterwards for a quick chat.
As the day turns to early evening I stumble into the stage two room for one of my favourite ensemble’s The SUICIDE NOTES , who are, in my humble opinion, the epitome of Sleaze. Vocalist Billy Tee is like the missing link between Tyla (Dogs D’Amour), Iggy Pop and Jim Morrison, having a rasping larynx, blatant and excessively brilliant showmanship and the sumptuous attraction of all three. As usual the performance is one of chaos as Gav is on and off the drum stool to frolic about. Alex fills in on backing vocals and I must state his guitar playing is really superb today. We hear the ‘Pleasures Of Despair’ EP, ‘Ragdoll’ and ‘Smoke it like A Cigarette’ being highlights and there’s a tribute to Charlie Watts with a perfect rendition of the Stones’ ‘Dead Flowers’. During the cover of The Dogs’ ‘Billy Two Rivers’ I notice the room is absolutely packed and everyone is singing along, the smell of nostalgia in the air is immense. One of the best bands over the weekend, if you haven’t witnessed this lot yet, then sort it ASAP, they are phenomenal.
The LAST GREAT DREAMERS were given the title of ‘The Dandies of British Rock’ by Geoff Barton, when they re-emerged from a long hiatus. With ragamuffin and guttersnipe looks, they have etched a deep niche over the years and now stand comfortable in their hats and colourful clobber. Sadly Marc Valentine is taking a timeout, so the band are down to three and guitarist Slyder is handling the lead vocals. With the robust rhythm of Rik Pratt on drums and bassist Tim Emery the trio belt out a fast flowing mix. The album ‘Transmissions From Oblivion’ from last year is well represented and they start with one track ‘The Way We Collide’ which is a chirpy sing-along in true LGD fashion. The older ‘Glitterball Apocalypse’ precedes ‘Crash landing In Teenage Heaven’ and ‘Lunacy Lady’ both also from 2020. The band are still celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the album ‘Retrosexual’ from 2019, as events were halted for obvious reasons, so it’s cool to hear ‘Far from Home’ before they finish with ‘Oblivion Kids’. There are quite a few T shirts to prove they are well loved and from the amount of applause, they gained even more respect today. No rest for them either, as they open up on the acoustic stage in the morning, that’s true Rock and Roll ain’t it.
Just two bands left and at 9pm WAYWARD SONS take to stage one. With a new album out next month entitled ‘Even Up The Score’ there is room for a lengthy set featuring some new tracks from it and a quite a few from ‘Ghosts Of Yet To Come’ the 2017 debut. Toby Jepson with his new look (yes the mane has gone), is the archetypical British rock singer, with a voice that remains crisp and fluent to this day. I sat up on the balcony for a better view and as the show roared from the opener ‘Any other Way’ to recent releases ‘Bloody Typical’, ’Faith In Fools’ and ‘Fake’, up there I could watch drummer Phil Martini with renewed admiration. I remember him from his Quireboys days and he always astounds me with his precise stick work. Of course Toby and guitarist Sam Wood are at the front and attracting attention with their dynamic performances and I like how Nik Wastell on bass, manages to bring even more life to the party. ‘Crush’, ‘Small Talk’ and finally ‘Until The End’ bring the show to a climax and yet again it was faultless. Never a bad one from these guys, the experience and dedication pays off and they leave HRH Sleaze with an audience still cheering loudly. On tour in November, check out their social pages and website for more where the merchandise is fantastic.
Headliners TIGERTAILZ are Welsh Sleaze/Glam legends and deserve the top spot tonight. With original member Jay Pepper on guitar and backing vocals, it’s a wondrous and uplifting sight. The band have faced a hard and often painful ride over the years, but up there and right now they look the proverbial dogs balls. The addition of Rob Wylde up front and the lovable Berty Burton on bass, has helped the latest re-incarnation take a major foothold on the live music roster, somewhere Tigertailz duly belong and we are now getting the full treatment face on. For someone like me who remembers those days and late nights in the 80s and early 90s, it’s glorious to hear old numbers from ‘Young and Crazy’ and ‘Bezerk’ and of course they encore with ‘Love Bomb Baby’ the iconic anthem that surpasses all others. There’s still a full room as they give thanks and salute the audience, what a tremendous way to bring Saturday to a close.
It was fabulous to be back in the 02 and get into the live vibe once again; dashing about chasing bands for interviews and chatting to friends I haven’t seen in a while. Everyone looked like they had emerged from the gloom of the last 18 months and could finally shake off the woes and enjoy themselves without too much worry.
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