Unbelievable to think this is the 10th Anniversary tour for Scott Gorham and his Black Star Riders. It was at the end of 2012 that the members of Thin Lizzy decided it was time to re-name and move forward. Since then they have continued to wow audiences world wide, with songs that hint at their Lizzy roots and others that are completely BSR branded. Not forgetting the inclusion of Thin Lizzy favourites, that take us back to that bands heyday. Michael Monroe and Phil Campbell are the supporting bands tonight in Wolverhampton, both legends who offer differing traits of Rock and Roll.
PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS are a man down tonight, as Todd Campbell is feeling under the weather, so Dad will have to fill in ! They warm us up with ‘We’re The Bastards’ and vocalist Joel Peters encourages us to participate right from the off. ‘Bite My Tongue’ continues the rawness before the first Motörhead cover, the fast and furious, ‘Going To Brazil’ erupts and breaks any loose fixtures. ‘High Rule’ settles the dust a little before another Lemmy classic ‘Born To Raise Hell’. Indeed he was, the late and lamented Ian Kilmister would surely be impressed with this rendition. ‘Get On Your Knees’ and ‘Freak Show’ follow and we are then required to raise our fingers to salute the bassist with chants of ‘Fu*k You Tyla Campbell’ which he takes on the chin as always. The more sombre ‘Dark Days’ jolts and sways, reminding me that Peters has an amazing presence on stage. They call time with ‘Ace Of Spades’ which sees the security guys move to the barrier anticipating chaos, however the KK’s crowd are a relatively well behaved lot, so no stage invasions tonight. Rest assured, the Motörhead legacy is safe in Phil Campbells hands.
Phil Campbell + The Bastard Sons
The new album ‘Live In The North’ has only been out since February 10th and showcases Joel, who you must agree, has cemented his mic stand firmly with the band, since he joined in January 2022. Recorded at The Independent in Sunderland during a stunning show, Phil states “Get a load of this folks, it’ll blow your speakers!’ For your copy head over to the website
PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS – FACEBOOK WEBSITE
MICHAEL MONROE and his band are up next. The Finnish megastar is joined by the equally famous Sami Yaffa on bass, who with Mike rose to fame with Hanoi Rocks and the short lived Demolition 23, Sami also played with The New York Dolls. Alongside on guitar is Steve Conte, also ex NYD but has a wealth of experience, as he’s played with some of the biggest names. Also on guitar is Rich Jones who was born in Coventry, you might have seen him with Ginger Wildheart or The Black Halos. Drummer Karl Rockfist, has been with MM for a while now, his previous bands include Glen Danzig and The Chelsea Smiles. Mike follows the band onstage, wearing skin tight black and red embellished jeans and holding a mic that changes colour, together with his blond hair and trademark eyeliner. The songs fly out ‘Last Train To Tokyo’ and Trick Of The Wrist’ see the main man, racing around the stage, holding a striking red fan to keep cool. He jumps onto the nearby amp and then onto the barrier, he’s off the stage more than on it !
Michael Munroe
’78’ rolls next and you can see these seasoned muso’s are enjoying this outing. Mike and Steve sit on the front of the deck for a short while during ‘Ballad Of The East Side’ that then sees a switch into the Demolition 23 number ‘Nothin’s Alright’. We have a technical hitch regarding Mike’s saxophone, so they sadly have to abort ‘Malibu Beach Nightmare’ but there are cheers as the band are introduced and they smash it with the raunchy ‘Dead, Jail Or Rock ’n’ Roll’. The stupendous cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ’Up Around The Bend’ signals the end of this beguiling performance. Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm, aka Mr Monroe never fails to impress, he turns 61 this year and still has the energy and enthusiasm of a teenager.
MICHAEL MONROE – FACEBOOK
BLACK STAR RIDERS are introduced by DON JAMIESON, an American stand-up comedian who is a host on ‘That Metal Show’. Tonight he’s wearing a Wolves T-shirt and does his best to keep us listening. I think, like most of the room I’m just wondering who he is ! As he departs, the Slade track ‘Come On Feel The Noize’ fires up and normal service is resumed.
Black Star Riders
Nothing like the sight of Ricky Warwick to get your heart pumping, you just know he will have you in his grasp before too long. The new album ‘Wrong Side Of Paradise’ makes up most of the first part of the show. Apart from the title track, ‘Pay Dirt’, ‘Better Than Saturday Night’ (which sees Joe Elliot of Def Leppard guesting on the album) and ‘Riding Out The Storm’ get any Irish in our DNA rising to the surface. Warm and embracing, the older songs ‘Another State Of Grace’ and ‘When The Night Comes In’ are played in-between, before the Osmond’s rocker ‘Crazy Horses’, which sees those of us with more years, unable to refrain from singing. After a short pause Ricky introduces Scott Gorham, who has been in the wings up to now. Early tracks ‘All Hell Breaks Loose’ and ‘Bloodshot’ from 2013 see a change, the addition of Scott enriches the sound and with new boy Sam Wood on guitar as well, KK’s roof is shaking. The incredible ‘Soldierstown’ is a rampant number in true Lizzy fashion, loved that so much. Long term drummer Jimmy DeGrasso and bassist Robert Crane hold the rhythm with an impeccable partnership, as the band give us ‘Don’t Believe A Word’ and the room echoes with cheers and applause.
Ricky takes up a semi acoustic for ‘Blindsided’ which is more fragile and we have time to catch our breath’, then ‘The Killer Instinct’ of the album with the same name, from 2015 resumes the ‘Lizzy’ feel. Another from 2013 is ‘Before The War’ which has the band providing plenty of backing vocals. We are around fourteen songs in now and I’m still transfixed, this is a special night. After the rapid fire of ‘Testify Or Say Goodbye’ they are joined by Mike Monroe for ’Tonight The Moonlight Let Me Down’. The vocals are shared and Mike sings with his arm around the Northern Irish frontman. The pounding drums herald ‘Kingdom Of The Lost’ which has the vibe of an Irish jig and there are a couple in front of me dancing, as the Celtic air weaves all around us. The enchanting ‘Bound For Glory’ precedes ‘Jailbreak’, I remember buying that album in 1976 and watching Thin Lizzy at Reading Festivals, this version brings it all back. They end on ‘Finest Hour’ which is a perfect finale. It encapsulates the show, as this is indeed the Black Star Riders’s finest hour.
BLACK STAR RIDERS – FACEBOOK WEBSITE
Three bands, three performances of sublime magnificence and a night to be remembered for many years to come.
PHOTO CREDITS – Lisa Billingham / Billibee Creative
Full Photo Gallery – HERE
