Doyle
In Dante’s Eclipse
The date for tonight’s show was moved due to the fact it was originally booked for the same date and the same city as Black Sabbath’s penultimate show. Not even Birmingham could withstand two such legendary names descending on it on the one date. I grew up loving the Misfits – their punk attitude mixed with Halloween horror aesthetic really appealed to the little weirdo I was growing up to be… it still does! I couldn’t miss the chance to see the Misfits guitar colossus DOYLE in all his glory.
Wolverhampton’s IN DANTE’S ECLIPSE are the first support up. Mixing horror punk and metal they were an obvious choice for the local support. The band delivered a great set despite the largely unresponsive Wednesday night crowd. I particularly enjoyed Hal Steadman’s baritone vocals which were reminiscent of Glenn Danzig or Jim Morrison. Some highlights of the set included the catchy “Devil Inside”, “Repent and Obey” and set closer “City of Wolves”.
The Dead XIII
THE DEAD XIII is in the enviable position of supporting DOYLE throughout his UK tour. I had the opportunity to see Manchester’s New Grave band at last year’s Beermageddon festival. Their energy, gruff vocals and awesome guitar riffs impressed me then as it did again tonight. They send grave dust flying as they perform a ferocious set of punk-infused metal. Particularly great moments from the set included “XIII” from the 2015 album “Catacombs” and a wicked new track “Bloodlines”.
And now the moment we’ve all been waiting for – Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein emerges from the shadows. A hulking beast of a man – stripped to the waist, what shirt could contain those abs?! With his trademark makeup, devil lock and standing a massive 6 foot 7 inches in his huge platform boots he is an intimidating presence on any stage. Mama Roux’s stage isn’t the biggest and there is little separating the crowd from the action on stage. Quite the treat for many of the female fans who appear to have congregated in front of the stage letting out many girlish screams throughout the show… OK, I admit it; I’ve also positioned myself right up against the barriers!
Doyle
Starting with the title track from their 2013 album “Abominator”, DOYLE treats us to a set list covering their own material and Misfits classics. I’ve not seen a guitarist punish his instrument as much as Doyle does – beating the living hell out of the poor thing. He gets through a new guitar every two songs – throwing shredded guitar picks out into the crowd whilst blowing bubble gum bubbles or spitting.
Although Doyle himself is very distracting, his sideburned vocalist Wolfman provides a huge amount of entertainment this evening. He appears completely intoxicated, slurring, dousing himself in water and flailing around the stage. When I eventually manage to peel my eyes away from Doyle’s hulking mass, I notice that Wolfman is bleeding from open wounds on his shoulders. He is cutting himself with a sharp implement in between tracks. He introduces each song in the exact same way, he drawls; “This is a love song, you can dance to it if you like.”
Doyle
Top DOYLE tracks “Learn To Bleed” and “Cemetery Sexxx” provide great pounding metal, however, predictably the crowd go really wild for the Misfits; with “Last Caress”, “Die Die Die” and “Skulls” going down particularly well. It’s been an immensely fun night of ogling Doyle’s vast torso and singing along to some Misfits’ classics. I will have these songs stuck in my head for days.
Doyle setlist
Abominator
Headhunter
Learn To Bleed
Queen Wasp
Where Eagles Dare
Devil Lock
Valley of the Souls
Mark of the Beast
Drawing Down the Sun
Cemetery Sexxx
Green Hell
Blood Feast
Last Caress
Blood Stains
Dreaming Dead Girls
Land of the Dead
Skulls
Die Die Die
Hope Hell is Warm
Photos by Paul Thrupp – Full Gallery Here
