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Day 1 Sheffield
Corporation April 7th 2005
A mere thirteen years after
last playing the UK, supporting Kiss, Sheffield was the first UK
date for Danger Danger with returning vocalist Ted Poley.
Original plans for this reviewer involved finishing work early
and heading down to Sheffield at about 2.00pm. Unfortunately
some inconsiderate colleagues kept me busy and hence we
eventually hit the road at about 4.00pm instead. Road works on
the A1 meant that we didn't reach Sheffield till after six, and
with the doors due to open at 7.00pm, according to the tickets,
there was just enough time to grab a bite to eat at the pub next
door to the venue before heading inside. Of course the tickets
were wrong and the venue didn't actually open until 7.30pm and
so it was back to the pub for another drink.
Once the venue eventually
opened we were in for yet another surprise, as the show tonight
was set up in the small room of the Corporation instead of the
main hall. The upside to this of course is that the show is much
more intimate, with the band and crowd almost on top of each
other, the downside was that the lighting rig was almost
non-existent and the stage set up deep rather than wide, meaning
that drummers were somewhere way back in the distance.
The next surprise was that
Double Cross, the band due to open proceedings, were not at the
gig due to illness. This meant that Deadline were first to hit
the stage. The last time I saw the band, supporting Seb Bach,
they were decidedly lackluster, however tonight they were back
on top of their game, producing a solid set mainly consisting of
songs from their debut album 'Mind The Step'. Vocalist Steve
Lunn in particular was in fine voice. But in keeping with
the rest of the night Deadline also pulled a surprise. Regular
set closer 'Losing Myself, was brought forward in the set and
the band instead rounded out their show with a storming
rendition of 'One Touch', scheduled to be the next single culled
from the album.
And so onto Danger Danger. By
the time the main attraction took to the stage, opening with
'Crazy Nite' from the Screw It! album, the venue had filled up
very nicely with the area directly in front of the stage packed.
What was immediately obvious about the D2 show was the
enthusiasm and energy that the band were projecting from the
stage. Poley proved to be the consummate frontman, communicating
effortlessly with the punters, slapping hands, making continuous
eye contact with various attendees and in general having a damn
good time. As expected the set was heavy with classics from the
band's first two albums, with tracks such as 'Bang Bang', Rock
America, Boys Will Be Boys all making welcome appearances.
Rounding out the main set
with songs exclusively from the aforementioned Screw It! album
was certainly a smart move and 'I Still Think About You', 'Beat
The Bullet', 'Don't Blame It On Love' and 'Monkey Business' all
went down a storm.
The obligatory clamour for
encores brought the band back on stage for a run through Naughty
Naughty and then the final surprise of the night! D2 chose to
finish up the show tonight with a superb rendition of the Cheap
Trick classic 'I Want You To Want Me'.
If tonight's show is any
indication of what the remaining dates have to offer then I
guess I am in for a treat. If you can, definitely get along to
see Danger Danger, you won't regret it and will leave smiling
and wondering why music isn't always this much fun.
You can check out more
pictures from the Sheffield show via
this link |
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Day 2 London Camden
Underworld April 8th 2005
A shortish drive from Sheffield
brought us to our hotel, a travel lodge just outside of Leicester,
where according to plans I was going to write up the review of the
night's show and post the the photos onto the website. Unfortunately
, and as per the rest of the day things did not go to plan. My ISP
steadfastly refused to accept my log on credentials, leading to an
almighty row with some dimwit on the technical helpdesk at 3 o'clock
in the morning and a very short, but welcome sleep.
Eventually
hitting the road at about 11.OO am in the morning and uneventful
drive brought us into Camden just after lunch time and allowed
plenty of time for that most important aspect of following a tour,
shopping!!! A couple of hundred pounds later and lighter it was time
for the show. Driving past the venue on the way to parking up the
car the venue was suspiciously free from punters queuing, not a good
sign. Ten minutes later however when we returned back to the
Underworld on foot things were looking up, with a queue having
typically formed round the corner of the Underworld in the short
time between us leaving the car and making it back on foot.
Once inside
we found a decent vantage point from which to view the shown and
then headed off to the bar for some much needed refreshments. And of
course as per everything else on the tour so far things went
slightly pear shaped.. Whilst queuing for drinks a very familiar
sounding riff started playing over the PA. Deadline were coming on
stage, and with people still waiting outside to get in.
Deadline
tonight had a short five song set, due to the addition of Pride to
the bill. However the boys once again gave their all for those who
had actually made it into the venue. Love's A Battle, Out Of Reach,
Too Many Things and Losing Myself all made the show and with a sound
far superior to that in Sheffield the band definitely seemed to be
enjoying themselves. As with the previous night the band finished up
with their soon to be released new single (soon as in June!!) One
Touch and then it was thank you and goodnight as they made way for
Pride.
It had been
over a year since we last saw Pride, opening up for Firehouse at
Dudley JB's, and in that time the band had been extremely quiet on
the gig front. Hailing from Brighton, it was obvious that many of
the bands fans had made their way up from the south coast for the
show and the hall was noticeably busier that when the Deadline boys
had been on the stage.
The lay off
from the stage certainly doesn't appear to have done the band any
harm, with the band still sounding as tight and fluid as they had
all those months before ion Dudley. If anything they sounded
slightly more bluesy than previously, but this almost enhanced songs
like 'Who You Gonna Love' and most especially on a fantastic
rendition of 'Still Raining' and closing number 'Say Your Not
Lonely'. The band even threw in a new song, in the shape of what I
believe is called 'Stay,' that is destined to be on the bands next
album. Rounding out the show with 'Say Your Not Lonely', this was a
welcome return fro Pride, and a great sign for what we can expect
from the boys come May at the Firefest in Bradford.
If Danger
Danger had been impressive in Sheffield, then the London show moved
things up a notch. By the time the opening intro to 'Ginger Snaps'
had finished and the band kicked out the opening riff to 'Crazy Nite'
over four hundred people were crammed into the Underworld. The
sizable crowd certainly brought the best out from the D2 boys, as
they ran through 'Under The Gun', 'Boys Will Be Boys' and 'Bang
Bang'. Mr Poley was beaming ear to ear and as per Sheffield the
communication and rapport between band and audience was first class.
What was even
better, for those of us covering the entire tour, was the fact that
the band changed up the set and tonight threw in songs such as 'When
She's Good She's Good' and 'Afraid Of Love' that had been left out
of the Sheffield set list. By this point the guys stood behind me,
self confessed D2 fanatics, were going nuts and this reaction was
mirrored by almost everyone else around and at the gig. Once again
the main set was rounded out with Screw It! classics in the shape of
'I Still Think About You', 'Beat The Bullet' and 'Don't Blame It On
Love'. Tonight however the band encored with both Monkey Business
and Naughty Naughty and that was enough to send those in attendance
home very contented people, and if the queues for signatures at the
merch table after the show are any indication then D2 will be
welcomed back with open arms next time around in London.
Overall, due
to sound quality, band performances and the crowd definitely better
than Sheffield. Here's hoping the upward trend continues!!
You can check out more
pictures from the London show via
this link |
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Day 3 Belfast Empire April
9th 2005
Leaving London just after
midnight, we eventually managed to find our way onto the M40 for
the drive up to Birmingham and the flight to Belfast. Somehow we
even managed to fit in a couple of hours sleep before checking
in at the airport. It turned out that all of the usual suspects
were waiting for the same plane including both the Deadline &
Danger Danger guys. Miracle of miracles we all found on way on
board and managed not to leave anyone stranded in Brum and the
flight proved smooth and short.
After an afternoon spent
finding our hotel, wandering round Belfast city centre and
eating, gig time drew near. Deadline once again opened
proceedings, however both vocalist Steve & Kris were suffering
from sore throats and the set had to carefully built within
these limitations. Opening with Out Of Reach the band performed
admirably under the circumstances, and in new song Dust To Dust,
which made an appearance mid-set, the band have a number that
could very well be a staple of many more shows to come in the
future. Unfortunately the vocal limitations meant that Losing
Myself was dropped from the show, but as Deadline rounded out
their portion of the night with One Touch then you had to give
them much credit for playing on in difficult circumstances and
the warm reception they received from the Belfast crowd (as well
as a few CD sales!!) made them happy campers.
Next up was local favourite
Harv. We recently reviewed his 'Back' album on this site (Check
it out via
this link). Most of the songs in the set tonight were
culled from that release, including opener Hold On, Crying In
The Rain, New World and Tugging At My Heartstrings. The album
review could almost be reproduced word for word for Harv's live
show. This was classic arena rock complete with big choruses,
fluid guitar solos' and all the posing from the mainman you
could want. In truth Harv has a fine set of pipes and, with a
strong backing band and decent songs, proved to be an
entertaining addition to the evenings events.
Finally it was once again D2
time, and as with the previous two shows the band kicked off
the show with Crazy Nite and followed this up with Bang Bang and
Goin' Goin' Gone. Although the Belfast crowd lapped up every
moment, with the benefit of the two previous shows to compare it
with, it was obvious that something wasn't clicking in Belfast.
At times it seemed that the guys were simply going through the
motions, and indeed the set was somewhat shorter than it had
been both in London and Sheffield. All of the classics still
made an appearance however, with the main set rounded out
tonight with Monkey Business and just a single encore in the
shape of Naughty Naughty to finish off the show.
With of all of the above it
might be imagined that I didn't enjoy the show. That could not
be further from the truth though. One thing that has been
evident throughout the entire run is that D2 is all about fun
and that was what Belfast ultimately was, a flawed but fun
evening. It's just I know the band can do so much better.
You can check out more
pictures from the Belfast show via
this link |
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Day 4 Dudley JB's April
10th 2005
Disaster, total disaster. No
not the show of course, but rather the fact that I, like an
idiot, lost the memory card for my camera, which contained a
whole series of shots from both Belfast & Dudley.
The day actually started out
well with everyone making the early morning flight from Belfast
to Birmingham on time and nobody was left behind... From there
it was a short drive to out 'hotel', well the in laws house
really for a nice afternoon nap before it was time to head off
to Dudley for the fourth installment of the 2005 D2 UK tour.
Once again Deadline opened
the evenings entertainment and despite vocalist Steve Lunn still
suffering from some horrid lurgy, the band turned in one
of the best performances I have seen from them. Talking to
Steve afterwards he explained that because of the condition of
his voice he just thought he would go all out for the
performance. Well it worked. The band seemed more together as a
unit on stage and the interaction between the various members
was more noticeable than at any times in the past. This
togetherness gave the band a true presence on stage and that
communicated itself to the small, but enthusiastic audience.
Marry this new found stage presence with the normal vocal
clarity and Deadline will have found a true winning formula. On
a further positive note the song Dust To Dust continues to
impress and even after only a couple of listens is easily one of
the best numbers the band have written. Here's hoping it finds
it way onto a CD some time soon.
Pride took up where they left
off in London a couple of days earlier. This is a band
completely at ease with their abilities and musical direction
and this shines through on stage. Opening up with I.O.U from
their second album 'Signs Of Purity', it is obvious that the one
aspect of the performance that has been notably improved over
the last year or so is their harmony vocals, which now hit the
mark and round out the the bands individual style. The new
material that the band offered up (still didn't catch the
names!!) sounds mature and effortless and the older
material has equally been honed to near perfection. Stand
out track, as in London, was once again Still Raining with the
acoustic guitar of Matt Mitchell adding further depth to a
number that was already classy to begin with.
If Danger Danger had been
slightly below par in Belfast the night before, then JB's saw
the band back on top form. Maybe it was the 400-500 people in
attendance but from the opening notes of Crazy Nite everything
clicked. All the band, Ted Poley in particular, know how to play
an audience to elicit just the right reaction. Whether it
be posing for photographs, high fiving punters down the front or
simply smiling from ear to ear, the boy knows how to work a
crowd. The set list tonight saw the re-introduction of When
She's Good She's Good (When She's bad She's Better) and Don't
Walk Away, but as with every show on the tour the most
enthusiastic receptions were for the Screw It! material. The
band ended the main set with three such tracks in the shape of
'I Still Think About You', 'Beat The Bullet' & 'Don't Blame It
On Love' before returning to encore with the inevitable 'Monkey
Business' and 'Naughty Naughty'. If the queue for merch and
autographs after the show is any indication of how well a band
has done then Dudley took Danger Danger to their hearts!
You can check out more
pictures from the Dudley show via
this link |
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Day 5 Crewe Limelight April
12th 2005
And so the last date of the
Danger Danger UK tour 2005. Suitably refreshed after a day off
on the 11th we set of from Bromsgrove to Crewe at about 2.00pm
thinking we would have more than enough time to get to the
venue, have something to eat and get to the show. How wrong can
you be. A major accident at junction 15 on the M6 caused one
huge traffic jam south of Stoke and hence a journey that should
have taken about two hours or so ended up taking well over six
hours and ended up with us arriving at the venue somewhere
around 8.00pm in the evening. By this time tempers were a little
frayed, bums a little numb and stomachs a little empty. Que
sera.
First on tonight were Double
Cross, a band I had heard nothing by previously, and who had
missed the show in Sheffield due to illness. They were certainly
out to make up for lost time playing a set full of energy and
enthusiasm. The songs were culled from the band's debut album
'Time After Time' released on TB Records and proved to be
gritty, melodic rock numbers showcasing some fine musicianship
and in singer Rick Chase they have a frontman with a very decent
set of pipes thank you very much! An upcoming bout of touring
with Dokken should further sharpen the band's edge and I
certainly look forward to hearing new material from the band
band in the near future.
Once again Deadline played
the middle set of the show and with Steve Lunn still under the
weather the show remained almost identical to that played in
Dudley two nights previously. You cannot help but admire a band
who soldier on under such adverse conditions and give of their
best despite the odds and in Deadline you have one of the
hardest working, down to earth bunch of guys I have met.
Highlight of the evening was set closer, a cover of the Who's
'Won't Get Fooled Again' which was delivered with a gusto that
did the original proud. To quote that particular song I 'tip my
hat' to Deadline, great tour lads!
Traditionally any last night
of a tour is a time for fun and games and the Crewe show was no
exception for the guys in Danger Danger. The drinks flowed
liberally on stage and as the liquor took its efect the band
just seemed to get better and better. After four shows in five
days the band really hit their stride and showed just what they
are capable of. Every song seemed that little bit more
energetic, the smiles seemed wider and the fun that little bit
more exaggerated. The set stayed very much in keeping with the
previous shows, with 'Afraid of Love' being brought back into
the fold for the first time since London and the obligatory
encores of Monkey Business & Naughty Naughty taking their usual
places. The fun really started during Monkey Business with two
huge and ugly gorillas invading the stage complete with bananas
to pester the band and a cheeky tour manager letting loose with
a water canon. Just what can be accomplished with a bunch of
bananas and four American rock stars is best left to your
imagination, but trust me it was funny!
Whereas that would normally
have been the end of the set, Crewe being the last show brought
a surprise addition in the shape of Journey's 'Any Way You Want
It' which somehow segued into the opening guitar riff of Motley
Crue's 'Shout At The Devil' courtesy of guitarist Rob Marchello...
Danger Danger saved the bets til last and hopefully it won't be
long before they return to these shores for another set of dates
and another week of fun!
This being the last review, it
wouldn't be right to check out without saying thanks to all
those people who made this tour such an enjoyable little trek.
First off Bruno, Steve, Ted & Rob from D2 for all the fun they
brought to the party, Steve, Kev, Kris & Andy from Deadline for
the music, the chat and the laughs, Kieran Paul, Amber & Tony
for putting the show on the road and finally Sue, Phil, Dawn &
Sam for being there with us!
Firefest next stop!!
PS I got a f**king speeding
ticket on the way home...oh well it was all worth it
You can check out more
pictures from the Belfast show via
this link |
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