BLACK STAR RIDERS, MICHAEL MONROE & PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS

I am a huge admirer of Black Star Riders frontman Ricky Warwick but BSR have kinda passed me by and I am here for Michael Monroe. But more of that below. First up, we have long-serving Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons. The Bastard Sons are Phil’s offspring Tyla (bass) and Dane Campbell (drums), along with vocalist Joel Peters, although third Campbell son, guitarist Todd, is missing.

Opener We're The Bastards included a crowd singalong, which is a brave move but a fair few in the audience are up for it. Most of the eight song set, recalls the NWOBHM circa 1980. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, although some of the lyrics should have stayed in the 80s. Well played as this is, it is hardly earth-shattering. Only the driving power metal of Big Mouth, the sludgy stoner rock of Dark Days raise the game, although Motörhead’s Born to Raise Hell and set closer Ace of Spades get roars of approval.

As mentioned already, the main draw for me is legendary Hanoi Rocks man Michael Monroe. Monroe is one of the greatest entertainers rock ‘n’ roll has ever seen. The moves may be a bit less graceful these days - although he pulls things off that I couldn’t have managed as a teenager! - but he’s still an utterly compelling mix of Iggy Pop and Mick Jagger, with a touch of Steven Tyler thrown. With Monroe on vocals, sax and blistering harmonica, the band consists of ex-NY Doll Steve Conte and Rich (Black Halos/Amen/Yo-Yos) Jones on guitars, ex-Danzig drummer Karl Rockfist and former Hanoi bassman Sami Yaffa.

For opener One Man Gang, the sound is terribly muddy. Whilst it never truly sorts itself out, it does improve as the set goes on. Second song in is the latest LP’s title track I Live Too Fast to Die Young, followed by the previous album’s lead single Last Train to Tokyo. Ballad Of The Lower East Side sees Monroe deliver a comedy/Shane McGowan slurred intro, before clambering atop the speaker stack stage left whilst Conte plays a scorching solo. Despite the still less than perfect sound, Hanoi’s Malibu Beach Nightmare is an absolute riot before the set climaxes with Creedence Clearwater Revival/Hanoi standard Up Around The Bend and Monroe’s own Dead, Jail or Rock 'n' Roll. If you want an old school rock ‘n’ roll show of the highest calibre, go see Monroe.

Black Star Riders grew out of a Thin Lizzy reunion but wisely, after a number of line-up changes, the band decided to change their name to Black Star Riders before releasing their own material. The current line-up of Ricky Warwick (vox, guitar), Sam Wood (guitar), Robbie Crane (bass), drummer Jimmy DeGrasso and features no Lizzy exiles. Well, for the first part of the set…

I have been a huge admirer of Ricky Warwick from his days fronting The Almighty through [Sic] to the present day backed up by the Fighting Hearts. Somehow, however, Black Star Riders have passed me by. Tonight doesn’t make me feel like I’ve missed out. When BSR hit the stage with Pay Dirt, the sound is far from great but, as with Monroe, it improves as the set progresses. Seven songs in - after set joint highlight, the Osmonds’ Crazy Horses complete with some wild slide guitar replacing the synth in the original - ex-Lizzy and BSR founding guitarist Scott Gorham joins the band on stage and remains for the rest of the 20 song set.

The band certainly put the effort in. Warwick, fellow guitarist Sam Wood and bassist Robbie Crane cover pretty much every inch of the stage. The light show is excellent and there’s smoke machines mounted stage front (not a good thing for those not uncommon folk who suffer a bad reaction to the chemicals used). A few exceptions aside, the crowd are digging it in a way best described as polite rather than wild. And, I’ll be honest, I am not feeling much passion from what I am seeing. Yes, they can play and they are putting their hearts into it. It is great to see Gorham on stage. With the exception of Crazy Horses and the strangely compelling New Model Army-meets-Thin Lizzy of Soldierstown, it is all just a little bit too safe and even pedestrian for me. I find myself tapping my foot and nodding my head but I feel no desire to dance and I just can’t throw myself into it. Maybe it just me, maybe I’ve misread the crowd, maybe it is the sound in here but I’d rather see Ricky and his Fighting Hearts upstairs at the Waterfront than this.