Y&T

Y&T

by Stuart 25 October 2016

Some gigs mean more than others. Some are more than just a night out. Getting to go and review a show by a band I first heard back in 1982 really was no chore at all. Y&T first got together way back in 1974, had their biggest success during the 80s, have sold more than four million albums and yet remain an unknown to most. For the crowd gathered at the Waterfront however they clearly meant a great deal.

Before the main course though, we got 30 minutes in the company of Praying Mantis. For a band that have been plying their own trade for 4 decades and who came closest to breaking through at the birth of NWOBHM, I personally found them to be the second division act I’d always had them down as. Of course they played well, the singer had an impressive set of melodic metal pipes, but on the whole I remained indifferent. There were a few committed old school fans of the band in the crowd though, and it was cool to see them so animated at seeing the \m/ Mantis \m/.

Y&T opened their show with a track from their most recent album, released back in 2010, before heading back to those halcyon 80s days. That’s the moment when you realize how little you’ve changed with the passing of time. I may be middle aged now, but as I stood there, laughing with my gig buddy, singing along to Lipstick & Leather without the merest whiff of irony, I realized I was pretty much the same dumb arse kid I always was. I’ve certainly been in more animated crowds but everyone was obviously really enjoying it, there was a constant stream of people returning from the bar carrying armfuls of pints, this was a night where thoughts of work the next day were far from our minds. Y&T are led by Dave Meniketti, the only original member left, to all intents he is Y&T; the face and voice of the band. Now in his early 60s he looked and sounded great. Original drummer Leonard Haze died in September and Dave spoke movingly about him before an emotionally charged rendition of Wind Of Change.

There were only a couple of tracks which I was less familiar with, but the majority of the set was made up of well known classics, and even some deeper cuts which have been dusted off for this European tour. I sang until I was hoarse, I played a little discreet air guitar, I marvelled at Dave’s brilliant lead playing – his battered sunburst Les Paul must have been with from the early days. I even enjoyed Mike Vanderhule’s DRUM SOLO and felt my night was complete when guitarist John Nymann handed me one of his plectrums.

They played for over 2 hours, took requests from the crowd, showed an obvious delight in playing for us and only stopped when the curfew demanded they must. It’s hard to be objective on a night like this, but I watched a classy act doing justice to their legacy, reaffirming what it is I’ve always enjoyed about their music. As I made my way home I couldn’t help but break out into a massive grin as I reflected on another night balls deep in 80s metal.