The Wild Things Rob Kendrick has things on his mind as they are readying their last song: ‘I thought this was a rock show!’ he yells (there may have been one or two other words in there too), and he does have a point.
Cards on the table here, tin hat on and all the rest of it, the London-based four-piece is the best thing on this bill. Their organ-infused rock ‘n’ roll is impressive, and dare I say, deserving of a much better treatment than playing early with the lights on.
Even that, though, can’t detract from a superb half an hour or so. ‘Loaded Gun’ and the recent single ‘Only Attraction’ are rock ‘n’ roll the way I see it, for sure.
Sydney Rae White is (as you’d expect from an actress) a very decent focal point, and when she ditches her guitar for the infectious ‘Heaven Knows’ (‘it means I can do whatever I like,’ she says), she prowls the stage to great effect.
Ending with ‘Drunk Again’ (‘I prescribe this to the rest of the night,’ reckons White), this is a set of a band it is certain that you’ll be seeing more of.
A second album (from which most of these were taken) and produced by Pete Townshend, is due, and The Wild Things will have wilder nights than this, that’s for damn sure.
There’s never been a stage that Benjii Webbe didn’t think he owned, and that includes that of the ‘Hottest Band In The World’ (their words, not mine). And Skindred set about doing what they do.
That means essentially the same set they played with Volbeat before Christmas. And as such, it is one very much that you have to buy into.
Which means the usual splitting the crowd in two for ‘That’s My Jam’ and the pop-rock positivity of ‘L.O.V.E (Smile Please)’ being a highlight.
‘Gimme That Boom’ has a proper groove, ‘Kill The Power’ is its usual anthem to self-improvement (although giving a middle finger to the man and touring with one of the most corporate rock bands in history seems incongruous), and you can’t argue with the passion of ‘Warning’ and the hundreds doing the ‘Newport Helicopter.’ All of which means job done for Skindred. They’re on this tour to further their message, and they’ve done just that. Good luck to them.
Right. That brings us to the headliners. ‘Been a long time since I rocked ‘n’ rolled,’ screams Led Zep before the big screens come on and reveal the four leaving the dressing room. And, look, I’d say it’s been a long time since Kiss were any good.
I bought a ticket for this. I was a Kiss fan, I’ve seen them many times—I’ve not, a little like with Bon Jovi, enjoyed about the last four. Nostalgia dragged me here. I imagine that was the same for most.
And, if you’re being honest, when you see Kiss, what do you talk about? Is it the great songs? Let’s be real, even if you allow for ‘Lick It Up’ being any good (it’s not, but we’ll move on), that was 40 years ago.
No, it’s not, and you know it’s not. It’s about the ‘show,’ and they are brilliant at ‘the show.’ As ‘Detroit Rock City’ ushers them in, Gene, Paul, and Tommy are lowered in on pods, and there are explosions, fire breathing, Paul going across the venue on a zip wire to do ‘Love Gun’ and ‘I Was Made For Loving You’ on a little stage, and Gene is 40 feet up in the air doing ‘God Of Thunder,’ which is fine, and they—I stress this again—are absolutely brilliant at it.
It’s a (psycho) circus, as it were, but the problem is, it used to scare a nation, and probably did when, as Paul Stanley points out, they first played this city in 1976. Now? I first saw them play here on November 20th, 1996 (when they played a much better set, by the way), and they’ve done the same thing for 27 years since. There’s only so many times you keep giving people panto before they know he’s behind you. And if you were there, you know the atmosphere was lacking,
Eric Singer, the drummer, is the best singer in the band by a distance, as he proves on both ‘Black Diamond’ and a lovely ‘Beth’ in the encore, but ‘Do You Love Me’ is back to a bit of a squawk.
They end—of course, they do—with ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll All Nite,’ and the elephant in the room is that they can’t party eve-ry day, not anymore, and on December 2, it’s all over. Maybe. Whatever. I don’t believe it’s the end of the road, but it needs to be.
You wanted the best? You got Kiss 2023.
WITH THANKS TO RICH WARD FOR THE PHOTOS OF THE WILD THINGS AND SKINDRED
