Bad Actress were originally formed in Forres, in the Scottish Highlands and have supported the likes of Sweet, Marco Mendoza, Geoff Tate, Hardline, Babylon AD and GUN. This was their third trip to the Midlands in recent times with shows at the Station in Cannock and an all dayer at Subside in Digbeth in Birmingham.
The quartet kicked us off with `Poison Snake` which had a slight ZZ Top riff before heading into `Red Hot` with both tracks coming from a 2021 EP the guys put out. The screaming `Rockin` With You` seems to screw up birthday boy Ewan Campbell`s (aka DJ Guns) snare drum but another one is found and we are off again.
A previous single `Feel My Pain` is saturated with heartache and ends with a brief but slight reggae vibe but it`s `Don`t Look Down` that has this intimate audience fist pumping and clapping along. `Alive` comes from the band`s forthcoming live album due next month and has a fairly reflective feel. The final stretch includes `Living In Paradise`, `Good Times` about quitting you day job before the band left us with `Dynamite Lover` which tipped it`s hat to Van Halen and had all and sundry singing along.
Shaun Middleton (bass), Euan Campbell (drums), Lui McFarlane (vocals), and Tommy Bell (guitar) certainly had this crowd won over and they`re definitely a band I wanna see again. The nearest they come to Brum is Nottingham and Stoke-On-Trent next month. Their social media strap line is HEART, SOUL & ROCK ‘N’ ROLL and they certainly are and much more. The fellas were taking the 450 mile trip home straight after Midnite City`s set and my three hour two am coach journey last week after a trip to London to see The Damned paled into insignificance. For those spending eight hours in a van we salute you!!
Midnite City are a seasoned rock quintet based in Nottingham and have headlined countless tours of the UK, undertaken shows all over Europe, America, Brazil, Australia, and sold out two tours of Japan. The have built up a loyal following known as The Midnite Army of which a fair few were in attendance tonight.
The guys have four albums out with the most recent `Bite The Bullet` released last November. It`s straight into a cut from the latest release with `Live Like Ya Mean it` and I have to say it`s a real marker for what`s to follow for the next ninety minutes. It`s back a couple of years for `Someday` before another couple of tracks from `BTB` is shared with the harder edged `Heaven in this Hell` and reflective `Lethal Dose of love`.
There`s a power ballad in the form of `Hardest Heart to Break` before the contemplative `No One Wins` follows again from the new album and `Girls Gone Wild` which sounds like all your favourite AOR come glam bands rolled into one number.
Tracks like `Summer of Our Lives` and `When The Summer Ends` were made for humid summer evenings while driving along and blasting them out of the open window. `Worth fighting For` is made for a stadium gig and a real fist in the air anthem. `Seeing is Believing` is another ballad like offering but `Can’t Wait for the Nights` has the faithful going again before leaving us on a high with what i`m sure was `We Belong`.
Singer Rob Wylde, who is best known perhaps for his spell in Tigertailz, a charismatic frontman and delivered an energetic performance with his stage presence and interaction with the crowd but he was backed by a real powerhouse in Miles Meakin (lead guitar and backing vocals), Josh Williams (bass and backing vocals), Ryan Briggs (drums) and Shawn Charvette (keys) almost hidden at the back. This was a cracking ninety minute masterclass of glam, sleaze and hard rock from a band who put the hard yards in and deserve much greater recognition.
If you want a great night out with home grown British bands playing self-written songs that take their inspiration from groups like Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Kiss, Def Leppard, Cinderella, and Poison get along and catch Bad Actress and Midnite City at a venue near you. A great night will be guaranteed.
Photos Dean Wilson
