Look, we might as well get this stuff out of the way straight off. Thunder have been one of my favourite bands on the planet since I was about 14 years old, sitting by the radio listening to Tommy Vance on the Friday Rock Show in 1989. So yes, of course I own the original Live album that came out 28 years ago.
But there’s something else with this one.
I was there.
Recorded across several nights at Shepherds Bush Empire and Wolverhampton’s Wulfrun Hall, this album captures a band right at the peak of their powers – and the Wulfrun is where me and a mate found ourselves. I’d seen Thunder before, and I’ve seen them countless times since, but that night was different. Special. You felt it from the off.
It all kicks into life with “Welcome To The Party”, a song that, lest we forget, was full of the optimism of the time – the hope that came with the Blair government, and about a party that I have, at various points, very much been a member of. From the first notes, that sense of possibility pervades the whole record
“Higher Ground” follows and when Danny Bowes sings “I don’t wanna spend my whole life in this town”, it absolutely soars, capturing the restless ambition of the band and the audience alike.
From there, this is Thunder flexing the depth of their catalogue. “Don’t Wait Up” brings out a slightly funkier edge, while “Low Life In High Places” and “Gimme Some Lovin’” are all-time classics – the latter instantly transporting you back to the Friday Rock Show days. “Empty City” has always had an expansive, widescreen feel live, and “Until My Dying Day” is a reminder of just what a brilliant songwriter Luke Morley is – everything about it feels perfect.
“A Better Man” only reinforces that point, while “Does It Feel Like Love?” and “Dance To The Music” keep the momentum rolling, the latter stretching out into a joyous jam and singalong. “She’s So Fine” is a personal one too – the first Thunder song I ever heard – and “Backstreet Symphony” reminds you just how easy it is to forget how good this band really are.
“An Englishman On Holiday” is still a vicious put-down delivered with a grin, while “I’ll Be Waiting” is pure class. “Laughing On Judgement Day” brings back memories of buying the second album, “Like A Satellite” puts Luke front and centre again, and “Moth To The Flame” carries a darker, almost Alice In Chains-like mood. “Living For Today” splits the vocals beautifully, and “The Only One” shows the confidence of a band happy to introduce newer material into a live set.
“Love Walked In” is anything but soft-focus sentimentality here, “River Of Pain” is met with the inevitable “shall we jump?”, and when Danny winds up for “Dirty Love”, it’s pure magic. Always was.
Then there are the bonus cuts – seven of them. Most of these first appeared on “The Only One” single (which I own, if anyone cares). “New York, New York” leans into its cabaret side but is huge fun, “Pilot Of My Dreams” puts Chris Childs right to the fore, and “Everybody Wants Her” is perfect, no-frills rock ’n’ roll. “Lazy Sunday Afternoon” was the track that originally sent me off to investigate the Faces, while “Stand Up” is another reminder that Thunder’s mid-period material is criminally underrated.
I know when you review records like this you’re supposed to go on some kind of rediscovery journey – remembering how good the band were, reconnecting with the past.
But the truth is, in this case, that would be a lie.
I’ve never left Thunder behind. I consider them one of the greatest bands this country has ever produced, and this album – just as it did in 1998 – proves that all over again.
