Voltstorm were on first, and honestly, if you had to pick a band to open a bill with Tygers Of Pan Tang and Demon, you’d pick this lot.
Heroically metal in all the right ways, they arrived with fists-in-the-air intent and absolutely no interest in pretending this was anything other than fun. “Evil Eyes” had the crunch, the swagger and the sense that everyone involved had grown up believing heavy metal was a sacred calling, while singer John D. Prasec, in mirror shades and leather trousers, belted out “Judas” as if lives depended on it. They didn’t, obviously, but that almost made it better.
This was metal lifer stuff, played by people who knew exactly what it was and loved it anyway. By the time “One Life” made its point, Voltstorm had made theirs too: enjoy every last second.
North Staffordshire’s metal merchants Demon have not exactly been overindulged by the home of metal. Dave Hill, their only constant across 45 years, reckons they had played here once before and, in his words, “we died a death.”
Omens, then, were excellent.
And when “Night Of The Demon” arrived, it really was. There is something gloriously old-school about Demon, but not in the museum-piece sense. This wasn’t nostalgia in a waistcoat. “Hurricane” blew through with the sort of confidence that made you wonder why they haven’t been on stages like this more often, while “The Unexpected Guest” began with a solo and reminded you that, when this band lock in, they are as good as it gets.
“The Plague” slowed things down, more melodic, more dramatic, but still with that unmistakable weight, and “Nowhere To Run” felt horribly prescient. Written 40 years ago about trouble in the Middle East, it landed in 2026 with the unnerving sense that the world has learned absolutely nothing. “Standing On The Edge Of The World” kept the old songs coming, but “Face The Master” brought things right up to date, proof that last year’s Demon still had plenty of bite.
What was remarkable, though, was how fresh the 1982 material sounded. “Liar”, the first song they ever put out, came with Hill joking that Tommy Vance played the B-side, before “Don’t Break The Circle” arrived with another gag about how it made them “rich and famous.”
They don’t do it for that, of course. And if Demon once died a death here, tonight they came back gloriously alive.
Tygers Of Pan Tang, then, had the job of closing the night, and “Love Don’t Stay” made sure they did it with all the fists-in-the-air fun you could reasonably muster. This is what they do. No frills, no nonsense, just songs built for raised arms and hoarse throats.
“Gangland”, from 1981, still sounded raw, and “Keeping Me Alive” made it clear there’ll be no growing old gracefully here. Why would there be? There was so much melody and skill in “Back For Good”, while “Rock Candy” whipped things up nicely before founding member Robb Weir spat out the riff to the new single “Electrified” with obvious relish.
“Go back to the good times,” said Jacopo Meille before “White Lines”, and he was as good as his word. “I know some of you are saying, ‘they’ve not played anything from “Wild Cat”, bastards,’” he joked, and the debut duly yielded “Slave To Freedom”, with new guitar player John Footit enjoying himself and shooting the audience like he’d been there for years.
There was a touch of sleaze to “Love Potion No. 9”, before the nostalgia kept coming with “Spellbound”, Meille again proving he has a brilliant voice for this type of metal. Then a simple “let’s go” ushered in “Suzie Smiled”, and the twin-guitar fun was there from the start.
They bowed, left, and everything seemed set for an encore. The crowd chanted “Tygers, Tygers”, but the lights went up and Aerosmith’s “Dream On” played instead. Maybe Steven Tyler singing “dream until your dream comes true” was more apt than anyone knew.
For almost half a century, through Christ knows how many line-up changes, Tygers Of Pan Tang and Demon have kept the metal flame burning, and their dreams alive.
