John Coghlan's Quo - Tavistock Review

John Coghlan was one of the founding members of Status Quo, one of the most iconic British rock bands of all time. The drummer joined the band that would become Status Quo in 1963, and sat behind the drum kit for nearly 20 years until he walked out of the band in 1981 after a very successful career. Status Quo in the 1970s were an unstoppable force. Their unique blend of rock 'n' roll, blues, and skiffle music made for a simple, but extremely likeable sound; and their singles were often troubling the upper echelons of the charts. Throughout the 1970s Status Quo released an album a year, and toured heavily to promote them. Status Quo tickets were always hot property, and the band is still regarded as one of the great live experiences that one must try. It is fair to say that Status Quo's glory days are long past however, but the original magic of those early Status Quo shows was on display again throughout 2013 and 2014 when the band's four original members reunited for a couple of tours. These shows were the first time that Coghlan had played with Status Quo since 1981, and the shows were a treat for die-hard Status Quo fans everywhere. This reunion was only ever going to be a temporary arrangement however, and the then-current Status Quo line-up continues on touring afterwards. These tours seemed to reignite Coghlan's love for playing live again after quite a few years of relative inactivity, and for the last few years he has been touring sporadically under the name John Coghlan's Quo, playing many of the early Status Quo favourites to fans all over the country. Joining Coghlan on this venture currently are Rick Abbs (vocals/guitar), Mick Hughes (guitar/vocals), and Rick Chase (vocals/bass guitar). The four-piece line-up are faithful to the original Status Quo sound and the talent of those involved helps to bring those much-loved songs alive once again. When I saw that Coghlan was bringing his band down the West country for show at one of my favourite venues, The Wharf in Tavistock, plans were made to go. I have seen Status Quo three times over the years, but their setlists have become fairly stale of late so I was looking forward to hearing a few different songs played by Coghlan and his band.

There was no support band, so Coghlan and friends took to the stage at 8:30pm and immediately launched into Junior's Wailing, the old Steamhammer track that Status Quo often used to open their shows with, which was sung by Chase. Abbs and Chase traded vocals throughout the night, with Abbs handling the songs originally sung by Francis Rossi and Chase taking Rick Parfitt and Alan Lancaster's leads, and both had powerful voices that were able to do the songs justice. The first half of the show, after which a short break followed, largely focused on deeper cuts from the Status Quo catalogue. Songs that the current Status Quo line-up have not played for years were wheeled out, including a great version of the bluesy In My Chair and the slightly poppy Claudie. It was great to hear these old songs live, and the band really seemed to be enjoying themselves on stage, which was certainly helped by a loud, near-capacity crowd. Coghlan, now 71, was never the world's most explosive drummer, but he always had great rhythm and a booming sound - both of which were on display in Tavistock. Towards the end of the first half a couple more well-known songs were played, with a bouncy version of Break the Rules going down well, before Something 'bout You Baby I Like brought the first half to a close with plenty of singing from the crowd. After a short beer break, the band came back on for another set which largely focused on some of Status Quo's bigger hits. Standards Caroline and Roll Over Lay Down were an excellent start, before Coghlan took us all back to 1968 with a strong version of the band's first hit Pictures of Matchstick Men. During this set Coghlan also came down to the front of the stage to address the crowd, and led a tribute to the late Parfitt. His heartfelt words made me think about all of the rock legends that have been lost over the last few years, and how that generation that started rock as we know today are all slowly dying. After that sobering thought, it was back to the music with an excellent version of Parfitt's Rain, before two upbeat rockers Hold You Back and Big Fat Mama - which was dedicated to the late Malcolm Young - brought the evening to a close. The roar of the large crowd of course brought the band back out for more, and a couple more songs were played. Chase sung a rousing version of Backwater, before Abbs took the microphone one last time for an extended version of one of Status Quo's biggest hits Down Down, which saw plenty of guitar soloing and ended, fittingly, with a drum solo from Coghlan. As the band took their bows, the appreciation of the crowd was easily heard and I doubt this will be the last time that Coghlan visits Tavistock! The setlist was (N.B. all of the songs below, unless otherwise stated, are Status Quo songs):

Junior's Wailing [Steamhammer cover]
Rockers Rollin'
In My Chair
(April) Spring, Summer and Wednesdays
Claudie
A Year
Break the Rules
Something 'bout You Baby I Like [Richard Supa cover]
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Caroline
Roll Over Lay Down
Pictures of Matchstick Men
Paper Plane
All the Reasons
Rain
Hold You Back
Big Fat Mama
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Backwater
Down Down

Overall this was a fun night of boogie rock 'n' roll with one of the original guys that helped to popularise that style of music in the first place. While at times it felt like I was watching a very good Status Quo tribute band, this was a very enjoyable evening and I will definitely see John Coghlan's Quo again if they come back to the South West.