Europe - Cardiff Review

Over recent years, Sweden's Europe have become a real go-to band for me when it comes to booking concerts. The band are one of the most consistent live acts that I have seen, which makes going to see them a real no-brainer. Unlike many of Europe's peers, who seem content to treat the same old ground again and again and continuously play the same old greatest hits set when touring, Europe have always placed a big emphasis on their newer material when playing live. This is something that I greatly respect them for, as I feel that bands really should remain as a creative as they can for as long as possible, and Europe have been keeping up an impressive release schedule of late. The band's latest album Walk the Earth was released last year and, while I feel that is not as strong as some of their other more-recent works, it shows that Europe still have plenty to say. While the keyboard-drenched 1980s melodic rock sound has now largely gone from their modern sound, to be replaced by a tougher 1970s hard rock sound, the band's newer material sits well alongside their classics when they are played live. Luckily for the fans too, Europe have always made an effort to include lengthy UK tours on their European treks - something which is always appreciated. This is what has allowed me to see the band quite a few times of late, with this most-recent show at Cardiff's St. David's Hall (a new venue for me) being my sixth. I last the saw the band in Birmingham last when they they supported Deep Purple at the Arena Birmingham. The band put on a good show that night, but failed to really excite a crowd that seemed nothing (even the vast majority of Deep Purple's set) could rouse them. It was a shame that so few seemed to want to give Europe a proper chance that night, but I knew this would not be the case at the next show of theirs that I went to. I always enjoy visiting Cardiff as it a nice city, and the St. David's Hall proved to be a great venue with a powerful sound system and comfy seats. I had worried that the seated nature of the show would kill the atmosphere, much like last year's Deep Purple show, but that was not the case this time as the almost-sold out venue produced a really strong atmosphere all night, with songs old and new alike receiving strong receptions.

Before Europe's set however, the growing crowd was treated a set from the Scottish blues rock act King King. King King really seem to be the flavour of the month at the moment, and are making real waves in the British rock scene. I had recently seen the band put on a well-received set at Steelhouse Festival, and the thought of seeing them again was not an unpleasant one. Those who know me will know that blues is not my favourite genre of music, but I do quite like King King's melodic take on the genre. Alan Nimmo (vocals/guitar) has quite a soulful voice that is not unlike Paul Rodgers', and his guitar playing is often excellent. Many of the songs, including A Long History of Love which was again the highlight of the set for me, have lengthy guitar solos for him to show off his skills with. He also has a great understanding with new keyboardist Jonny Dyke, with the two often playing in tandem. Incidentally, it was great to see Dyke playing a real Hammond Organ through a Leslie speaker. While I understand that convenience of using synths and patches to recreate the sound of a Hammond without having to cart one around, there is nothing quite like hearing a real Hammond growling live. Dyke put the instrument through its paces throughout the set, and his playing produced some of my favourite moments of King King's time on stage. While I do not think that I will ever become a true King King fan, I cannot deny that Nimmo and co. are a talented bunch. Some of their songs do resonate with me, and they deserve the success that seemed to be coming their way. I would not be surprised to see the band promoted to bigger venues in their own right in the near future.

While many had enjoyed King King's set, it was Europe that everyone was hear to see and at 9:20pm the lights went down a symphonic intro soon gave way to the epic Walk the Earth, a song which shook the venue down to its foundations and got the band's set off to a great start. Mic Michaeli's (keyboards/vocals) keyboards drove the piece, and a huge cheer erupted when frontman Joey Tempest took to the stage. As with most of the band's shows, the set was a good mix of old and new (focusing mainly on the new) and The Siege (also from the new album) kept the energy levels high before the classic track Rock the Night got everyone to their feet. John Norum (guitar/vocals) was beaming as he launched into the song's anthemic riff, and it proved to be the first big sing-along moment of the night with Tempest guiding the crowd through it with his usual charm. The set was a lengthy one, with lots of highlights, but some early ones were the symphonic Last Look at Eden, which is always a treat to hear with its stadium-worthy chorus, and a live debut of the acoustic-based ballad Pictures from the latest album. This has never been a favourite cut of mine, but live the song really came alive with Tempest's acoustic guitar playing and Michaeli's piano mixing together well, before Norum soloed at the end. Those who preferred the band's earlier works will have been thrilled with the inclusion of the fast-paced Ready or Not, which saw Tempest throwing all sorts of shapes with his guitar as he added some additional weight to the piece, and the sing-along worthy Sign of the Times. While the older material still receives the biggest cheers, there is still plenty of love shown to the newer stuff too. Norum's showcase instrumental piece Vasastan allowed him to really show off his melodic soloing, and it was clear to see the Ritchie Blackmore influence in his playing here. This segued into the heavy GTO which whipped up a storm, before the classic power ballad Carrie had everyone singing along. It was a real lighters in the air moment, and Tempest and the band encouraged the crowd to sing the second chorus which, of course, they did. Not wanting to let the energy fall too much, Tempest asked the crowd if they wanted something heavy and the band launched into the thick blues of Nothin' to Ya, with more excellent soloing from Norum and a closing drum solo from Ian Haugland. By this time the main set was coming to a close, but there were still a few more excellent tunes to be heard. One of the highlights to me was the Hammond-driven War of Kings, which also saw bassist John Levén strutting around the stage driving everything with his powerful playing. The main set came to an end with Superstitious, which went down a storm, and the crowd called for more as the band left the stage. After a short break in the wings, the band came back and raced through a couple more classics before finally bringing the curtain down. Cherokee and the bona fide legendary The Final Countdown brought the evening to a close, with the crowd singing right to the very end. The setlist was:

Walk the Earth
The Siege
Rock the Night
Hole in my Pocket 
Prelude
Last Look at Eden
Pictures
Firebox
Ready or Not
Turn to Dust
Sign of the Times
Vasastan
GTO
Carrie
Nothin' to Ya
Drum solo
Scream of Anger
War of Kings
Superstitious
-
Cherokee
The Final Countdown

Overall, this was another powerful live show from one of the most consistent bands out there still regularly touring. Europe really know how to deliver, and that is the reason that I keep coming back. I am already looking forward to seeing the band again, and I hope it will not be too long before they come back to the UK.