Tyketto - Nottingham Review

New York's Tyketto are one of those bands who missed the boat. Their excellent debut album Don't Come Easy was released in 1991, by which time the star of melodic rock and AOR was certainly falling. It was still a bit of a hit for the band, but had it been released around five years earlier it probably would have been huge! Despite Don't Come Easy's success, Tyketto soon found themselves without a record deal and a second album recorded that looked destined to be shelved. Many things conspired against Tyketto's success, and by the time their second album Strength in Numbers was finally released in 1994 - the mainstream really was not interested. By this point alternative rock and grunge were the big game in town, and melodic rock was just no longer fashionable. This was a shame as Strength in Numbers is an excellent album. While not as instantly-memorable as the polished Don't Come Easy, Strength in Numbers saw the band rocking a little harder while still retaining their sense of melody. Bluesy rockers and acoustic ballads sat alongside AOR-esque anthems to make a well-rounded album. A year later however Danny Vaughn (vocals/guitar/harmonica/percussion) left the band and, despite carrying on with future Journey vocalist Steve Augeri, the 'classic' era of Tyketto was over. Fast forward a number of years however and Vaughn and Tyketto are very much back together, and have been for a while, and the band are enjoying plenty of popularity - especially with the rock fans of the UK. The band tour here fairly regularly and their shows are often well-attended - which is great to see considering their somewhat troubled early career. 2019 marks the 25th anniversary of the Strength in Numbers album, so the band decided to mark this occasion a run of UK shows that would focus the album played in full alongside other Tyketto classics. I missed the equivalent tour for Don't Come Easy a few years ago, so wanted to make up for it this time. The easiest show for me to make was the one in Nottingham's Rescue Rooms, a great smaller venue which I have been to many times over the years. Nottingham rock crowds are always great, and I always enjoy visiting the city. The show actually sold out a good couple of months before the date too, so I knew the atmosphere would be excellent.

Before Tyketto's set, the growing crowd was treated to 40 or so minutes from the Welsh melodic rock act Kane'd - a band I had heard of previously, but had never checked out. Fronted by three sisters, the seven-piece band had a very accessible and melodic sound. Having three quite similar singers did seem a little excessive, but it did allow for some big harmonies throughout their set - especially during the choruses which were often pretty anthemic. While not a heavy band, there was certainly a hint of melodic metal in Kane'd's sound too, with Harry Elliot (guitar) playing a few intricate metal-esque riffs and shredded solos throughout their set. Despite this, musically Kane'd were pretty simple. These are not technically progressive songs, but provide a catchy backdrop for the girls' vocal interplay. Structurally the songs were all pretty much the same, with the singers taking turns to sing each verse and all three joining forces to sing the choruses. By the end of their set things were starting to become a little predictable, but there was a lot of energy coming from the stage that it was hard not to get on board with what Kane'd were doing. It is clear that their formula works for them, and with many of the songs being built around big hooks that were easy to digest. Despite things getting samey towards the end, I enjoyed Kane'd time on the stage, and I certainly would not be averse to seeing them again.

After a fairly quick changeover, Tyketto took to the stage at 8pm to a swirling backdrop and immediately launched into Inherit the Wind, a strong riff-based track that allowed Chris Green (guitar/vocals) to get stuck in right from off. I had wondered whether the band would play Strength in Numbers in order or not, and they opted to mix the songs up. The main set contained most of the album with a few other goodies, with the encore containing the rest. Being a Saturday night, many in the crowd were really up for the show, and the atmosphere was electric as soon as the band took to the stage. Many of the songs played were not setlist regulars, but that did not seem to deter anyone. The crowd had clearly done their Strength in Numbers homework, and each song was greeted as warmly as the next. Meet Me in the Night, which was up next, was an early highlight and saw Vaughn really belting out the chorus as the rest of the band harmonised with him. The sound in the Rescue Rooms was excellent throughout the night, meaning that the band could be heard perfectly. Ged Ryland's (keyboards/vocals) shone when they were supposed to, and the bass from ex-Rainbow man Greg Smith added just the right of weight. It really helped bring the songs to life, and ballads like The End of the Summer Days especially sounded great with Vaughn's acoustic guitar adding depth. One of the real surprises of the night was the addition of Wait Forever to the set. The song is a Strength in Numbers era B-Side that I was not familiar with and had never been played live prior to this tour. It was a simple, melodic song but it felt at home in the set with its decent chorus and big Green riff. It was great to hear an old Tyketto song that I was not familiar with, and this was followed up by a re-arranged version of Wings - one of the band's most-known songs. The girls from Kane'd joined the band to perform backing vocals, and the song was re-arranged into an almost-pop/country style not unlike something that Bob Seger might come up with. It was nice to hear the song re-arranged, but I think I would have rather just heard the band play the song normally. It is one of their best songs after all, but it was fun to hear this new version. The rest of the set, with the exception of the closing number, was more Strength in Numbers material with Write Your Name in the Sky really standing out. The song has a lovely chorus, and it was great to hear it live. The end of the set saw many more well-known songs wheeled out, with Rescue Me, Strength in Numbers, and Forever Young bringing the main set to a close. These three songs saw some of the biggest crowd reactions of the night, with Forever Young often seeing the band drowned out by the singing crowd. A three-song encore followed, with the short ballad The Last Sunset segueing into the newer song Reach which was greeted as warmly as many of the older classics. It was left to the ballad Standing Alone, which appeared on both Don't Come Easy and Strength in Numbers for some reason, to close out the night. It gave everyone one last chance to sing, and brought a triumphant night to a close. The setlist was:

Inherit the Wind
Meet Me in the Night
All Over Me
Catch My Fall
The End of the Summer Days
Wait Forever
Wings [w/ Steph, Stacey, and Chez Kane]
Ain't That Love
Write Your Name in the Sky
Why Do You Cry?
Rescue Me
Strength in Numbers
Forever Young
-
The Last Sunset
Reach
Standing Alone

This was my third time seeing Tyketto live and it was a treat as always. The band are currently recording this whole tour with the intention of putting out a live version of Strength in Numbers in the future, so I shall be looking forward to that. I hope a couple of the tracks from Nottingham will make it onto the CD!