Before Dare took to the stage, however, the growing crowd was treated to half an hour of music from Troy Redfern. The blues guitarist seems to be supporting everyone at the moment, and I saw him opening for The Quireboys back in January. I enjoyed that set in Birmingham, but I have to say that this time I felt a bit underwhelmed. Unlike in Birmingham, Redfern was playing without a bassist - and only had Finn McAuley (drums) in tow. As such, Redfern's whole set was focused around his resonator slide guitar-based material - which meant that the big riffy rockers that he had played in Birmingham were not included. He played a couple of resonator-based songs last time, but this time the whole set was made up of them. I like that sound once in a while, but after hearing a few songs in that style the set started to sound very samey. Redfern is known as a slide player, but there are only so many song variations that can be played when the slide is dominating. Personally, I would have preferred to hear another set similar to the one that I saw a couple of months ago - with big blues rockers mixed in with dirty resonator slide tracks. Perhaps his bassist was unavailable for this show, which necessitated the change in vibe, but either way his set was not really for me this time. He even persisted in playing Voodoo Child (Slight Return) to close out his set, but with a slide on the resonator. It was certainly an interesting take on the song, but for me it did not really work. Apart from the main riff, the rest of the song sounded exactly the same as the rest of the set - which was a shame. Having enjoyed Redfern's set in Birmingham in January, I was somewhat disappointed with his efforts last night. He is a skilled slide player, but for me his best material features him really rocking out - which is just not possible on a resonator. It was a strange choice to only focus on that side of his playing, and I hope that if I catch him again in the future he straps on his Les Paul.
It was Dare that everyone was there to see, however, and half an hour after Redfern's set the lights went down and the five-piece trooped onto the stage. With a new album, Road to Eden, due out in a couple of weeks, the band took one last opportunity to really showcase the material from 2016's excellent Sacred Ground. This meant that the setlist overall was quite similar to the shows that I saw in 2018 and 2019, but elongated to suit a headline performance. This was not a problem for me, however, as the Sacred Ground material works well live, and the mix of older tracks played showcased some of the band's classics. They did play one new song, however, with the rocking single Born in the Storm kicking things off. The song has been out for a while at this point, so much so that it was greeted like an old friend by everyone in attendance. There were clearly a lot of die-hard Dare fans in the crowd, but this only enhanced the vibe of the night - and Born in the Storm's harder rock feel ensured that the energy levels were high from the off. Five songs from Sacred Ground followed, with the smooth Home kicking off this suite. Dare's more recent material, Born in the Storm aside, is generally much mellower than their older songs - but they really suit frontman Darren Wharton's husky voice and the melodic guitar playing of Vinny Burns. Wharton was in fine voice throughout, and Burns had plenty of opportunities to solo throughout. An early highlight for me was the catchy Days of Summer, which has always been one of my favourite Dare songs. Marc Roberts' keyboards created a strong base for the track, while Burns' aching leads and Wharton's sultry vocal melodies carried it. The gorgeous I'll Hear You Pray was another highlight, too, and it is a song that really showcases where Dare are at these days. It sounds like Road to Eden may be something of a return to their harder rock roots, but for many years now Dare have excelled in crafting smooth, emotional, soft rock tracks - usually with soaring choruses. I'll Hear You Pray sums up that style perfectly, as did the slightly older Sea of Roses which came not too long after.
A couple more newer tracks were then played, including the creeping Where Darkness Ends which was dedicated to the people of Ukraine. The song is one of the darkest that the band have written, so it did stand out somewhat in the context of the set. It provided a mid-set change of pace, however, and the track was well-received by the large crowd. The final third of the main set took on a heavier vibe, however. Starting with a cover of Thin Lizzy's Emerald, dedicated to Wharton's old boss Phil Lynott, Dare slowed the song down and emphasised its Celtic elements - but the song still rocked thanks to the pounding drums of Kev Whitehead. Five songs from the band's first two albums then followed, with two from 1991's Blood from Stone upping the pace. Burns' guitar playing was really featured throughout this section of the set, with plenty of big riffs and shredding solos coming from his fingers. Despite these songs being over 30 years old, Wharton still sang them with real power. His voice has held up really well over the years, and he delivered the harder-edged material perfectly. They were also songs that conjured up quite a bit of crowd interaction. The gang vocal-led choruses of both Wings of Fire and We Don't Need a Reason were sung loudly back at the band, without much encouragement from Wharton, and this perfectly set the tone for three songs from 1988's Out of the Silence which closed out the main set. Singles Abandon and Into the Fire were also lapped up by the crowd, with Roberts' driving keyboards taking some time in the spotlight. The more political and anthemic The Raindance was left to close things out, with the heavy folk vibe of the track rounding out the main set perfectly. There was time for a few more however, and a three-song encore followed after much cheering from the crowd. One more 'newer' song, Silent Hills, was wheeled out; but it was left to two more songs from Out of the Silence to close out the evening. Wharton's tribute to Phil Lynott, King of Spades, was as poignant as ever. The song had to be restarted, though, due to some monitor issues, but it still included a portion of Thin Lizzy's Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend - which Burns nailed on the guitar. The band's traditional closing track Return the Heart then finished things off, and the crowd certainly made their appreciation known as the band took their bows and left the stage. The setlist was:
Born in the Storm
Home
Until
Days of Summer
I'll Hear You Pray
Every Time We Say Goodbye
Sea of Roses
Where Darkness Ends
On My Own
Emerald [Thin Lizzy cover]
Wings of Fire
We Don't Need a Reason
Abandon
Into the Fire
The Raindance
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Silent Hills
King of Spades/Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend [Thin Lizzy cover]
Return the Heart
As much as I had enjoyed the previous Dare sets that I had seen, yesterday's gig in Nuneaton was probably the best yet. It was great to finally see the band as a headline act, and it was a fine way to see out the Sacred Ground era - with Road to Eden due out shortly. Wharton said that it was the last time that this set would be played, as future shows would be mixing things up with new songs and possibly some different older tracks being pulled out of the vaults. I look forward to hearing the new set later in the year, and I also look forward to returning to the Queens Hall at some point - as the venue certainly impressed.
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