FM - Nottingham Review

It is hard to imagine that, this time last year, live music was still essentially outlawed in the UK. The end of May 2021 heralded my first gig since March 2020, which was a limited-capacity acoustic show from Spike in Raynes Park - but thankfully the situation changed pretty rapidly after that. By August, proper live shows were happening in the UK again - and I started to get back to my lifestyle of regularly travelling up and down the country to see bands live. Between then and now, I have managed to see all of my live regulars - at least those which are still active - with shows from Marillion, Mostly Autumn, and The Quireboys all taking place between last summer and now. The collection was completed this past weekend, when I travelled up to Nottingham to catch the UK AOR act FM at the Rescue Rooms - a great venue at which I had seen the band previously. I first got into FM in 2014 when I saw them opening for Foreigner and Europe, and I have been a fan ever since. Due to their regular UK shows, they are a band that are easy to see fairly often without the need to make too much effort. Whilst the band never really broke through into the mainstream, they remain a popular live act - and their fans come out time after time to see them. The Nottingham show this past weekend was my eleventh FM gig, and I have seen them at least once a year since 2014 (with the exception of both 2020 and 2021). I had tickets to see them in both 2020 and 2021, but inevitably these shows were postponed. At various points over the past couple of years I had tickets to see them in both Nuneaton and London - but following multiple postponements the easiest option seemed to be Nottingham. I always enjoy a trip to the Midlands, and the Rescue Rooms is a venue that I have visited many times over the years. I took in Ricky Warwick & The Fighting Hearts there just over a month ago, and no doubt it will not be too long before I return - although my next two trips to Nottingham will see me visiting the larger Rock City just around the corner. The UK leg of the current tour came to an end in Nottingham too - and the relatively lengthy tour seems to have been a success for the band. It promoted the release of the band's latest album Thirteen, as well as also giving a nod to 2020's Synchronized - an album that is likely destined to become a forgotten entry in the band's catalogue due to it never getting its own proper tour. It was given a little love on this tour, though, but the main focus was understandably Thirteen - as well as a whole host of FM classics from the past. As has been the case with every FM show that I have attended, the Rescue Rooms was busy throughout the night. Whilst FM might not be filling huge venues, they always pack out venues the size of the Rescue Rooms up and down the country. There is always a great atmosphere at an FM gig as a result, and the recent show in Nottingham was no different - as a packed house sung along to every song played by the band.

Before FM took to the stage, though, the crowd was treated to around 40 minutes of music from Grand Slam. Those who know their history will know that Grand Slam was put together in 1984 by Phil Lynott after he split up Thin Lizzy. The band played live throughout 1984, but failed to secure a record deal and split after less than a year together. Lynott would die in January 1986, effectively putting an end to the band for good, but a number of songs written during the band's short time together would later appear in various guises on a variety of albums. Wanting to re-claim the Glam Slam legacy, guitarist Laurence Archer put together a new version of the band a few years ago - and released the excellent Hit the Ground album in 2019, which mixed songs that he wrote with Lynott and keyboard player Mark Stanway with new compositions in the same vein. The band had time for seven songs from Hit the Ground, and they made the time count with a powerful performance that had the large crowd enraptured from the off. Whilst Archer is clearly the star of the band, the whole band pulled together to make the songs shine. Frontman Mike Dyer has a similar voice to Lynott, but puts his own spin on the material. He also proved to be a great frontman, and owned the stage alongside Archer - whilst Rocky Newton (bass guitar/vocals) and Benjy Reid (drums) gave the songs real punch. FM's Jem Davis (keyboards/vocals), who has often played live with Grand Slam, pulled double duty throughout the night - and added some rumbling organ and delicate piano to the band's hard rock sound. The spirit of Lynott was present throughout, and even the band's new songs sound like they could have been written by him. Gone Are The Days and Hit the Ground showcased the current line-up are more than capable of carrying on the Grand Slam legacy from a songwriting perspective, but hearing the old Lynott compositions was a real treat. The hard-rocking 19 impressed early on, whilst the poppier Dedication, which resurfaced as a 'new' Thin Lizzy song in 1991, allowed everyone to have a bit of a sing. The real highlight for me, however, was the raucous Military Man - which Gary Moore recorded with Lynott on his 1985 album Run for Cover. The song has always been a favourite, and the live version really rocked - with Reid in particular impressing with some fantastic drum fills. It was left to the brooding Sisters of Mercy to close out the band's set. It is great that the lost Lynott classic has been given a new lease of life recently, and it proved to be a great closing track - with lots of excellent soloing from Archer. It was great to finally catch Grand Slam live, and they set the scene nicely for what was to come. The setlist was:

Gone Are The Days

19

Hit the Ground

Dedication [Thin Lizzy cover]

Crazy

Military Man [Gary Moore cover]

Sisters of Mercy

Despite everyone enjoying Grand Slam, it was FM that the crowd was there to see. As the show was the last night of the UK tour, the band were clearly up for having a good time - and the crowd were also ready to party. The band's 19-song set mixed classic tracks, a handful of deep cuts, and newer songs nicely - and it was great to hear five songs played live which I had not seen the band play previously. With the exception of a couple of ballads, the set played was a very upbeat one. The band opened with Synchronized from the 2020 album, with Davis' pulsing keyboards ringing through the venue and the tough riffing of Jim Kirkpatrick (guitar/vocals) beefing everything up. Frontman Steve Overland never seems to age either, and his vocal performance was as spot-on as ever. He eased his way through the big chorus of Synchronized - before he strapped on a guitar for the dual opening lead of the classic track Bad Luck, which took the party vibes to the next level. The huge chorus was sung back at the band by everyone in attendance, and it was clear from this point that every song was going to be very well received. With the exception of Bad Luck, the first half of the set largely focused on newer songs and deep cuts. The smooth Life is a Highway and the brand new Waiting on Love impressed with their soaring choruses and endless melodies, but the bluesier Crosstown Train proved to be a true early highlight. I had not heard the band play the song live for quite a while, and it is one that always goes down well live. A lot of FM's recent work takes on a slight Bad Company vibe, and the riffing of Kirkpatrick brought the song to life. It was followed by the delicate Long Road Home, with plenty of piano from Davis, and then another highlight in the form of Crack Alley. It was the first time that I had seen the band play anything from 1991's Takin' it to the Streets live, which always seems to be something of a forgotten album in the band's catalogue. The melodic song slotted nicely into the set, and it was great to finally hear the album given some love by the band as, whilst it will never be my favourite album of theirs, it does include some great songs.

The soaring Killed by Love, which has already become a live staple due to its huge sing-a-long sections, was the final newer song featured for a little while - and the band instead then moved into their past to feature a lot of classic tracks. A slow drum groove from Pete Jupp introduced the evergreen Frozen Heart, which filled the venue with its smooth melodies and atmosphere, before Davis started playing the distinctive keyboard opening of the stand-alone single Let Love be the Leader - a track which always goes down well live. I always wonder why the song was never included on any of the band's early albums, as it is probably one of their best songs from a purely melodic perspective. It is always a track that gets the crowd going, and why the song was never a big hit in the 1980s remains a mystery. Three bona fide classics followed, though, with the chiming clean guitar melodies of That Girl and the anthemic stadium-worthy Tough it Out prompting yet more singing. The latter brought back memories of the last time I saw the band live, which took place in December 2019 when the band played the whole of the Tough it Out album on tour. That was a great show, but the variety of this Nottingham setlist really brought the best out of everyone - and when the band then launched into I Belong to the Night the place went wild. It was the song that got me into FM, so I always love hearing it live - and it prompted yet more singing. It was then left to a couple of newer numbers to close out the show. Kirkpatrick's guitar showcase piece Metropolis led into the funky Over You, with some great bass playing from Merv Goldsworthy holding everything together, before one last brand new track in Turn This Car Around brought the main set to a close. The latter sounds like it is going to be a setlist staple going forward, and the crowd's reaction confirmed the band's decision. The singing throughout was very loud for a song that has only been out for a little over a month - and it was a great way to end what was a varied set. There was time for more, however, and a three-song encore followed. The delicate ballad Story of My Life opened this portion of the set, with Overland and Davis largely performing the song alone save for Kirkpatrick and Goldsworthy's backing vocals, before the hard-hitting riffs of Don't Stop filled the venue with its grooves and a snaking chorus. It was left to the band's usual closing cut Other Side of Midnight to end the show - which saw Davis strap on his keytar and join the band at the front of the stage to rock out one last time. The setlist was:

Synchronized

Bad Luck

Life is a Highway

Waiting on Love

Crosstown Train

Long Road Home

Crack Alley

Killed by Love

Frozen Heart

Let Love be the Leader

That Girl

Tough it Out

I Belong to the Night

Metropolis

Over You

Turn This Car Around

-

Story of My Life

Don't Stop

Other Side of Midnight

I have enjoyed every FM show that I have been to previously, but this past weekend's gig in Nottingham was one of the best that I have seen the band perform. It probably helped that I had not seen the band live for a couple of years thanks to the pandemic, and that the large Rescue Rooms crowd was really up for the night. The excellent new songs were great additions to the set too, and it was great hearing a number of the band's classic tracks live again. FM do not have any more UK shows planned at this point, but I am sure that it will not be too long before the band announce some more - and I will likely be there again when they do.