For me, anyway, the show got off to a pretty poor start. I do not really want to bring the support act down, as objectively they were probably good, but whoever thought that the Joli Blon Cajun Band was the right choice to open a night of rock 'n' roll perhaps needs to rethink such decisions in the future! The Joli Blon Cajun Band consisted of three ladies who played through a number of traditional Louisiana folk songs - most of which were sung in French. They referred to the music as New Orleans or Louisiana 'porch music', and it was about as far removed from the Quireboys set to come as it could possibly be. I like to be open-minded about music, but for me their inclusion on the bill did not really work at all. Support acts are supposed to warm the crowd up and get them ready for the main event, but the only real reaction that the Joli Blon Cajun Band received was one of bemusement. The venue was pretty full throughout the night, but the reactions to each of the songs played by three-piece were muted - and I think that most in attendance were probably feeling similar to the way that I was. Musically, the band were clearly talented. Fiddle, accordion, and guitar mixed to create the short, dance songs - but vocally I thought that the trio were lacking. Much of the material was sung in harmony, and I felt that the harmonies never quite seemed to be in tune. In fairness, the kind of music that the trio were playing is probably never supposed to be perfect - and it probably would have sounded fun if they were busking at Camden Lock or playing at some sort of carnival. On stage before a rock band, though, the Joli Blon Cajun Band fell very flat indeed - and I think that most of the crowd were happy when their set finished so that the main event could start.
Half an hour or so later the music that was being played over the PA stopped, leaving only the distant sound of bagpipes. Those of us down near the front were unsure what was going on at first, but it soon transpired that Spike was making his way to the stage through the crowd - led by bagpiper Jimi McRae, known professionally as Jimi the Piper. McRae was playing the hymn Amazing Grace, which Spike then led the crowd through a rendition of when he got to the stage as the rest of the band were taking their places. This was an unconventional start to a Quireboys show, but it certainly made an impact - but when they launched into Can't Park Here from the band's underrated 1993 release Bitter Sweet & Twisted the show really got going. Someone notable by their absence, however, was Bailey. He would make a brief appearance later during the show, looking unwell and unsteady on his feet, but I had assumed that he would be picking up his guitar like the good old days. His absence from the stage was a disappointment, given that Spike had made it sound like he was a part of the band again, but he did not look like he was in any fit state to play what was a two hour-plus set. Spike later said that he and Bailey had written a new album's worth of material together which will be released next year, though, so it is good to see that Bailey is still a part of this new Quireboys era. With Bailey absent, then, the band were joined by three guitarists: Alan MP, Chris McCormack, and Christian Heilmann. Heilmann, who has been playing with Spike throughout the year acoustically, played acoustic guitar throughout, adding depth, whilst MP and McCormack added the main riffs and solos. McCormack did not play on the quieter, more acoustic-based ballads - but added the main heft to the heavier tracks, with MP taking on the more lyrical and slide-based guitar parts. The three guitarists really helped to bring the old Quireboys songs to life - and there were moments early on the in the set where the songs sounded the best that they have ever sounded. Spike was in fine voice throughout, and high in the mix, whilst Johnstone's boogie piano drove everything. The punky bass of Mogg added the attack throughout, allowing everyone really up their game. Can't Park Here was the perfect way to showcase this energy, and this was continued into Misled, with Johnstone's excellent piano solo, and the dirty hard rock riffing of Man on the Loose which brought the best out of McCormack. Even the slow-burning Whippin' Boy felt weightier than usual, before MP's dirty slide licks during the personal favourite Tramps and Thieves upped the energy further. Everyone in the crowd was having a great time by this point, and there was lots of singing - which was good as there were a few times where Spike forgot the lyrics, including to big hit Hey You which came relatively early on. Most of the songs picked were big crowd pleasers, but there were a few deeper cuts thrown in too, such as a great rendition of the oldie Where Ya Been To, which only exists in demo form, and a personal highlight in the tear-jerking ballad King of New York which Spike sung perfectly - backed by Johnstone's sombre piano.
Not everything about the set was perfect, though. The first half of the set contained some of the best Quireboys live moments that I have witnessed - but the second half seemed less polished overall and was a little chaotic at times. Everything just about hung together, but the fact that this version of the band is a new venture showed at times. A few songs in the second half also featured the vocals of Angie Bruyere, and she duetted with Spike on a few numbers. Personally, though, I did not really like her voice that much. At first I thought her microphone was cutting out, as she sounded so juddery and staccato, but the more the set went on I realised that is just how she sounds. It sounded like she was really over-singing throughout - but the moments where she toned it down a bit and sung 'normally' she sounded really soulful, so I am not sure why she felt the need to go all-out constantly. She duetted with Spike on a raunchy version of Ode To You (Baby Just Walk), which was probably the best of her contributions - as well as on Last Time, which also featured fiddle player Fliss Premru from the Joli Blon Cajun Group. Premru's playing added a lot to the song, and she also contributed to the following two numbers, a great rendition of the delicate Roses & Rings and another duet with Bruyere - the rarely-played country ballad You Can't Hide From Your Heart. The latter was a real deep cut, and another that only exists in demo form, so it was a treat for long-time fans to hear. Keeping the country theme going, Sweet Mary Ann followed, which prompted plenty of singing as always, before the booming ballad Take No Revenge saw more singing from Bruyere. Apart from on Ode To You (Baby Just Walk), which worked well in my opinion, I would have just preferred Spike to sing the songs himself. None of the songs were previously sung as duets, and they added to the slightly chaotic nature of the set's second half. The most chaotic moment was up next, though, with Long Time Comin' - which Spike missed a whole verse out of, which left the band looking around rather confused. Take Me Home was filled with a few mistakes from various people, too, so it all seemed like the wheels were about to come off - but stunning renditions of I Don't Love You Anymore and the party anthem 7 O'Clock got things back on track, and ensured that the main set ended on a real high following a few blips. Four songs were still to be played, though, in three encores - which was a little excessive - so the party was not yet over. The encore was kicked off with Spike's rendition of Frankie Miller's Fortune, once again with Bruyere, before a hard-hitting version of Mayfair brought the house down. Mayfair always goes down well live, and there was plenty of singing from the crowd - before a short step off stage led to the live debut of the new Quireboys single Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year, with McRae's pipes and plenty more singing. With one song left, it was time for Spike to invite everyone to a sex party - and the night ended with a barnstorming rendition of Sex Party with plenty of soloing from both MP and McCormack. The setlist was:
Amazing Grace [Traditional Christian hymn w/ Jimi the Piper]
Can't Park Here
Misled
Man on the Loose
Whippin' Boy
Tramps and Thieves
There She Goes Again
Hey You
Where Ya Been To
King of New York
Ode To You (Baby Just Walk) [w/ Angie Bruyere]
Last Time [w/ Angie Bruyere and Fliss Premru]
Roses & Rings [w/ Fliss Premru]
You Can't Hide From Your Heart [w/ Angie Bruyere and Fliss Premru]
Sweet Mary Ann
Take No Revenge [w/ Angie Bruyere]
Long Time Comin'
Take Me Home
I Don't Love You Anymore
7 O'Clock
-
Fortune [Frankie Miller cover w/ Angie Bruyere]
Mayfair
-
Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year [w/ Angie Bruyere and Jimi the Piper]
-
Sex Party
Some wobbles aside, though, this debut of Spike's new Quireboys was very enjoyable. The first half was certainly the strongest, with hard-hitting rocker after hard-hitting rocker, but the ending handful of songs and the encores helped to keep the energy levels high to the end - although it may have been wiser to spread the slower songs out a bit, rather than having them as a bit of a glut in the middle. If this new Quireboys is going to be an on-going concern, then the kinks and wobbles will be ironed out over time - and a few were expected. It will be interesting to see where this Quireboys goes from here, though. Will the other older members of the band want to commit to something more long-term with Spike after being away for so long, and will there be messy legal debates about who can actually use the name? I certainly hope that there is more to be heard from this new Quireboys - as parts of this set were up there with the best Quireboys shows that I have been to, and I would like some more of that please.
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