Black Star Riders - London Review

I think that it is fair to say that I was not massively kind to Black Star Riders' recently-released fifth album Wrong Side of Paradise when I recently reviewed it here (which can be read here). I certainly do not hate the album, but it is easily their weakest release to date in my opinion, with it lacking many of the qualities of the band's Thin Lizzy-derived sound. There are some good songs on the album, but much of the material has yet to really do anything for me - which is a shame, as all four of the band's previous albums have become favourites to a greater or lesser extent over the years. When the album was announced last year, though, the band also announced a UK tour for 2023. Given that Black Star Riders debuted back in 2013 with All Hell Breaks Loose, the UK tour for Wrong Side of Paradise was also announced as the band's 10th anniversary celebration. In some ways I cannot quite believe that Black Star Riders are now 10, but given that they are now five albums deep I should not be so surprised. They have become real fixtures of the UK rock scene at a time when audiences have finally started to give younger talent a chance - and could almost be described as spearheading the movement, despite coming from a much more prestigious background. What made the band's 2023 UK tour all the more interesting, too, was the fact that former members Scott Gorham (guitar/vocals) and Jimmy DeGrasso (drums) would be re-joining the band for the run. DeGrasso left Black Star Riders in 2017, so has been out of the loop for a while - but Gorham only left in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that that this 2023 tour was the band's first since 2019, it is therefore the first run of dates that Black Star Riders have played since Gorham left - save for a couple of stand-alone shows late last year which also featured Gorham and DeGrasso as something of a pre-tour warm up. Whilst the tour certainly coincides with the band's 10th anniversary, I feel that it could more accurately be referred to as Gorham's farewell tour. Given that he stepped away from the band during the pandemic, he never really got the chance to say goodbye to the fans - an opportunity which was possible on this 2023 tour. Having DeGrasso back as well made the shows feel extra special - although it does mean that Wrong Side of Paradise's drummer Zak St. John is yet to actually play live with the band. With both founding frontman Ricky Warwick and long-time bassist Robbie Crane joining Gorham and DeGrasso, too, this tour almost featured the whole of the classic Black Star Riders line-up - with Wayward Sons' Sam Wood (guitar/vocals) the only new face, who joined the band last year. I knew I had to make the tour, and the date that worked the best for me was a Sunday night in London at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire. I have been to the Empire many times, but it had been a few years since my last visit - and it was great to see the place pretty busy throughout the night. As much of a draw that Black Star Riders clearly were, they ensured that tickets were shifted by bringing along two great support bands.

45 minutes or so after the doors opened the venue was pretty full, which was good as it meant that Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons received a pretty strong reaction from the off. The band formed by former Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell have been touring around the UK pretty regularly over the past few years, so I would not be surprised if many in attendance were already familiar with them. Those around me down at the front generally seemed to be fans, and the atmosphere during the band's 40 or so minute set was great. Despite being a man down, the four-piece version of the band stormed through a handful of tracks from their two studio albums - as well as a few Motörhead songs. Two newer songs opened the show, with the anthemic We're the Bastards seeing frontman Joel Peters prowling the stage and raising his middle finger aloft - whilst the somewhat bluesier Bite My Tongue showcased a great riff from Phil, who was handling all of the guitar parts in the absence of Todd Campbell. Tyla Campbell (bass guitar/vocals) and Dane Campbell (drums) made more noise to cover for the lack of the second guitar, though, and the set overall had a rawer feel to it than usual - but it worked well. The faster-paced Going to Brazil soon saw plenty of movement down at the front, but the real highlight was the mid-set rendition of the later Motörhead classic Born to Raise Hell - which saw former Hanoi Rocks frontman Michael Monroe (more on him later) join the band on stage. He duetted with Peters and added some harmonica throughout. Monroe's appearance was not the only guest spot of the night, and, being the last night of the tour, the show certainly had a party vibe throughout. Monroe's appearance exemplified this, and it gave the band a further lift - allowing their last few songs to rock even harder. Three songs from 2018's The Age of Absurdity then followed, with Get on Your Knees seeing Peters encouraging the crowd to sing loudly for him - whilst the groovy, riff-heavy Freak Show ended up being a personal favourite as always. Sadly there was not too much time left by this point, but the slower-paced Dark Days arguably upped the heaviness further with its snaking, bluesy riffing - before the obligatory rendition of the proto-speed metal classic Ace of Spades brought the high-energy set to a close. The setlist was:

We're the Bastards

Bite My Tongue

Going to Brazil [Motörhead cover]

High Rule

Born to Raise Hell [Motörhead cover w/ Michael Monroe]

Get on Your Knees

Freak Show

Dark Days

Ace of Spaces [Motörhead cover]

Following Monroe's guest appearance with Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, 20 so or minutes following the latter's set finishing he hit the stage with his band for another high-energy 40 minute set. I have been a fan of Monroe's for a number of years, but sadly I have not had that many opportunities to see him live. As such, this was my fourth time seeing him, and third as a support act - but it was probably also the best set that I have seen from him so far. The set was somewhat split into two, with newer material from his excellent recent solo albums coming first, before he then stepped back in time to play a few songs from his previous bands. His band has been pretty stable in recent years, too, and they were tight as anything despite the organised chaos which Monroe tends to cause. He very much represents the stereotype of a rockstar, and he oozed charisma from the moment he stepped onto the stage. Most of Monroe's songs are pretty short, so the first part of the set was very much a quick-fire round of recent anthems. One Man Gang got the set off to a punky start, whilst two songs from his most recent album followed. For me, the title track I Live too Fast to Die Young was the pick of the early bunch, but the true early highlight for me was a raucous rendition of '78 from 2011's Sensory Overdrive. The 2011 release remains my favourite of Monroe's recent albums, and it was great to hear it represented in the set with one of its standout cuts. Ballad of the Lower East Side brought this portion of the set to a close, before the pace was somewhat slowed thanks to a rendition of the Hanoi Rocks power ballad Don't You Ever Leave Me. More older songs followed, with the hard-driving punk of Demolition 23.'s Nothin's Alright really getting the crowd going. Despite all three of the bands receiving strong reactions throughout, I felt that, at times, the crowd was at their loudest during Monroe's set. Down the front at least, there was a lot of movement and singing - and I feel that Monroe basically had everyone in the room enchanted at this point. He was as active as ever on stage, too. He did not climb any lighting rigs this time, but he got down in the crowd a few times, and generally threw himself around like a man half his age. It was fitting, then, given how much energy he had whipped up at this point, that a couple of Hanoi Rocks classics followed Nothin's Alright. Both Motorvatin' and Malibu Beach Nightmare, the latter of which featured Monroe on the saxophone, rocked the crowd further - and this burst of energy culminated in a great rendition of the older solo number Dead, Jail or Rock 'n' Roll. This also proved to be a bit of a band showcase, with both Rich Jones (guitar/vocals) and Steve Conte (guitar/vocals) getting the chance to solo - before spiky version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's Up Around the Bend brought Monroe's set to a scintillating close. The setlist was:

One Man Gang

I Live too Fast to Die Young

Murder the Summer of Love

'78

Ballad of the Lower East Side

Don't You Ever Leave Me [Hanoi Rocks material]

Nothin's Alright [Demolition 23. material]

Motorvatin' [Hanoi Rocks material]

Malibu Beach Nightmare [Hanoi Rocks material]

Dead, Jail or Rock 'n' Roll

Up Around the Bend [Credence Clearwater Revival cover]

It was only another 20 or so minutes after Monroe's set that the lights went down again and Black Star Riders took to the stage. During the first new numbers the band performed as a four-piece, without Gorham, and largely played material from the latest album - with a couple of older ones thrown in. Despite my ambivalence to the new album, the songs which the band chose to play live were generally what I consider to be the best cuts. The hard-hitting Pay Dirt opened things up, with Warwick looking as cool as ever behind the microphone. He may not be the most flamboyant of frontmen, but he has a simmering charisma which always holds the attention of a room. The band rocked behind him, too, with Wood impressing. I had seen him previously with Wayward Sons, but he already seems at home in Black Star Riders despite only being a handful of shows deep into his tenure. He nailed the folky guitar melodies that Black Star Riders are built on perfectly, whilst also soloing with real flash. The early part of the set felt like a showcase for him - and it is clear that he and Warwick have already struck up a strong chemistry. From the duelling guitar leads of Another State of the Grace to the fast-paced and punky When the Night Comes In, the four-piece version of the band rocked hard. The only pause for breath was the slower-paced Riding Out the Storm, but this was short-lived as Wrong Side of Paradise and the band's hard rocking cover of Crazy Horses whipped up plenty of energy. The latter saw Crane take some of the lead vocals, with Wood replacing the theremin of the original song with some screaming slide guitar. Following Crazy Horses, Gorham was introduced and he remained on stage with the band for the rest of the night. His presence certainly upped the energy levels further, and from this point on the set was basically a greatest hits of Black Star Riders' past. All Hell Breaks Loose and the snarling Bloodshot opened Gorham's account, but he really made his mark on the folky Soldierstown. The song has always been a great twin-guitar showcase, and it saw Gorham and Wood teaming up to nail the main melodies - whilst Crane really belted out the backing vocals.

A couple of old Thin Lizzy favourites were also included, and Phil Campbell joined the band for a rendition of the boogie-based Don't Believe a Word - before the pace was slowed again with Blindsided, arguably the band's best ballad. By this point of the night it really was favourite after favourite. It is easy to forget how good the first couple of Black Star Riders albums are - but the point was made with a ripping rendition of The Killer Instinct, which again was filled with plenty of trademark Gorham leads. It was also great to hear Before the War again, which I do not think I had seen the band do since their first tour back in 2013. The hard-hitting song was perfect for the mood of the night, though, before the pace was upped with Testify or Say Goodbye and Tonight the Moonlight Let Me Down - the latter of which saw Monroe duetting with Warwick, although sadly the former did not reprise his saxophone solo from the original album version of the song. Sadly the curfew was looming by this point, but the band still crammed in a few more classics. The folk vibes from earlier were returned to with the epic Kingdom of the Lost, which featured plenty of singing from the crowd during the choruses, as did the Thin Lizzy-esque Bound for Glory. Thin Lizzy themselves were then referenced one last time with a powerful version of Jailbreak, featuring a great solo from Wood, before the evening drew to a close with the heroic Finest Hour - which also saw plenty of singing. The curfew had been reached by this point, so there was time for no more - but the band finished on a real high. The setlist was:

Pay Dirt

Another State of Grace

Better Than Saturday Night

When the Night Comes In

Riding Out the Storm

Wrong Side of Paradise

Crazy Horses [The Osmonds cover]

All Hell Breaks Loose

Bloodshot

Soldierstown

Don't Believe a Word [Thin Lizzy cover w/ Phil Campbell]

Blindsided

The Killer Instinct

Before the War

Testify or Say Goodbye

Tonight the Moonlight Let Me Down [w/ Michael Monroe]

Kingdom of the Lost

Bound for Glory

Jailbreak [Thin Lizzy cover]

Finest Hour

Overall, this was one of those shows which shone due to how strong the overall bill was. All three bands were excellent, so seeing them all in one night made a special evening. They were all bands that I had seen multiple times before, but given the overall quality of the performances I was certainly not disappointed to add to my tallies. It was bittersweet, though, knowing that the show was likely Gorham's last with Black Star Riders. Given my reaction to the latest album, I am not sure what the future holds for the band without him - but I was impressed with Wood throughout. Future shows will not be the same without Gorham's distinct guitar tone, but he likely wants to take it easy now at 71. I will look forward to the band's new chapter, then, and I also look forward to seeing all three of the bands live again at some point in the future.