Tyketto/Little Caesar - London Review

I mentioned recently that I was looking forward to, following a relatively quiet summer gig-wise, getting back on the road and seeing bands live again this autumn. Summers are generally quieter when it comes to gigs, but they allow for a bit of a recharge before the autumn/winter run up to Christmas - which is often busy and packed with tours. I am currently in the middle of a run of three gigs in five days - with two having taken place over the previous two days with another one to follow on Monday. Gigs are well and truly back, then, and it was great to get back to London and Birmingham over the past couple of days after short times away from both. Birmingham will be covered in my next post, as this piece is going to cover Thursday's trip to London - and an evening spent in the O2 Academy in Islington in the company of two American rock bands in the form of Tyketto and Little Caesar. Before that, though, there was time for quite a lengthy walk through Soho, where I visited some of my favourite record/CD shops to make a few purchases, as well as lunching in a nearby Wetherspoons. The weather was generally good, despite a brief shower, so I had a pleasant late morning/early afternoon in what can only be described as Central London - before heading out east to where I was staying. I stayed in the somewhat soulless Docklands are of the city, which has been significantly rebuilt over the past two or three decades - and a far cry from either Soho or Islington. Nevertheless, it was cheap to stay in a new Travelodge there - and not far from Islington via both the DLR and the Northern Line. Following something of a refresh at the hotel, then, I headed back into the city proper for a night of both melodic and hard-hitting rock - joining a rather small queue at the venue around 20 minutes before the doors opened. I hoped that more would turn up, and they did - meaning that the overall turnout was strong and no doubt encouraged the bands on the first night of their UK tour. The draw for me was Tyketto, a band which I had seen a number of times before - and, in fact, it had only been a month or so since I last saw them. They were easily the band of the night on a melodic rock triple bill at Chepstow Castle in August - and they are one of those bands who never disappoint. They always deliver live, so seeing them again so soon was not an issue. Less known to me, though, were Little Caesar - the California-based five-piece which Tyketto had arranged a co-headline tour with. I had heard the name, but that was about it - so I picked up the band's first two albums in advance of the show and found myself enjoying both for their bluesy riffing and relatively soulful approach to late 1980s/early 1990s hard rock. I was certainly keen to check them out live - so it was with excitement that I ascended the stairs in the O2 Academy to settle in for my night of music.

Before Tyketto or Little Caesar, though, the growing crowd were treated to half an hour or so of music from Dan Byrne and his band. I saw Byrne a few years ago fronting Revival Black when they opened for Vega - and remember somewhat liking their sound but struggling with their lack of strong hooks. Byrne has since left Revival Black and gone solo, though, and this set was my first exposure to him since that 2021 appearance with Vega. I remember that his previous band were very bluesy, but I think that it is fair to say that Byrne's solo material is much more in-keeping with what is currently popular in the modern British hard rock scene - so muscular riffs, a slight post-grunge edge, occasional synths, and an approach to hooks which usually means they sink in after two or three goes. For example, some of Byrne's material would not sound out of place on a Stone Broken or a recent Kris Barras Band album, and that is no bad thing, but I am not sure that I found the songs as memorable as those aforementioned other bands tend to be. I felt the choruses were a little lacking at times, which was also something I felt about Revival Black's sound incidentally, and I would have also liked some more guitar solos - as at times it felt as if one was about to be launched into only to never come. Despite this, though, I quite enjoyed my time with Byrne and his band. At 30 minutes, the set did not outstay its welcome - and Byrne is an excellent singer and a strong presence on stage. I enjoyed his solo set more than I remember enjoying Revival Black's set three years ago and I think that there is certainly potential in Byrne as a solo artist. His sound and songwriting will likely develop over time, but for me I would like to see some more anthemic moments - with killer choruses becoming something more common for him, as the hooky moments of the set did stand out. His early singles are already doing well on Planet Rock, though, so I am sure that Byrne's profile will continue to rise - and I will certainly keep an eye on what he does going forward.

It was only around 20 minutes later that Little Caesar took to the stage - and they did so with no fanfare whatsoever, as they did not even leave the stage after finishing setting up. This no-frills approach certainly suited the band's attitude, though, and for the next hour or so the crowd were treated to some excellent riffy rock and roll from a band who looked to be having a blast. Little Caesar have not always been regular visitors to the UK, with this tour looking like their first here since 2018. There were plenty of Little Caesar shirts to be seen in the crowd, though, and the band received a warm reception as they launched into the powerful opening one-two punch of Piece of the Action and Rock-n-Roll State of Mind. Much of the set was culled from the band's first two albums, so I was familiar with most of the material played - with the songs which were unfamiliar to me being easy to latch onto thanks to the band's bluesy attitude and the swagger of flat-capped founding frontman Ron Young. With two other founding members in Loren Molinare (guitar/vocals) and Tom Morris (drums) remaining in the band's ranks - Little Caesar felt like the real deal. Young took a few opportunities to speak to the crowd, but generally the band were just one to let the music to the talking as they tried to cram in as many songs as they could into their allotted time. Of the handful of songs I was not familiar with, 21 Again was a lot of fun early on - but the song that really grabbed hold of me was Wrong Side of the Tracks from the debut album. I had been enjoying the set up to that point, but it was with the song's main riff that everything about Little Caesar really fell into place. The loose groove conjured up by Molinare and Mark Tremalgia (guitar/vocals) made the track come alive - and I was on board fully from this point on. Young's voice may not have the power that it once did, but he still sounded strong - and he was also a likeable character, injecting plenty of soul into tracks like Chain of Fools and the following ballad In Your Arms which saw the pace slow somewhat mid-set. These moments showcased a bit of a different side of the band, one that differed from the biker rock of the bulk of their set, but the slightly funky Cajun Panther and the frantic hard rock of Real Rock Drive returned things to normal - and by the time the set came to a close with an anthemic rendition of the semi-melodic rocker Drive It Home I think that it was fair to say that everyone in attendance had had a great time. I will certainly be looking to pick up the Little Caesar albums that I do not have - and I hope I get the chance to see the band again live one day. The setlist was:

Piece of the Action

Rock-n-Roll State of Mind

American Dream

21 Again

Hard Times

Wrong Side of the Tracks

Rum and Coke

Chain of Fools [Aretha Franklin cover]

In Your Arms/I Wish It Would Rain [The Temptations cover]

Cajun Panther

Real Rock Drive

Down to the Wire

Mama Tried [Merle Haggard cover]

Drive It Home

The changeover between Little Caesar and Tyketto was longer, and I got the impression that there were quite a few technical issues being ironed out until the moment the band hit the stage, but once things got underway the next 70 minutes showcased Tyketto at their melodic rock best. Considering that I had only seen the band a month ago, the setlist was extremely different - with the band transitioning away from many of the favourites which had graced what was essentially a festival-friendly set to deliver a 14-song set which included some pretty deep cuts. There was also a change to keyboard player Ged Rylands' role - as he now also doubled up as an additional guitarist on some songs. I am not sure the reason for the change after all these years, but Tyketto have never been the most keyboard-heavy melodic rock band - so perhaps additional guitar weight during songs which do not require a lot of keyboard playing was desired. I thought that Rylands' expanded role generally worked well, though, and the dual guitar approach of the bluesy opener Nothing but Love certainly sounded heavier than it would have done otherwise. Frontman Danny Vaughn spoke to the crowd more than Young had done, but given the tight set time Tyketto also generally just cracked on. Despite the changes made to the setlist, though, there were still plenty of favourites included - with the modern anthem Reach bringing the best out of Harry Scott Elliott (guitar) early on thanks to its soaring opening lead, whilst Wings' chorus was a reminder, as always, that Tyketto should have been huge. There was a bit of a focus on newer material throughout the set, so it meant that the band played a few songs which I had not seem them do live before - or had not seen them do for a long time. No-one had seen them do Tearing Down the Sky live before, though, as it was played live for the first time in London - whilst the groovy hard rock of Dig in Deep and the acoustic-led ballad Circle the Wagons also received relatively rare outings. This was certainly not a setlist for a casual fan, but the large London crowd did not seem to mind - with the newer tracks greeted warmly. Older favourites such as the juddering and anthemic Rescue Me and another more plaintive piece in Catch My Fall did likely receive louder cheers - but there was certainly no let up in the atmosphere whenever something newer was played. It was also clear how well this latest line-up of the the band has already gelled. Rylands adapted to his new role seamlessly whilst delivering tight harmonies with Johnny Dee (drums/percussion/vocals) - with Elliott a real guitar hero to do the songs justice. The ever-reliable Chris Childs (bass guitar/vocals) held everything together nicely, too, and the power of the band was realised throughout the set's heavier moments like the muscular Kick Like a Mule. As the end of the night was reached, though, some big hitters where wheeled out. Standing Alone had been strangely absent last month, but it was returned to the set on Thursday to provide its customary emotional sing-a-long - before the country-esque The Last Sunset proved to be a gentle lull in proceedings. The acoustic-based number allowed set-closer Forever Young to really hit hard - with the band's signature song bringing the evening to a powerful close. The setlist was:

Nothing but Love

Reach

Wings

Tearing Down the Sky

Dig in Deep

Circle the Wagons

Rescue Me

Catch My Fall

Kick Like a Mule

Seasons

The Run

Standing Alone

The Last Sunset

Forever Young

Any evening which includes Tyketto is always going to be a great one, and the band did not disappoint. They are such a reliably-fun live act who continue to deliver - and generally manage to keep the setlist fresh despite not having the biggest catalogue. The night's bonus, though, was Little Caesar. I went into the venue a casual enjoyer of their early work and came out a fully-fledged fan. On paper, the two bands are quite different - but the double bill saw the two complement each other nicely. I imagine that fans of one will end up being fans of both by the end of this tour - and I hope I get to see both bands live again in the near future.