The Almighty - Wolverhampton Review

As I write this blog entry, it is now December. I have two gigs left to look forward to in 2024, one tonight and one just before Christmas, and 2025 is already shaping up to be another pretty busy year - with tickets for Sabaton, Arch Enemy, and Saxon picked up over the past couple of days following being paid. The gig train keeps on rolling, but I am actually looking forward to a few quiet weekends at home now before my last trip away of the year to catch Mostly Autumn in Bilston on the Sunday before Christmas. December can sometimes be a busy gig month, but the past couple of Decembers have been fairly quiet for me. It kicks off in style later with the Kris Barras Band in Exeter - but generally it is going to be quite a quiet month. Given how busy both October and November were, though, this is no bad thing - and November came to an end with a fantastic night in Wolverhampton with the recently-reformed The Almighty. Following a strong showing from Robert Jon & The Wreck in London the night before, I headed up to Wolverhampton on Friday ready for another excellent night at KK's Steel Mill. I had a bit of a wander around town before checking into the hotel, picking up a couple of LPs at the city's only record shop, and then I enjoyed a quiet couple of hours in the hotel before heading down to the venue. Since KK's Steel Mill opened a few years ago and the Civil Hall complex finally re-opened last year after a lengthy refurbishment project, Wolverhampton has become one of my favourite live music destinations. It became a real wasteland for a few years whilst the Civic Hall was closed - but with that larger space now open again and KK's Steel Mill on the scene the city is a real hotbed of gigs again. KK's Steel Mill has fast become one of my favourite venues in the country - and Friday's trip there was my third of the year following excellent showings from both Mr. Big and Kamelot. As mentioned before, the reason for this latest trip to Wolverhampton was to catch The Almighty live again. I saw the band live for the first time last year in London, and it ended up being one of 2023's best gigs. I had expected to enjoy the show, but I enjoyed it far more than I ever thought I would. I only got into the band after they had previously broken up - as my first exposure to Ricky Warwick (vocals/guitar) was when he joined Thin Lizzy. Since then I have seen him many times live with Thin Lizzy and spin-off group Black Star Riders - as well as as a solo artist. He is a great singer and songwriter, but last year's Almighty show in London was the best of the lot. Despite the band only originally reuniting for three shows last year, by the time London show rolled around it was clear that more was to come. Warwick hinted at such during the show -  and shortly after the short tour, two more similar short tours were announced for 2024 and 2025. I have a ticket for Nottingham next year, too, and I bought my Wolverhampton ticket at the same time - high off the excellent London show. It is clear that the band want to keep things fairly casual and not return in a full-time capacity - but the four musicians are clearly enjoying being together again, having headlined Steelhouse Festival earlier this year and Japanese shows are on the horizon.

Whether the band would be as good second time around remained to be seen, but first the large Steel Mill crowd were treated to around 45 minutes or so from NWOBHM legends Girlschool. I had only seen the band live once previously, and that was a rather forgettable performance opening for Saxon a couple of years ago on a bill where they were also overshadowed by Uriah Heep and Diamond Head. As such, I was keen to check them out again. I remember that their set two years ago was plagued with sound issues, and there were monitor issues also, but sadly this Wolverhampton set was not much better. I do not think that there were monitor issues this time, but the overall sound was quite mushy and very drum-heavy. Given the band's legendary status within the NWOBHM movement, too, I have never really warmed that much to Girlschool. I have spun 1980's Demolition a few times over the years but I have never really looked beyond that debut album - and I tend to find the band's material very one-paced and lacking in any sort of variety. In fairness, that could be said about quite a lot of NWOBHM bands, but given that Girlschool tend to sit towards the top of the NWOBHM tree I always seem to expect more from them. They gave it their all, and Kim McAuliffe (vocals/guitar) still has a powerful voice, but they came over as quite lightweight - even with stand-in drummer Larry Patterson, currently of Alcatrazz, really hitting the drums hard. There are still some good songs in the band's catalogue, though, with the opening duo of Demolition Boys and C'mon Let's Go setting the set on the right path initially. I also thought that newer cut It Is What It Is was pretty enjoyable, though, and it is good to see that a band of Girlschool's vintage is still creative - as so many are not. After a while, though, as I mentioned last time I saw them, all the songs started to roll into one. Girlschool are good at what they do but what they do wears thin after a while - with very simplistic punky riffs and rock 'n' roll leads being all they really have to give. The poor sound did not help, which is rare for the Steel Mill, but given that I have seen the band twice now and both times they have had poor sound when other bands on the same bills did not I do have to wonder if they are the common denominator in this situation. Nevertheless, though, the band did not outstay their welcome - and the atmosphere did pick up as they moved through their set. Their customary cover of Motörhead's Bomber went down well, with plenty around me singing along, whilst their signature tune Emergency brought their 45 minutes on stage to a high-energy close.

Following 30 or so minutes, the lights in the venue went down - and drummer Stump Monroe took to the stage to launch into the drum intro to the fast-paced Crucify. The Almighty are not a fancy band, so the drum barrage was a perfect way to start the show - with the punky, thrash-adjacent song getting the next couple of hours off to a great start. Whilst the band have a number of live favourites which they are always likely to play, especially given the part-time nature of their reunion, the setlist was pleasingly different from last year's shows - which helped to keep things interesting whilst ensuring that a number of key anthems were still hit. Warwick was in fine form as usual, his voice soaring above the band - whilst the cutting lead playing of Tantrum (guitar/vocals) added some classic rock flair to the band's tough sound. Fan-favourites and deeper cuts sat side-by-side throughout, with the Thin Lizzy-esque Destroyed hitting the spot early on - before a rare trip to 1996 and the Just Add Life album saw the punky Do You Understand wheeled out. Whilst some in attendance had also likely seen the band live last year, I imagine that for many this was their first Almighty show for many years - so the atmosphere was electric from the off. Overall, the vibe was very similar to last year's London show - with everyone singing along. The huge chorus of the mid-paced groover Wrench echoed around the venue as the band chugged through it - whilst the Alice in Chains-esque riff of personal favourite Addiction was another early highlight. Given the band's long layoff, too, it is amazing how tight they have been at these recent reunion shows. Tantrum had not been in the band since 1991 and the rest of the guys had not played together since 2009 - but these shows have seen the original line-up feel tighter and more powerful than ever. Warwick spoke briefly of the band's early days, before wheeling out the first song they wrote together, Gift Horse, but generally he let the music do the talking - with the slower burn of Little Lost Sometimes and the folk punk of the shout-along Jonestown Mind showcasing the variety of the band's songwriting ability. As was the case last year, the atmosphere never dipped at all. Each song was greeted by the crowd as warmly as the last - and whenever Warwick wanted the crowd to sing they did. The rest of the band were animated, too, with bassist Floyd London in particular being active - at one point getting down into the gap between the crowd and the stage to rock out with those down at the front. Apart from a couple of slower tracks, including the depressing Bandaged Knees, the band just kept rocking. Metallic anthems such as Power and Takin' Hold were highlights of the later portion of the set - before a number of real fan-favourites were wheeled out to bring the main set to a close. Old single Devil's Toy had everyone singing along towards the end - but the biggest crowd interaction moment came with main set closer Wild & Wonderful, during which Warwick had the large KK's crowd sounding as if they were filling an arena. It was a great end to a 19-song run, but there was still time for a two-song encore - with one last slower track and a final anthem. Jesus Loves You...But I Don't always shines live, and the final heavier section was shouted back at the band perfectly - before old single Free 'n' Easy brought the curtain down on another fantastic evening of live music. The setlist was:

Crucify

Destroyed

Do You Understand

Wrench

Ultraviolent

Addiction

Gift Horse

Praying to the Red Light

Little Lost Sometimes

Crank and Deceit

Way Beyond Belief

Jonestown Mind

Power

Takin' Hold

Bandaged Knees

The Unreal Thing

Devil's Toy

Over the Edge

Wild & Wonderful

-

Jesus Loves You...But I Don't

Free 'n' Easy

I did wonder whether the novelty would have worn off somewhat seeing The Almighty twice within the space of a year - but it really had not. The band were just as good this time as they were last year, and the confines of KK's Steel Mill perhaps only enhanced my enjoyment of the show given how great the venue is. There are few bands like The Almighty in reality, and their no-nonsense hard rock and metal is music for any occasion. I am glad that they are back, even if their reunion is a sporadic and laid back one - and I am already looking forward to Rock City next year.