Quireboys - Nottingham Review

Keeping up with reviewing duties following long weekends away can be tricky. Going to so many gigs in a short space of time can be tiring, and they can start to blend a bit - particularly when it comes down to getting nuances of each across in writing. I try to do as much writing as I can on the road - and recently bought a keyboard for my tablet to make this task easier and remove the need to cart my laptop around with me. They tend to need finishing off when I get home, due to the lack of a proper spellchecker on my tablet, but it does help to be able to get down my raw thoughts on the go - and it ensures that reviews come thick and fast. Today's post is the last which covers this past weekend's adventures, then, following pieces covering both Lacuna Coil in Cardiff and The Almighty in Nottingham. The third night out in a row also took place in Nottingham, but sadly I was not staying in the same hotel for both nights due to costs - which meant I had quite a bit of time to kill throughout the day. Arriving at Nottingham much earlier than planned the day before meant that many of the shops I wanted to visit had already been visited - but the afternoon soon passed, and it meant that I could have a bit of nap before the gig following a terrible, headache-interrupted sleep the previous night. In truth, I could have done without the third night out. I have often thought that I need to cut down somewhat, but that never seems to happen. 2025 is set to be my busiest year ever in terms of gigs attended. With prices only going one way and the UK's railway network constantly decreasing in reliability (in fairness it was generally fine this past weekend, save for needing to get a significantly earlier train to Nottingham on Saturday) I may need to seriously start being more judicious with my selections - and try to avoid these tiring schedules. If one band was going to rouse me from my slump, though, it would be the Quireboys - one of my favourite live acts and my second most-seen band of all time. Sunday night was my 25th Quireboys show, although that does include one by the short lived Guy Griffin-fronted version - and it was my third seeing the band's current era in action (or fourth if the 2022 London show with a make-shift line-up of classic and one-off members also counts). Following the split in 2022, I feel that Spike really got the Quireboys back on the road properly last year - roping original bassist Nigel Mogg back in for the long haul and recruiting a great guitarist, producer, and songwriter in Thunder's Luke Morley. The other slots in the band have felt more fluid - but Willie Dowling (keyboards/vocals) and Morley's Thunder bandmate Harry James (drums) seem to be the main go-tos, with classic-era members Chris Johnstone and Rudy Richman helping out behind the scenes. I saw the band twice live last year - a decent show in Swansea and an excellent show in Bridgwater. The former was fun, and featured Richman as the band debuted some new material, but by the Bridgwater show the latest album Wardour Street (which I reviewed here) was out and the band was at their potent best. Morley felt at home in the band by that point - and the rest of the line-up was tight, whilst Spike was on form. Given that Nottingham has always been a rock town, a decent turnout for a Quireboys show was a given - but the Saltbox, a new venue for me, was likely not the best place for the show. It did not seem to be designed to cope with a crowd the size of which was in attendance - with a small stage and a strange layout which likely meant that some had poor views. The sound was decent, though, and I managed to get fairly close to the front which helped.

Before the main event, though, there were two support acts to kick the night off. The first of which, Matty James Cassidy, hit the stage just under an hour after the doors opened - which, as I have recently discussed, is a trend which is really starting to annoy me. Cassidy played for around 30 minutes, but I did not find his music to be all that interesting. I knew nothing about him before the show, but I am assuming that his recorded output is more 'produced' than the single guitar, harmonica, and stomp box set up which he used in Nottingham. I generally find that stripped back versions of songs are rarely the best way to be introduced to them - and I did not find much in Cassidy's songs to latch onto. Musically, he played some quite riffy, bluesy, rootsy rock, which is not often my thing to begin with, but I did not find the songwriting to be that tight or the lyrics to be that interesting. Vocally he was quite strong, but given his clear Irish roots he was likely forcing the rootsy vibe he was giving - but, for me anyway, the hooks were not there. Until the latter parts of his set, too, I felt that most others in attendance were feeling similar. There was not a lot of interaction with Cassidy's set early on, with plenty of talking going on around me, but towards the end the atmosphere did pick up a bit - when he played a couple of songs he had performed as part of a band with The Dogs D'Amour's Tyla. A few seemed to know these songs, so the vibe did get better around this point - but there was not much time left by the time these numbers were over. I think that it is fair to say that Cassidy's music is not really for me - but given the short length of his set I do not feel that he outstayed his welcome.

The second support act were, perhaps strangely, more up my street. When six largely older gentlemen all walked onto the stage wearing suits or suit-adjacent attire, along with hats, I was a little worried - but half way through the opening number of the Soho Dukes' set I was enjoying myself. This is strange, really, as the sort of music that the band play is not music that I would generally listen to. The band are best described as being from the British pub rock sound of the 1970s - with shades of bands like Ian Dury and the Blockheads, the Steve Gibbons Band, and Dr. Feelgood all on show. This brand of music was mixed with more traditional classic and blues rock influences - and there was enough classic rock in the band's sound to appeal to me - despite plenty of that pub rock off-beat feel. I think that what drew me in the most was frontman Johnny Barracuda. His voice was not always the strongest, but his lyrics and the way he delivered them were excellent throughout - plus his on-stage antics really captivated. The band likely played for around 40 minutes and I do not think that they played a song which did not appeal in one way or another - with plenty of shout-along choruses present in the set, alongside a surprising amount of bluesy guitar solos. Barroom piano alongside strong bluesy grooves helped the set motor along - with songs like Home Sweet Camden Town, Bovver Boys, and Suited & Booted all impressing. Subtle synth horns were used at times to flesh out the sound further, adding that big band sound that pub rock sometimes toyed with - whilst occasional frantic moments even hinted at ska. There was a lot going on in what, on the surface, seemed like quite a rudimentary sound, then, and it did not take long for the crowd to latch on. There was certainly a strong atmosphere down at the front throughout the band's set - and Spike even got up to sing with them during A Stone's Throw, which he duetted with Barracuda on on their latest album. This bluesy ballad was a bit different again from what had come before - and it was great to constantly be pleasantly surprised throughout the band's set. I am certainly going to have to check out the band's albums - although whether these songs will translate as well on record as they do in a packed bar is another matter. The Soho Dukes were certainly a fun addition to the evening, though, and I came away enjoying what they offered.

By the time Spike and the rest of the band hit the stage around 30 minutes later the room was absolutely rammed. It was officially sold out, but I am not sure that as many people as were in the room should have been in there really as it felt very tight - but thankfully once the music started all of the shuffling around and pushing back and forth to the bar largely subsided. The reason for this short end of year tour was the 35th anniversary of debut album A Bit of What You Fancy. The band's 30th anniversary celebrations were delayed by the pandemic, so it did not seem all that long ago that the album was last being celebrated - but the setlist was largely the same as the one for the tour towards the end of last year. Plenty of songs from Wardour Street still featured - but most of the debut album was played, apart from two songs. In truth, this is the case at most Quireboys shows - but the focus was very much on the older songs this time, even if two songs from different albums kicked things off. The new Jeeze Louise and the rollocking Can't Park Here got the show underway. Spike was not in quite as good form as he was in Bridgwater last year - but he was certainly talkative and in the mood for jokes. He did not seem to enjoy the small stage that the venue had, and regularly made jokes about it, whilst teasing all of his band members as he generally does. Morley and him had a lot of banter throughout the show - and generally things were tight with Misled and Sweet Mary Ann representing the focused-on album early on. This more stripped back current line-up of the band does allow for some more of the nuances to shine through, too. With only one guitar player in the band, Dowling's keyboard playing takes on an even more important role - with the darker, driving Whippin' Boy, which he co-wrote, in particular benefitting from the piano dominating. Morley is a fantastic guitar player, too, and he easily brings the band's barroom boogie songs to life. Little in the band's catalogue likely tests him all that much - but Hey You allowed for some slide moments - whilst his soloing in slower numbers like King of New York showed that the band still allows him to display some class. It was good, too, that a number of songs from the new album were still retained in the set - allowing the current line-up a chance to show off their compositions. Both I Think I Got It Wrong Again and Happy are future Quireboys classics in my opinion - with the latter containing a particularly potent riff from Morley. Spike seemed fired up during the new numbers, too, and it was good to see him enthused - and he did mention at the end of the show that a new album should be coming next year, along with a new tour. It seems that the band want to capitalise on this current momentum - which is understandable given the strong reviews the last album received. The last knockings of the night were all about A Bit of What You Fancy, though, with Man on the Loose dusted off for a fairly rare outing these days - before classics in the form of There She Goes Again and 7 O'Clock brought the main set to a close, with everyone singing along. A two-song encore followed, with a couple more classics for the capacity crowd. A raucous Sex Party was rolled out first, before the poignant I Don't Love You Anymore was used to round the whole night out. Again, everyone was singing along - and the night ended on a high with this big run of classics. The setlist was:

Jeeze Louise

Can't Park Here

Misled

Sweet Mary Ann

Raining Whiskey [Frankie Miller cover]

You and I

Hey You

Whippin' Boy

I Think I Got It Wrong Again

King of New York

Happy

Man on the Loose

Roses & Rings

There She Goes Again

7 O'Clock

-

Sex Party

I Don't Love You Anymore

Quireboys shows are always worth the effort, and it was not long into the evening that the blues from earlier in the day had faded away. Spike just has a way of making everyone smile. He might be rough around the edges and might not be on-point every night - but I always enjoy seeing him and his band live. It was my first and only Quireboys gig of the year, so hopefully that promise of a new album and tour next year is fulfilled. He is also undertaking a solo acoustic tour earlier in the year, which is coming locally to me - so I will be seeing him in March as a solo artist if nothing else.