Vega - Bilston Review

When I look back on 2021, at least from a gigging perspective, it will be a year that certainly helped to make the best of a bad situation - and make up somewhat for lost time. Having only attended six gigs in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the second half of 2021 was certainly busier. Gigs have been a regular occurrence again here in the UK since the summer, and I have been spending as much of the past few months as possible in busy music venues catching many of my favourite bands live again. This past weekend saw 2021 as a gigging year come to a close, however. I undertook one of my trademark multi-gig weekends away, which saw me visit both Bilson and London. London's adventures will be detailed separately, with this piece instead focusing on another excellent trip to The Robin 2 in Bilston. I have visited the Midlands venue a handful of times over the years, with my previous visit coming only last month - when I and many of the faithful took in a fantastic performance from Mostly Autumn. In fact, with the exception of a Uriah Heep show there a few years ago, all of my previous visits to The Robin 2 have been for Mostly Autumn shows. That was until Friday, however - when I visited the venue for Vega's final gig of the year, which was billed as their Christmas party. The AOR act have often made a habit of celebrating Christmas in the Midlands, usually at The Robin 2, and 2021 saw the tradition revived. October and November saw the band touring their newly-released seventh album Anarchy and Unity, with The Robin 2 show seeing the successful tour (which largely remained unblighted by COVID-19) come to a close. I was really looking forward to the show as, despite seeing the band a handful of times previously, it was going to be my first experience of Vega as a headline act. I saw the band three times in 2019, and once a few years prior, but their headline shows have always eluded me. Their tours tend to be rather northern-centric, with the odd London or Midlands date - which makes making a plan starting from the South West not always easy. A Friday night in Bilston, which tied into some existing gigging plans, certainly made sense, however - and I made my second visit to the West Midlands town within the space of a month. The Robin 2 has its own hotel, too, which means that you can essentially fall out of your room and into the venue - which ensures that gigs in Bilston have something of a homely feel.

Before Vega took to the stage however, the growing crowd was treated to sets from two support acts. Up first was half an hour or so from local rockers Shyyne, who clearly listen to a lot of hair metal - and aim to be Wolverhampton's answer to bands like L.A. Guns and Warrant. I have heard many better hair metal revival bands, but it was hard not to be taken in by Shyyne's upbeat attitude. They were clearly just out to have fun, and they seemed pleased that people had actually turned up early to watch them. While the crowd did grow during Shyyne's set, I think that it is fair to describe the venue as sparse early on. This did not seem to phase the band however, and their infectious energy shone through - even if their songwriting was somewhat rudimentary. Guitarist Mark Wilkins did impress however, with a great throwback tone and some on-point shredded solos - but the songwriting did not really back him up. The band's set contained some good riffs, and some of the choruses had decent hooks, but nothing really jumped out at me from a melodic perspective. A lot of the set felt quite generic, and there was quite a lot of hair metal box-ticking going on, but as alluded to there was still fun to be had. It is hard to be a true Grinch about a band when their hearts are in the right place - and Shyyne clear love what they do, and sometimes flashes of a much better band shone through. Perhaps with a bit of work and a bit more original thinking the band could develop further, but they still added to the overall vibe of the evening - and helped to warm the crowd up for what was to come.

Liverpool's Revival Black, who have been playing with Vega throughout the year, were the evening's main support act. By the time that they took to the stage, the room was much fuller - and the five-piece went on to deliver an impressive set that everyone in attendance seemed to enjoy. I had heard of the band prior to the gig, but had not listened to them previously. The band play retro bluesy hard rock, which seems to be the typical go-to sound for a lot of modern rock bands, but there was something a little different about Revival Black's take on the genre. There seemed to be a lot more swagger in the band's sound than is typical, and the bluesy elements seemed much more authentic than they usually are. It helped, too, that frontman Dan Byrne has a great voice. He commanded the stage during the band's whole set, which rocked from start to finish. The songs could have been a little catchier, but the overall sound that the band have conjured up really works. Every song had plenty of strutting energy, while Byrne's soulful voice led the charge - it was just a shame that none of the band's choruses really stuck with me. Tweaking the vocal melodies a little and going for more of a hook-laden chorus approach may improve the band somewhat - as all of the ingredients are there otherwise. For me, the modern band that does this sound the best is Bad Touch. Revival Black are not too dissimilar sound-wise, but for me Bad Touch have really mastered how to write a strong hook - which is what sets them apart for me. Despite this, however, I still really enjoyed Revival Black's set. The riffing throughout was excellent, and as already motioned Byrne's voice was full of power. The set even included a slowed-down bluesy take on Deep Purple's Burn, which was rearranged somewhat to make it sound more like a Free song - but the song worked well in that format.

The crowd enjoyed the two support bands, but it was Vega that everyone was there to see. While not exactly full, a decent-sized crowd filled the hall when the six-piece took to the stage - and the atmosphere throughout the show was strong as a result. I am sure that there had probably been a few no-shows given the recent rise in COVID-19 cases, but those of us who turned up were not going to let that hinder our night out. The band were clearly out to have a great time too, and their 17-song set was packed full of soaring AOR anthems - with all seven of their albums represented. It was my first time seeing the band's current line-up, too, and the new-look Vega impressed. The current six may well represent the best line-up of Vega yet, with the quality of the band's big vocal harmonies seeing a marked improvement. Both Billy Taylor (guitar/vocals) and Pete Newdeck (drums/vocals) have added their voices to the band's sound, and they constantly backed up frontman Nick Workman throughout the set. These three voices melding together was a real cornerstone of the set, and it was great to see the impact that the two new band members have already made. This would be for nothing if the songs were not up to scratch, however, but the set was packed with many favourites. The heavier Blind, from last year's Grit Your Teeth, opened things up, before a couple of older favourites in Worth Dying For and Stereo Messiah saw the band dipping into their back catalogue. On the whole, however, the setlist was largely very forward-thinking. Of the 17 songs played, nine came from the band's latest two albums. It was great to hear so much new material, and the remaining old favourites popped up every so often to remind the crowd that Vega have been great from the off. Poppy tracks such as Every Little Monster sat nicely alongside anthemic numbers like Bring the Riot. There was also time for plenty of big riffs too, with Taylor often joining forces with Marcus Thurston (guitar/vocals). Both the strutting Man on a Mission and Explode were songs that brought the best out of both guitarists - and it was great to see that the two have already struck up a great relationship. Live for Me was the only ballad featured, which saw Workman strap on an acoustic guitar for added depth, and the rest of the set that followed it was essentially filled with anthems. Kiss of Life and White-Knuckle Ride turned the clock back to the beginning, with both songs whipping up the crowd during their big sing-a-long choruses, while the live debut of Kneel to You was packed full of strong riffs and modern hooks. (I Don't Need) Perfection was the set's last heavy moment, before White Flag and the future classic Sooner or Later brought the set close to the end. Given that it was the band's Christmas party, however, there was one final treat left. As Def Leppard have always been one of the band's main influences, it was fitting that a powerful cover of Animal closed out what was an excellent set. Vega's rendition was spot on, and it gave the crowd one last chance to sing along before the night came to a close. The setlist was:

Blind

Worth Dying For

Stereo Messiah

Beautiful Lie

Every Little Monster

Bring the Riot

Man on a Mission

Explode

Live for Me

Kiss of Life

Kneel to You

Ain't Who I Am

White-Knuckle Ride

(I Don't Need) Perfection

White Flag

Sooner or Later

Animal [Def Leppard cover]

Having been a Vega fan for a few years, it was great to finally see the band headline. They were on great form during their time on stage, and the new material sounded really powerful live. It was also great to see that the band's current line-up have already gelled so well together, and I hope that these six musicians stick around going forward - as I would love to see where they take the band's sound next.