The Quireboys - Birmingham Review

Whilst I managed to cross off seeing a number of my regular favourite live acts last year following the UK's re-opening following the COVID-19 lockdowns, one band that I did not manage to catch were The Quireboys. Whilst the band's frontman, Spike, kicked off 2021 as a gigging year back in May with an acoustic show, seeing the band eluded me last year. This did not bother me too much, however, as I knew that I would be seeing them in January 2022 - as quite a few months ago I bought a ticket to see the band at the O2 Institute 2 in Birmingham. Due to a couple of other gigs being cancelled, The Quireboys' Birmingham show ended up being my first gig of 2022. For a few years in a row I ended the year with an acoustic set from the band, so it was great to actually kick things off with The Quireboys for once - although this time in full-on hard rock mode. I always enjoy a trip to Birmingham too. Being the birthplace of heavy metal, rock shows in the city are always great. The O2 Institute in Digbeth might not be the best venue in the city, but its second room is actually pretty decent. I think I prefer it to the main room upstairs, which can sometimes suffer from muddy sound, but it is not a venue that I have been to that often. Before seeing Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons there last year, it had probably been 8 or 9 years since my last visit to the O2 Institute 2. It is certainly a venue that I would not mind visiting more often, however, as the hall is a decent space for mid-sized acts - and the sound is generally pretty good. As such, the room was well-suited to The Quireboys. The band are not huge, but they remain a popular live act and their shows are generally big draws. The Birmingham show was no different, and by the time the band hit the stage at around 8:15pm the room was pretty full. On the band's current tour, The Quireboys are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album A Bit of What You Fancy. 2022 is actually the album's 32nd anniversary, but this tour was supposed to take place in 2020 so we will forgive the band's tardiness in celebrating this milestone! The idea for this tour came from the band's 2019 35th anniversary show in London, which featured every song from A Bit of What You Fancy during the evening. That format has been carried forward into this tour, shining a light on what is easily the band's biggest album.

Before The Quireboys' set, however, the growing crowd was treated to a short, but sweet, set from blues guitarist Troy Redfern. Backed by Keira Kenworthy (bass guitar/vocals) and Finn McAuley (drums), Redfern impressed. He only had around half an hour to play with, but he made his time on stage count - and he demonstrated what a great guitar player he is. Those who know me well will know that the blues is not often my favourite genre of music, but Redfern's take on the genre was full of classic rock strut. He is certainly not a exponent of 'man in pub blues', and I really enjoyed what Redfern was doing while he was on stage. There were a lot of good solos during the set, but the show was not just a vehicle for lead work. Most of the songs had plenty of great riffs in them too, and I really felt that Redfern's songwriting was tight. Something that often puts me off when it comes to the blues is that sometimes the songs are literally just vehicles for solos. The blues that I like is built on solid songwriting, and I felt that the songs that Redfern played were well-crafted with memorable riffs and choruses. Even the songs that featured him tearing up a resonator guitar with his slide were great, and they included some of the craziest slide playing that I had seen live for quite some time. From reading Redfern's PR stuff following the set, it seems that he is known primarily as a slide player - which does not surprise me. His riff work is great too, though - and it is clear that Redfern is the complete package. He did lose a few points at the end, however, by closing with a version of Voodoo Child (Slight Return). I say that in jest, but there is a bit of a running joke between me and some friends regarding how many blues bands we have seen covering that song over the years. Usually the versions are pretty average, but in fairness Redfern's rendition was great. I would have rather heard another original track, however, but the Jimi Hendrix track certainly went down well with the crowd.

The Quireboys have become one of my favourite live bands over the years, and this gig in Birmingham was my 20th time seeing them. While the band's recent special London shows will always be some of my favourite Quireboys gigs, I have enjoyed every Quireboys show that I have attended. This Birmingham show was no different, and it is clear that the enforced COVID-19 downtime has not affected the band's live power. Playing A Bit of What You Fancy in full is always going to be a crowd-pleaser too, even if the concept is not exactly novel for the band - as around 75% of the album is already ever-present in the band's typical setlist. The show opened with a newer song, however, with the raw blues of I Love This Dirty Town kicking things off. From Guy Griffin's (guitar/vocals) opening riff, the song set the tone for the evening - and Spike was in fine voice throughout, despite sometimes being a bit low in the mix. With the exception of I Love This Dirty Town, the band's main set was made up of every song (with the exception of one) from A Bit of What You Fancy. This meant that the make-up of the set was classic after classic, and everyone down near the front with me sang along to every word throughout. The barroom stomp of Misled caused the first of many sing-a-longs of the night, as well as featuring some excellent piano playing from Keith Weir, but it was Man on the Loose that really impressed early on. Considering what a great hard rocking track it is, it has always surprised me that the song was one of the few from A Bit of What You Fancy that is not a setlist staple. The riff is a real killer moment in the band's canon, and I hope that the band keep the song in the set going forward - in the place of one of the other standards. A couple of genuine hits and a fan-favourite followed. Hey You was featured strangely early in the set, but it conjured up another big sing-a-long - as did the piano-led There She Goes Again with its huge chorus and pseudo-southern rock strut.

Whippin' Boy, which also has a bit of a bluesy southern rock vibe at times, created a lot of groove too - with Weir again impressing with his ominous piano lines. The next portion of the set featured a number of the band's quieter songs, with the folky Roses & Rings and the soaring power ballad I Don't Love You Anymore, which has gained recent popularity from being included in the HBO series Peacemaker, adding some emotional weight to the set. Spike sung the latter in particular with real passion, and it allowed both Paul Guerin (guitar/vocals) and Griffin a chance to solo. The country-infused Sweet Mary Ann and a rare outing for the piano-led Take Me Home continued the lighter tone; but the heaviness was soon about to kick back in with a set-closing rendition of 7 O'Clock - the band's signature tune. I have heard the song so many times over the years, but it always hits the spot live - and the song was another huge sing-a-long, with the whole room helping Spike out with the barroom chorus. The band left the stage following 7 O'Clock, but came back after a couple of minutes to play an elongated encore with some 'other' songs - as well as one last cut from A Bit of What You Fancy. The beautiful Mona Lisa Smiled, which is always a highlight, was as good as ever - but it was a great version of Original Black Eyed Son which I enjoyed the most. The song is one of my favourite recent Quireboys track, and it has such a great strut - as well as a big band feel thanks to a horn section (which Weir covered on the keyboards). The raw blues of This is Rock 'n' Roll followed, with a great solo as always from Guerin within, and the evening came to an end with a barnstorming rendition of Sex Party - which was stretched out to include lots more soloing and band introductions. It was the perfect end to set that focused on nostalgia, and I am sure that the healthy crowd went home happy. The setlist was:

I Love This Dirty Town

Misled

Man on the Loose

Hey You

There She Goes Again

Whippin' Boy

Long Time Comin'

Roses & Rings

I Don't Love You Anymore

Sweet Mary Ann

Take Me Home

7 O'Clock

-

Mona Lisa Smiled

Original Black Eyed Son

This is Rock 'n' Roll

Sex Party

It was great to finally catch The Quireboys live again, as it had been over two years since I had last seen the band live - which was a powerful half an hour support slot with Skid Row in Nottingham as part of a great four-band bill. The Quireboys are always better when they are topping the bill, however, and their crowds are always packed full of dedicated fans who know all the words to all of the songs. Most importantly, however, their shows are always a lot of fun - and this Birmingham gig was no different. I bought myself a new Quireboys shirt on the way out, and I also picked up a copy of Redfern's latest album The Fire Cosmic too, which I am looking forward to getting to grips with in due course.