H.E.A.T - London Review

It is always nice when long weekends away gigging are somewhat themed. It does not happen too often, as planning when bands tour is not down to me, but it always feels like the stars align somewhat when it does happen. I am currently in London and one show into a long weekend which is somewhat themed - as last night was and the next couple of nights will be filled with some of the best AOR and melodic rock of the current era. Whilst this type of music sprung from the 1980s, it has remained popular - particularly again over the last decade or so. There are whole record labels dedicated to pumping out this sort of music and some of the bigger bands in the scene have become pretty big names. Tonight I will be seeing The Night Flight Orchestra in London before heading to Birmingham to catch one of the legends of the sound in Toto - but this review will focus on last night's trip to the Islington Assembly Hall to catch the Swedish rockers H.E.A.T play to a pretty large and very enthusiastic crowd. I first listened to H.E.A.T over a decade ago, around the time that 2012's Address the Nation came out - but I did not fully get into them properly until I saw them opening for The Quireboys in 2018. I played catch-up from then - and have since seen the band another four times (including last night). Another shorter set came first, this time opening for Skid Row, before I finally got a chance to see the band as a headline act in 2022 - after the show had been postponed a couple of times due to the pandemic. Apart from last night, my last H.E.A.T show came last year - when I saw the band, alongside Tyketto and Dare, at Chepstow Castle. Despite my love of H.E.A.T, I actually found their set at Chepstow Castle somewhat underwhelming. All three of the previous shows had been great, but that one felt somewhat lacklustre. The sound mix never quite seemed right and the band also seemed to be suffering from some technical issues throughout the show. I think they struggled to follow a rampant Tyketto, too, who really blew the doors off with a stunning set packed full of anthems. Sometimes things like that happen, but I was not going to be put off - and when the band announced a UK tour for 2025 I picked up a ticket as soon as I could. I opted for the London show, despite closer options, due to it fitting in with the other aforementioned gigs which I already had booked. The Islington Assembly Hall is a good venue, too. It is not one that I get to all that often, but this was my second visit in a few months - having recently taken in Robert Jon & The Wreck there back in November. I was sat upstairs then, but I was standing this time - and the place was pretty full. The balcony was not that busy, but the floor was - so the turnout was decent and likely comparable to the 2022 show in Brixton. Following some dinner at the packed nearby Wetherspoons, I joined the queue outside the venue. We were soon let in and out of the cold - and I took my spot ready for what was to come.

There were two support acts before H.E.A.T took to the stage - and up first was Chez Kane and her band. I had previously seen Kane as part of her old band Kane'd, opening for Tyketto, but this was my first time seeing her as a solo artist. I enjoyed both of her solo albums, which are just pure AOR/melodic rock, so I was looking forward to see her bringing some of those songs to life - and she rocked the stage for 40 or so minutes, delivering a nine-song set with ease. Backed by a band featuring Tyketto's Harry Scott Elliott (guitar/vocals) and Walkway's James Ready (guitar/vocals), Kane put on a great set which got the evening off to a fine start. The setlist was pretty evenly balanced between both of her solo albums, and she kicked off with the big single Too Late for Love. It was clear from the off that many of those in attendance were also fans of Kane's - and those down at the front especially were really into it. Kane did not have to do much to get the crowd going, then, and at times she received reactions which some headliners struggle to attain. Her easy-going stage presence and powerful voice helped, but it was the strength of the songs which really sold it. Essentially everything she played was a real anthem - with chorus after chorus filling the room as the place filled up. Groovier hard rock tracks like All of It and Get It On sat nicely side-by-side with more AOR anthems like I Just Want You and Rocket on the Radio - and the overall vibe never dipped during her time on stage. It helped, too, that her band were really tight. I have seen Elliott a few times now with Tyketto, as well as with Kane'd in the past, so I knew about his guitar prowess - but Ready also impressed with some bluesier playing. I did see Walkway at one of the iterations of the Cambridge Rock Festival - but that was many years ago so I did not remember much about Ready. He and Elliott made for a strong guitar duo, though, with contrasting styles, and the few times they teamed up for unison leads were very enjoyable. Kane's set came to an end with one of her faster, more hard-hitting tracks in Powerzone - with the high-energy rocker certainly leaving the crowd wanting more. I am sure that most in attendance would not have minded hearing another couple of songs, but sadly by this point it was time to move onto the next band. I really enjoyed Kane's set and I am glad that I have now had the chance to see her having enjoyed her solo albums previously. I would certainly like to see her performing a longer set in the future - and I am also looking forward to where she goes from here musically. The setlist was:

Too Late for Love

All of It

I Just Want You

Nationwide

Ball n' Chain

Love Gone Wild

Get It On

Rocket on the Radio

Powerzone

Another Swedish band in Art Nation were up next. Strangely, though, the four-piece played a shorter set than Kane, at just under 30 minutes, and there was a bit of a long gap between the two. I thought that, perhaps, there had been some technical issues, hence the shorter set, but looking back at the band's setlists for the previous shows on this tour this situation seems to be the norm. Kane should have really followed Art Nation, then, especially as she received a much stronger reaction, but the Swedish four-piece still put on a decent set - even if their sound mix was never as good as either Kane's or H.E.A.T's. A bit heavier than most modern AOR bands, and looking more like a power metal band, Art Nation added a metallic edge to the night. With the big synth backing relegated to a backing track, the standout musician on stage was Christoffer Borg (guitar) - who filled the set with plenty of razor-sharp riffs and a lot of shredded soloing. The guitar firepower during Art Nation's set was much more high-octane than anything else during the night - and the high-pitched vocals of frontman Alexander Strandell complimented this guitar assault perfectly. It was a shame, then, that Strandell's voice was low in the mix for most of the set. When he unleashed a high-pitched scream he could be heard pretty well - but when he was singing more normally he was generally buried. This was a shame as I could not get a full sense of the band's melodic choruses, which were likely impressive - but as things stood the sound mix did not allow the band to fully flourish. Strandell clearly has a great voice, though, and Borg is an impressive guitarist - but it feels as if the band is somewhat caught between two camps and are not sure which sort of band they want to be. They might be a band who would actually benefit from being a bit heavier. They could transition into a pretty smooth power metal band quite easily, which would likely make better use of Strandell's voice, rather than ploughing AOR-esque furrows which others tend to do better. The closing track, Need You to Understand, was easily the best song they played - with a tougher approach yet a soaring chorus that lots in the room latched onto. By this point the sound was a little better, too, which helped - and the song left the good final impression even if Art Nation never fully impressed.

By the time the lights went down again and H.E.A.T took to the stage, the room was pretty full and everyone was up for a great night. Following the aforementioned underwhelming showing at Chepstow Castle, I was hoping for the band to really bounce back - and from the off it was clear that the show was going to be a special one. Due to the performance and a great setlist, last night was easily the best H.E.A.T show that I have seen to date - with the fast-paced new single Disaster getting things underway with its John Sykes-esque riff and a barnstorming chorus. Unlike Art Nation, H.E.A.T did not suffer from muddy sound. They sounded clear all night, with frontman Kenny Leckremo turning in a rousing performance as he soared above the rest of the band. Since he re-joined the band he has gradually improved over time. When I first saw him with H.E.A.T I thought that he perhaps lacked some of the power of his predecessor - but I did not feel that at all last night. He handled his material and the material he did not originally sing with ease - as was established early on with a version of one of my personal favourites Emergency. All of the band's albums, including the upcoming Welcome to the Future, were represented in the set - and there was a good balance between faster pieces, mid-paced AOR anthems, and slower numbers. Early on the vibe was more fast-paced, with the riffy and tougher Dangerous Ground continuing on the energy of the opening two tracks - but much of the set's first half which followed was generally more mid-paced. A more groovy Rise was an early highlight, and a song which I had not heard the band do live before. There were a few songs in the set which I had not heard live before, which is always good, with the newer Harder to Breathe and an old favourite In and Out of Trouble being two of such. The great thing about seeing H.E.A.T is that they always look like they are having a great time. Jimmy Jay (bass guitar/vocals) always covers every inch of the stage whilst throwing a number of old-school rockstar poses - and the more laid back Dave Dalone (guitar/vocals) oozed plenty of cool. As is common at a H.E.A.T show, Beg Beg Beg became a bit of a setlist centrepiece - and it was stretched out somewhat with some jamming and a portion of Black Sabbath's War Pigs. This led into a big solo from drummer Don Crash, before another newer cut in Back to the Rhythm saw plenty of singing from the crowd during the fist-pumping chorus. This last part of the set felt like a bit of a victory lap, with signature pieces like Living on the Run and 1000 Miles impressing as they tend to do. Perhaps the real treat of the latter part of the set, though, was getting a chance to hear another track from the upcoming album - with the catchy Bad Time for Love sounding like a real throwback to the 1980s. By this point there was only time for a couple more, and one last anthem in One by One, with plenty of pompy synths from Jona Tee (keyboards/vocals), had everyone rocking out - before the big power ballad Tearing Down the Walls was left to close things out, as the chorus was sung back at the band by the crowd as the night came to an end. The setlist was:

Disaster

Emergency

Dangerous Ground

Hollywood

Rise

Nationwide

Harder to Breathe

In and Out of Trouble

Beg Beg Beg/War Pigs [Black Sabbath cover]

Drum Solo

Back to the Rhythm

Living on the Run

Bad Time for Love

1000 Miles

One by One

Tearing Down the Walls

Overall, last night's gig in Islington was a great way to kick off my weekend of melodic rock. It was great to catch Chez Kane live considering that I have previously enjoyed her albums - and H.E.A.T put on a masterful showing that was the most powerful set of theirs that I have seen to date. It was great to hear such a different set from the band, as it is vital to ensure that things stay fresh, and it is always good to see a band like H.E.A.T playing to a decent sized crowd. I am sure that H.E.A.T will return soon - and I am already looking forward to hearing their new album when it drops in April.