It's time for Easter bunnies and colourful eggs, yes folks as we move into April the warmer weather is here and the lambs are jumping in the fields and April sees a return to Thunder Valley as MFN Wednesday bike night's return with live bands every week...
Winger… Rock City… Nottingham… 03/04/10…
Winger/ Airrace/ Furyon…
Kip Winger and his band are nearing the end of their UK tour by the time they hit Rock City in Nottingham, this tour has been the biggest they’ve done over this side of the pond for many a year and with only one show to go (London, where else?) for sure Rock City is an unmissable gig for me. I confess to only possessing just one Winger album, in the heart of the young from 1990 but with the release of their fifth studio album, karma last year I’m looking forward to hearing some new songs tonight. First up though is opening band of the night Furyon who are part of Brighton’s busy rock scene, playing hard rock Furyon look the part and with some cracking songs like disappear again, don’t follow and wasted on you I can see this band are going places. I felt a bit sorry for them as they were on stage so early most people had yet to arrive at the venue. They departed the stage to a brilliant reception though and it wouldn’t be the last we saw of lead guitarist Chris Green more on that later. The second band of the night is veteran melodic rock band Airrace these guys seemed to have flown under my RADAR back in the 1980’s when they were originally together; the only thing I can remember about this band is that Jason Bonham used to play for them. Tonight they take the stage and knock our socks off with some blistering tunes like first one over the line, not really me and brief encounter Airrace are a bit like UFO crossed with Europe most definitely a class act and worthy of a headlining tour of their own. Tonight’s show has been moved from Rock City to the Rescue Rooms next door which is a bit of a disappointment but Winger seem happy just to be here as they take the stage to a massive ovation from a now packed audience. Opening with a new song pull me under was a good idea it was a statement of intent that said we ain’t just hear to play your favourites from yesteryear and with no permanent keyboard player in the band these days songs like easy come easy go sounded edgier and way better than it did on the album. Kip Winger however did play the keys himself on a couple of songs including rainbow in the rose handing over his bass to Furyon’s Chris Green to play, a neat move which added a bit of variety to the show. Lead guitarist Reb Beach, who is always value for money as he pulls some ludicrous faces while his fingers dance dextrously around his fret board seemed like he was drinking beer for the United States Olympic team, downing a whole pint in one at the end of the set was his pièce de résistance, prior to that little stunt Winger bowed out with the wonderful miles away followed by seventeen bringing to an end a well balanced set of old and new songs which proved one thing, ‘I can’t get enuff’ of Winger… GD.
Absolute Thunder… PJ’s… Ripley… 10/04/10…
I’m back at PJ’s Ripley tonight for a tribute to the mighty Thunder, I was here back in January when the fledgling rock venue was starting out with its Saturday night tribute band gigs and by the look of things its audiences are growing now more people are learning about the place. Tonight’s band were called Back Street Symphony but have now plumped for the more obvious Monika of Absolute Thunder, I’ve been looking forward to this gig for a while as I’m a huge fan of Thunder and now they’ve split up there’s plenty of room for a tribute to fill the void. First up though is the support act tonight and Grand Ultra from Ilkeston are still rookies of the rock world having only a handful of gigs under their belt to date., I was present at their debut gig back at the beginning of 2010 and they gave a good acquittal of themselves on that occasion. Although Grand Ultra play several covers in their set it’s their original songs that interest me, their style is very much traditional hard rock and for a bunch of guys so young to be writing this kind of rock music does my heart the world of good. Lead singer Joe Hill possesses Klaus Meine like qualities in his vocal styling while Justin Larner on lead guitar is more than accomplished and he seems to turn up at just about every gig I’ve been at this year. If I’ve got any gripes about this evenings gigs it’s that when Absolute Thunder take the stage they’re about ten times louder than the support band, I’m not impressed with this, PA engineers should turn the support up to the same level as the headliners in my book. Anyway on with the show and welcome to the party kicks off the Absolute Thunder set which immediately grabs hold of the crowd by the scruff of the neck (myself included) and doesn’t let go till the very last song of the night. All the favourites are included; love walked in, dirty love, back street symphony and English man on holiday from Thunders first album and a good selection from my favourite album laughing on judgement day like better man, low life in high places and the brilliant like a satellite as well as more recent tunes like I love you more than rock’ n’ roll from 2005’s the magnificent seventh! This is a tribute band that for me recreate an accurate sound and vision of the real thing something not all tributes manage to achieve, front man Carl who also fronts Whitesnake UK gives a brilliant Danny Bowes performance not just vocally but he pulls off a respectable cockney accent as he delivers the Bowes banter between numbers and for a guy from Dudley to achieve that is no mean feat. The rest of the band are all up to the mark as well, there was a rumour that Harry James was going to play drums tonight, sadly that didn’t happen but the former Thunder and current Magnum drummer has taken up the sticks on a couple of songs for Absolute Thunder in the past. A great night was had by one and all, I’ll definitely be going to see this band again just for the thrill of it all… GD.
Skull Branded Pirates video from the old bell Derby.
Absolute Thunder videos from PJ's Ripley.
Sack Sabbath video from PJ's Ripley. 
Dani Gazöline
Age: 22
City: Nottingham UK
Height: 5’4’’
College: Aberystwyth University '11Medieval and Early Modern History
Who I am is who I am. I make no apologies for that. I fuck up more than the average person, I'm not some arrogant, pig headed wannabe rockstar and I can't be fucking bothered with dickheads who think that just cos their hair's bigger than mine they're somehow more glam or some shit. Life's too short, get the fuck on with having fun instead of your ultimately pointless posturing.
Interests:
Anything That Sparkles, Glitters
Music:
Rock and Fucking Roll, Sweet Blade, I SHED THE BLOOD OF THE SAXON MEN, Nicki Trigger, POWDERHOG, Britny Lace, Luxury Stranger, Rockweekend Festival, GYPSY PISTOLEROS, Davy Lyonz For Prime Minister, PANAMA, Stockholm Rock Out, Marc Bolan, Cinderella 'station', Cinderella (band)
Apr… [13]
02nd: Skull Branded Pirates + Yaganath + Pantheon [The Old Bell Derby]
03rd: Winger + Airrace + Furyon [Rescue Rooms Nottingham]
03rd: New Generation Superstars [The Central Nottingham]
07th: Isolysis [MFN Shipley]
09th: New Generation Superstars + 69 Kicks [The Sitwell Derby]
10th: Absolute Thunder + Grand Ultra [PJ’s Ripley]
16th: Sack Sabbath + Drunk Lovers, Sinners & Saints [The Roadhouse Birmingham]
17th: Isolysis + Imperial Circus + NG26 + Art Of Deception + Aceldama + Crazy Diamond [Three Horse Shoes Ilkeston]
21st: Gatecrasher [MFN Shipley]
23rd: In For The Kill [The Sitwell Derby]
24th: Sack Sabbath + Skam [PJ’s Ripley]
28th: NG26 [MFN Shipley]
30th: Long Day Fear + Wyldchild [The Sitwell Derby]
Above: GD & Clare Lepard @ Wildside (The Central 03/04/10)
Above: GD & Roz @ Wildside (The Central 03/04/10)
Above: Julie & Jenny @ Wildside (The Central 03/04/10)
Above: Julie Foxx @ Wildside (The Central 03/04/10)
Above: Clare Lepard @ Wildside (The Central 03/04/10)
Above: Old School Mates - GD & Julie @ PJ's (Absolute Thunder Gig)
Above: With my namesake Rob Shaw (NG26) @ The Three Horse Shoes.
Above: With band photographer Laurine Clifford @ The Three horse Shoes.
Above: With Drummer Extrodinare Scott Lawson (Dip/Crazy Diamond/Burdock) @ The Three Horse Shoes.
