An early showtime as part of a double header sees the mighty Michael Monroe band hit the stage at 8 pm, but fear not my rock n rolla friends, these guys are wired 24/7 and as soon as the lights drop and that familiar drum intro thunders through the PA, it’s showtime. With only seventy-five minutes to get their groove on, they hit the ground running with a thunderous ‘Dead Jail or Rock n Roll’, and it’s game on, no time for bullshit its right into business and showing this very healthy audience exactly why people like me always wax lyrically about this band’s performances. They never fall below the required standard for showmanship and just sound like they mean business and are going to give you exactly what you want every time, never just clocking in and going through the motions.

‘Motorvatin’ is as thunderous as ever. Mr Yaffa has the best thump in the business, and the machine that is Mr Rockfist hits his drums like a good un, and they stay hit. leaving the pair of six-stringers bookending the band with their own licks on such iconic legendary songs, not trying to be McCoy or Suicide but giving the songs a new flavour of their own, whilst the best frontman in the business mixes up the medicine and has any and every audience eating out of the palm of his hands. It isn’t long before we get a taster off the new album as the first single ‘Rockin Horse’ fits in rather nicely before we delve once again into some Hanoi Rocks catalogue and my brain takes me back in time to a place not far from where I’m standing as the magnificent ‘I Can’t Get It’ floats on by.

We do get a decent sprinkling of new songs in the set, which is tight but not in a over rehersed way, but a band locked in, truly believing in the power of rock n roll and letting those in attendance feel the magic. ‘Hammersmith Palais’ is the only Demolition 23 song in this shorter set before we get the third and final track off the new album.

As we head into the homestraight its Two Steps banger ‘Boulevard Of Broken Dreams’ mixes it next to ‘Ballad Of The LES’ before we reach top gear and ‘Malibu Beach’ honks the saxophone into a rowdy ‘Up Around The Bend’ sees us home and done. Literally of the thousands of bands I’ve had the pleasure of seeing this one I can’t possibly see me tiring of the energy and good times they generate is exceptional and as Michael Monroe said of the bands and musicians hes ever played with he wouldn’t swap these guys and you know what I think he means it and its easy to see why he thinks like that, The Michael Monroe Band absolutely do Rock Like Fuck! miss them at your peril.

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Author: Dom Daley