Live albums are often a mixed bag. There’s the ‘allegedly’ heavily overdubbed ‘Live And Dangerous’, which still remains the best Thin Lizzy album regardless. There’s those that are part of the nostalgia circuit, bereft of new songs. If you’ve seen The Godfathers live in the last few years, you’ll know that, with ‘A Big, Bad, Beautiful Noise’, their most recent album is quite possibly their strongest, and their live sound is tight but fierce.
The engine room that holds it all down is thanks to drummer Tim James and bassist Darren ‘Birchy’ Birch. Just listening at home, you’d never imagine that Tim could look so laid back, sat at his kit; it is a mighty sound. From the opening ‘This Is War’ onwards, there is no messing around. 15 songs of premium rock n roll, guitarists Alex McBain and Steve Crittall respectively keeping it tight and baring their teeth. Crittall’s solos are perfectly savage when required.
Four tracks from the new album sit nicely alongside the classics that we all expect to hear; ‘Cause I Said So’, ‘WTJCB’, ‘She Gives Me Love’ and a splendidly trippy ‘When Am I Coming Down?’. Peter Coyne’s bark is particularly savage, making ‘Defibrillator’ one of the highlights, and Crittall’s production makes every song shine. He certainly knows how The Godfathers should sound, which makes this live album stand apart from most others. Loud, sharp and beautiful.
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