RPM writers top of the pops 2019 – The Live shows

RPM writers top of the pops 2019 – The Live shows

Some of the writers managed to send in their list of the top ten live shows they went to in 2019.  they attended hundreds of shows all over the place via trains, planes and automobiles.  On another day I’m sure these lists would change many times over.  RPM Online supports Rock and Roll and loves a live show and as you browse through the lists there are many genres covered as well as some familiar suspects there are many new entries this year.  We’d love to take this opportunity to thank all the bands who toured and played shows all over the UK and continue to do so, All the festivals that supported independent music from Rebellion Festivals and Camden Rocks to Steelhouse Festival in South Wales and all the festivals around Europe and wider thank you.  Continue to look after independent Rock and Roll and help it thrive and reach a wider audience if you want to get involved get in touch we always welcome fresh eyes and ears to spread the word: rpmonlinetcb@yahoo.com

 

 

Leigh Fuge 


John Mayer –  02 Arena London

Ryan Roxie –  The Asylum, Birmingham

Michael Monroe –  The Fleece, Bristol

The Cult –  University Great Hall, Cardiff

Kenny Wayne Shepherd –  City Hall, Salisbury

Kiss –  The Arena, Birmingham

Alice Cooper –  Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff

Paul Gilbert –  The Fleece, Bristol

The Wildhearts  – The Tramshed, Cardiff

FM & The Quireboys  – The Globe, Cardiff

Nev Brooks 
Pulled Apart By Horses – Newport Le Pub (Reviewed Here)

Primal Scream –  Great Hall Cardiff

Alice Cooper, MC50, The Stranglers – Motorpoint Arena Cardiff

Nick Cave – Millenium Centre Cardiff

Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Bar Stool Preachers – O2 Bristol

The Hip Priests, DC Spectres, Deathtraps – Le Pub Newport

The Wildhearts, Towers Of London – SWX Bristol

Wonk Unit – Drogonfly Pontypool

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – Sin City Swansea

Holy Holy – Tramshed Cardiff

 

 Gareth Hooper
Duncan Reid, Cyanide Pills, Bruno – Louisiana Bristol

Ginger & The Sinners – St John’s church Cardiff

Clowns, BBSC – The Exchange Bristol

Amyl And The Sniffers – Louisiana Bristol

Rich Ragany & The Digressions, The Speedways, More Kicks, The Spangles – The Blackheart London

The Wildhearts, Janus Stark – Komedia Bath

The Hip Priests – Le Pub Newport

Bar Stool Preachers, Rich Ragany & The Digressions – Clwb Ifor Bach Cardiff

Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind – Jacs Aberdare

The Stray Cats, Selector, The Living End – Hammersmith Eventime London

Johnny Hayward
Bar Stool Preachers, Rich Ragany & The Digressions, Social Experiment –  Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff (Reviewed Here)

The Hip Priests, Rotten Foxes, Flash House, Glitter Piss –  The Pipeline, Brighton

Rebellion Festival 2019 – Winter Gardens, Blackpool

Jim Jones & The Righteous Minds, Heavy Flames, Deathtraps –  Jacs, Aberdare

Death By Unga Bunga, Seek Warmth –  Hy Brasil, Bristol

Dboy, The Vega Bodegas, Nigel –  Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff

The Stray Cats, The Selector, The Living End –  Hammersmith Apollo, London

Grave Pleasures – The Fleece, Bristol

Pulled Apart By Horses, Baba Naga, Dactyl Terra –  Le Pub, Newport

Clowns, Broken Bones Gentleman’s Club, Glug – The Exchange, Bristol

Fraser Munro
Adam Ant – St Davids Hall Cardiff

Kiss – Kiss Kruise, Miami

Michael Monroe, Electric Eel Shock – The Fleece, Briatol

The Hip Priests – The Drippers, Deathtraps – JT Soar, Nottingham

Alice Cooper, MC50, Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff

Turbonecro, The Hip Priests – The Chameleon, Nottingham

Dboy – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff

The Damned – KK’s Steel Mill. Wolverhampton

Skidrow, Backyard Babies – The Forum, London

the Wildhearts, Towers Of London – Tramshed, Cardiff

Ben Hughes
Michael Monroe – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds (Reviewed Here)

Duff McKagan/Shooter Jennings – Academy 3, Manchester

The Wildhearts – Stylus, Leeds

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

Low Cut Connie – The Fulford Arms, York

Amyl & The Sniffers – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

Ryan Hamilton Songs & Stories Show – Bloomfield Square, Otley

Tyla’s Dogs D’amour – The Fulford Arms, York

Levellers – The Minack Theatre, Cornwall

Hands Off Gretel – The Fulford Arms, York

Nigel Taylor 

The Stray Cats – O2, Birmingham

Saint Agnes – Plymouth Junction, Plymouth

The Wildhearts – Cavern, Exeter

Motörgoblin (Orange Goblin plays Motörhead) – St Moritz Club, London

Ginger Wildheart – St Johns Church, Cardiff

Queensryche – Islington Assembly Hall, London

Mother Vulture – End of the World Festival, Plymouth

Uriah Heep – Steelhouse Festival, Wales

Cradle of Filth – London Palladium, London

Ghost – Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff

Blaze Bayley – The Junction, Plymouth

Dom Daley
Rebellion Festival – Winter Gardens, Blackpool (Reviewed Here)

The Damned – London Palladium, London

Michael Monroe, Electric Eel Shock – The Fleece, Bristol

Duncan Reid &The Big Heads, Cyanide Pills, Bruno – Louisiana, Bristol

Amyl & The Sniffers – Lousiana, Bristol

Ginger & The Sinners – St Johns Church, Cardiff

Clowns – The Exchange, Bristol

Rich Ragany & The Digressions, The Speedways, More Kicks, The Spangles – Black Heart Camden, London

New Model Army – Tramshed, Cardiff

The Wonder Stuff – O2, Bristol

Holy Holy / John Bramwell – Cardiff, Tramshed – 16th February 2019

Holy Holy / John Bramwell – Cardiff, Tramshed – 16th February 2019

Right let’s get the elephant in the room out the way right from the start, shall we? Holy Holy are most definitely NOT a tribute band. The band declare this on the website, and tonight having waited a few years to finally see them live in the right type of venue (as in all standing, not seated) I do have to wonder why anyone would think otherwise.  After all, this band features Woody Woodmansey the drummer from The Spiders From Mars along with world-renowned producer Tony Visconti and they celebrate the music of David Bowie, the music they worked with him on. This is not a bunch of failed rockers from Cleethorpes all donning wigs at the weekend pretending to be some band they most certainly never will be.

Do I need to go on? No? Good…..

First up tonight for those through the doors early choosing not to stay in the pub to watch Newport County’s soon to be ended FA Cup crusade we are treated to a short and sweet acoustic set from ex-I Am Kloot frontman John Bramwell. Welcoming a fast-growing crowd with acoustic tracks is never an easy task for any artist, but here tonight John does this with suitable aplomb and its credit to the strength of his onstage character and songs that he actually gets the room to remain pretty much in silence – albeit for some understandable chatter from the bar area. Not knowing any of the songs prior to tonight the single most striking thing I find about his performance is that it feels perfectly within the context of tonight’s headliners, with his songs being coloured with the merest hint of early Bowie. So, what did I make of it all? Well almost straight after the show a good friend of mine was quick to ask me via social media what I thought of John Bramwell, and all I could think of in reply was “impressive”, simply because he was just that.

With that tribute band matter already dealt with I will openly admit I had struggled with the whole concept of how Holy Holy might capture the true magic of Bowie live, and for me the whole reason why this particular concept works so well is because in Glenn Gregory Visconti and Woodmansey have found their perfect frontman, someone who whilst obviously being a fan, doesn’t try to be David Bowie.  Playing the albums ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ and ‘The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars’ in full and in sequence it is Gregory who people ultimately look to as master of ceremonies and here beaming from ear to ear he ALMOST does the impossible making you forget that ultimately these are David Bowie songs not his own.

Of the rest of the seven-piece outfit guitarists Paul Cudderford and James Stevenson have their Les Pauls well and truly set to Ronson, whilst cowboy-hatted keyboardist Berenice Scott cuts a towering almost Corey Parks like figure up on her riser. Back out front, we have multi-instrumentalist Jessica Lee Morgan (the daughter of Tony Visconti) adding in all the subtleties and nuances whilst also making her father smile proudly during her version of ‘Lady Stardust’, the only song for which Gregory takes a breather. Plus of course there’s Woody Woodmansey, still very much a powerhouse of a drummer at 68 years young, and the mercurial figure of Visconti, who at 74 cuts the image of bassist half his age.

As already stated, setlist wise the almost two and a quarter hours the band spend on stage together tonight starts with the epic progressive hard rock of ‘The Width Of A Circle’ and ends with the New York influenced art rock of ‘Rock N Roll Suicide’ and its simply fantastic to hear these songs afforded the proper love and affection they so rightly deserve, and with the two albums played out in full and in sequence, this is so much more than a nostalgia trip .

‘Supermen’, ‘Moonage Daydream’ and ‘Starman’ are just some of my favourite songs aired tonight and it feels like everyone around me has their own favourites too, it’s just such a shame they don’t have time to play all of ‘Hunky Dory’ too.

Thankfully some songs from my all-time favourite David Bowie LP (‘Changes’ and ‘Life On Mars?’) do show up during the encore, but not before we are treated to the Visconti produced curveball of ‘Where Are We Know?’ from Bowie’s ‘The Next Day’, a song I think I’m right in saying you would otherwise never have heard performed live.

Ending with ‘Rebel Rebel’ and a few words from tonight’s sponsors (Woodmansey and Visconti) it’s impossible not the feel the genuine warmth the band have not only for the songs they have just played but also the fact that they are playing to a “proper” standing audience.

This ladies and gentlemen most certainly is rock ‘n’ roll.

Author: Johnny Hayward