Live Review: The Dead Daisies - Wolverhampton
14th September 2024
Support: The Treatment, The Bites
Words & Photos: Scott Clarke
Well here we are, the sun (for how much of it we’ve seen this “summer”) has finally set on festival season and, like the quick arrival of the cooler temperatures, the bands are descending on the venues just as quickly. I myself am returning to the brilliant KK’s Steel Mill for the first time in a while and tonight promises to be a tremendous welcoming as The Dead Daisies are top of the bill.
First off, although it’s cooler, its a wonderful evening as golden light bathes the awaiting patrons that have been queuing outside the venue for some hours. I arrived early, expecting a good turn out, only to find many others had the same idea. It was a welcoming sight to see the support these rockstars have and the fact that so many had turned up early to support the bands that were to be playing first.
Moving on through KK’s smooth as ever patting down, bag checking and friendly security team, it felt good to be back on the ground mixing with friends not seen in several months, the first thing I noticed was the ever so slight adaptation to the venue that saw the full width of the venue utilised in favour of reducing some of the standing room at the back in order to create an entranceway for the refreshments and merch sections, it’s something I do like about this place, it adapts so easily and is so accommodating to any and all kinds of events.
There didn’t seem too much time to wait around before the lights dimmed and the first act of the night, The Bites found themselves on stage before an already quite busy steel mill. Wasting no time and opening with Knockin on the Door, the group hailing all the way from California show the KK’s faithful what they’re all about from the get go.
Pretty Boys and Dirty City, tracks from the album Squeeze are next up which continues the theme of the set which is primarily based around their debut album with a few extras thrown in including a surprise addition of the Sabbath classic War Pigs which the band pulled off really well while maintaining their own energetic styles.
Throughout the set, Jordan Tyler’s vocals are faultless. Clean and melodic. Im sensing he’s got more in the tank if he wants to and his actions and moves on stage put on a real performance. Jono Richer puts on a guitar masterclass with the supporting backbone of the bass and drums being provided by Zakk Currier and Mark Hylander respectively.
Heather Leather and Squeeze are also included in the set which seems to end too quickly, I could’ve watched these guys all night. From a personal perspective being in the pit as a photographer, I have to say that these guys were such a pleasure to photograph because of their tremendous stage presence, they played to the audience and to the camera and it made for a real spectacle.
Dynamic is probably the word to best describe the group, for the entirety of their short time with us, they never let up, both in stage presence and quality of tunes. Flitting and bounding across the stage with so much passion and gusto, by the time they closed out with Do Me a Favor, the crowd were fully enthused and into the night. Needless to say I bet the bands performance did wonders for their merch sales and their fan base tonight.
The infectious, high energy, feel good brand of rock is reminiscent of classic 80’s stuff while feeling fresh at the same time, they’re the kind of foot tapping head banging tunes that just uplift and promote a positive vibe, watch this space for more from The Bites as I can see them going on to bigger things.
After a relatively quick turn around, The Treatment were thrust onto the stage. After such an energetic start, they had a very vocal crowd at their mercy. Could they maintain the energy levels in the room?
The answer was that they were to elevate them further.
The Treatment kicked off the night with a bang, opening their set with Let’s Wake Up This Town to get the crowd pumped up and ready for what was to come. From there, they seamlessly transitioned into a mix of old classics and new releases, showcasing their versatility and ability to appeal to both long-time fans and newcomers alike.
Although the band have been around now for a number of years, this current lineup only have a couple of the more recent albums of the bands 6 total in their bag together. Although a majority of the tracks of their support set are from their most recent release understandably, it doesn’t stop them from delving into the history of the band and pulling out a few from the archives so to speak to the joys of the crowd.
Each song was delivered with the precision and intensity that The Treatment is known for, with lead singer, Tom Rampton, commanding the stage with his powerful vocals and charismatic stage presence. The band members' expert musicianship was on full display throughout the night, as they effortlessly transitioned from blistering guitar work to heart-pounding drum beats with ease.
Brothers Tao and Tagore Grey on dual guitar duties provide driving rhythm and shredding solos, the raw, gritty sound filling the venue while Andy Milburn and Dhani Mansworth are the beating soul on bass and drums respectively. Each a master of their craft, the band gel very well and a relatively full stage is made good use of with their playful interaction and chemistry with each other and with their fans.
It was a Friday night party and the crowd obliged the terrific performance, singing along and really getting the place jumping. As a UK representative filling of a US sandwich on this night, they showed that they deserve their place and recognition on the rock scene.
After a total strip down of the set leaving only the drum kit on stage sitting atop a riser, the once cramped stage look suddenly huge and empty. That was about to change for what it lacked in equipment it was about to be made up with the presence and talents of legends of their respective crafts, culminating to form one well oiled machine.
It’s a strange sort of full circle for me with The Dead Daisies, the last time I saw them was a number of years back with John Corabi leading the band. After his departure and with Glenn Hughes taking over, I somehow managed to miss them, only to find that Corabi has since returned for the latest album and as such this subsequent tour, so here we are again.
The last time I got chance to see Corabi, Aldrich, Lowy et al. In action it was a spectacular evening, albeit at a smaller venue, it was an evening I still remember fondly especially meeting Mr Aldrich after the show, as is a personal bias he is my favourite guitar maestro. Tonight was a distinct improvement on venue, in stage size, room size and sound and lighting quality due to KK’s fantastic facilities so it’s been an evening I’ve been looking forward to all week as I know the Daisies will bring their A game.
Kicking off with Light em Up from the new album, the raw, heavy sound permeating the walls and floor and the very bodies of the strong, packed out crowd in the venue, set a precedence for all that followed. Rise up, the anthemic track from Burn it Down, Corabi’s last album with the Daisies was next followed by Dead and Gone another from Burn It Down and proved that time had been no factor, the tracks sounded as great and powerful here tonight as it was the last time I saw them in support of that album.
The current Dead Daisies lineup joining John Corabi’s vocals included Doug Aldrich and David Lowy on guitars, Michael Devin on bass and Tommy Clufetos pounding the drums in the back. I previously had the pleasure of seeing Tommy work his magic on the brilliant and emotional The End tour where he played with Black Sabbath for their farewell tour although I was a considerable distance away from the stage then than I was tonight.
Make some Noise, the title track from the album of the same name was next and it wouldn't be the only representation from that album on the set tonight before going back to the current record with I Wanna Be Your Bitch. In a surprise to me, the following two numbers, Unspoken and Bustle & Flow both harken back to the previous records that had Glenn Hughes on vocals. The thing is, to hear John singing songs I associate with Glenn, didn’t seem out of place. Tonally it was different but its testament to the adaptability of the band and of its members and the strength of the songs themselves. It was also nice that the few years in between Corabi’s runs weren’t glossed over or discounted as part of the Daisies history.
I’m Gonna Ride and Take a Long Line were the other tracks of mention from Light em Up on display tonight, bookending the fantastic Born to Fly a track dedicated to David Lowy and his love of being high in the sky. Although not a criticism, I was surprised at the number of tracks from the new record in the set list. I expected tonight to be another new beginning for the band, a whole new set of songs with perhaps a few throwbacks in for fan service, but it was the opposite. It was more a tribute and a tour through Dead Daisies history with each era getting their respective time to shine.
With a little hiatus the band went through their introductions, each member taking the time to showcase a little snippet of their personal tastes. Which was apt as moving onto a few covers for the band in Im Ready, and the fantastic, heavy and higher tempo than the original, Fortunate Son. Delving deeper still into the back catalogue the band pulled out Mexico and Midnight Moses from their Revolucion album to close out the standard set before the inevitable encore that consisted of Long Way to Go and culminating with a heavy version of The Beatles Helter Skelter
Any band usually has their own distinctive style or tones, or way in which they play, but it’s hard to pin point and define exactly what is the Dead Daisies sound? The revolving door of members has crafted something unique, in a turn of events that can spell doom for some bands, the Dead Daisies seem to thrive on membership changes and embrace the diversity it creates to craft sounds and albums that are genuinely unique from the ones that preceded it, its an evolution that breeds fresh material and this new album, Light em Up is no exception.
Here are guys that between them have been there and done it all yet have come together to enjoy their craft and play for the fans, although the records they’ve made are great, there’s nowhere more so that this comes across than in their live performances which are a bountiful show of fun, good times, great music, interjected with stories, tales and humour.
This tour is in support of the new album Light em Up that was released only recently, however tonight it seems like this crowd have been well and truly lit up by these incredible legends. Mission accomplished. What a show.
Photo credits: Scott Clarke Photography
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