The Dead Daisies // Scarlet Rebels // Dan Byrne // Live Review // The Limelight // Belfast
Photography:
@flashartmark #flashartmark
So tonight is the opening night of The Dead Daisies UK Tour, and Belfast is up for it! It’s been sold out for a while, mainly cos Belfast love themselves some Dead Daisies and nevemind the support groups, the awesome Dan Byrne and of course The Scarlett Rebels, who we caught in this very venue last year, and that was a memorable show in itself, my introduction to the band live and I was mighty impressed.
Tonight’s opener, Dan Byrne, is another artist that I am catching for the first time live. Former frontman of Revival Black Byrne has a stunning vocal range, and he’s right in there showing us what he has in his bag of tricks. The set may be short and sweet as an opener, but my god does it make an impression! The band are savage, the tunes melodic and catchy, so much so you’ll be singing along before the end of every track! A highly addictive sound, Byrne makes light work of a killer set, and his band knows how to rock, solidly commanding the stage if you’d just walked. You’d not know these guys are the support. A killer opener, for sure. If you have the opportunity to catch the Dead Daisies on this run, make sure to arrive early to appreciate the support bands; they are worth every penny of the ticket price alone.
A very quick turnover and in no time at all, Scarlet Rebels are ready to take flight! It is like a sauna in here tonight, the weather’s been gorgeous, and as the band hit the stage, “The Gravy Is Running Out Of Us” as we say in Northern Ireland! The wall of heat doesn’t stop the guys laying down their glorious soundtrack of highly melodic tunes, with their guitarist and smartest guy in the band with his own fan blowing his glorious red locks skyward, the rest of the band physically melting in front of us. Scarlet Rebels lay down a killer soundtrack that has the Belfast crowd in fine form. The guys shorten their set to accommodate the timing, running over a little, it seems, but nothing was detracted by the impact the band makes live; they’re a killer band, and if you love all things easy on the ear, highly melodic and radio-friendly, you’ll love Scarlet Rebels.
Just after 9 pm, The Dead Daisies hit the stage and sweet baby Jesus, have I missed these guys on our shores! Right from the of, you know these cats are just on another level! The experience in the band shows as they rip the Limelight a new asshole! Every one of these guys is immense in their field, from John Corabi on vocals to the mighty Doug Aldrich on guitar, they are magnetic to watch! Doug is pulling all his best stank faces as he rips his way across that Les Paul with a gnarly guitar tone, feedback like the devil himself, he’s making that guitar scream like it’s his bitch! The backline of David Lowy, Michael Devin and Tommy Clufetos is thunderous as they lay down a thick wall of distortion to melt the faces of the Belfast crowd who dared take up the front row!
These guys are relentless, like caged animals unleashed into the wild, they have taken to the stage like their lives depend on it, hungrier than they have ever been and ripping it up like they are half their age! They’d put many a young band to shame with their stage presence alone; unforgiving in their approach, they take the live experience to a whole new level.
Corabi is a powerhouse frontman, weaving the audience into an army of groupies as the lads get lost in Aldrich’s six-string wizardry, his tone cutting through the mix like a knife through hot butter! These guys look a million dollars and scream rockstars from afar, up close and personal in the venue tonight, they are rock gods laying down the law, the only way they know how, pedal to the metal 100mph with no brakes in sight! What’s not to love!
Just before John treats us to an acoustic track “Love That’ll Never Be”. We are experiencing a real live drum solo! Remember those? That’s how you know you’re at an old school rock show, an elongated drum solo that makes you feel nauseous from the bass pummelling your insides! We all need more drum solos in our lives.
At this point, it’s just time to sit back and watch these guys unleash their magic. The band look effortless on stage, all up their bringing their years of experience to the fore, creating a show that will forever be burnt into your retinas for years to come, a live show to compare all live shows! The guys have a substantial catalog to pull from and we get it all but some of the highlights are off the recent album ‘Lookin For Trouble” .
This just reminds you as to why these cats became rockstars in the first place, that passion and love for music that just seaps out of their pores. Tonights show was everything I didnt know I needed this week, a total reconnection with that visceral live experience that only a premium rock band can bring. As I said before, if you havent already purchased a ticket do it now! You can thank me later.
Photography:
@flashartmark #flashartmark
