The days are now longer and brighter and there’s no better way to celebrate that than coming down to Nightrain in Bradford tonight for the legendary Cherie Currie.
Supporting the tour is a Nightrain favourite, Loz Campbell and she’s back with her full band as Alice is now back. Kicking things off with “Evil”, the guys are bringing tons of energy to the stage. You always know that you’re in for a great show when Loz is in town and tonight is no exception to this rule. As they play through their hits including “Back Biting Bullet”, “Coffee Cup” and “Beautiful Liar” the crowd are enjoying them as much as I am. There’s lots of jumping off amps from Steve and walking across the bar from Alice who took a fall and got straight back up like a pro. These guys always put on a pure performance and Loz’s voice continues to be one of the best female vocals on the scene at the moment. As it’s time for the last song, “The World Was Made To Destroy You”, the guys put together their signature pyramid and end the set on a high.
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Up next is a first for me with the brightly dressed Blue Ruin. The all-female quartet hailing from all over the world are full of excitement as they take over with their upbeat bubblegum punk rock sound. With their fast-paced tracks like “Green River Thriller” and “Sing to Me” the band encompasses the punk rock sound and attitude. It’s not all upbeat however as the girls show a darker and moodier side with “2am” as well as show a softer side with the melodic ballad “These Things”. Throughout the set, the band are easy going talking to the crowd and letting us know more about them while joking around. It’s clear these girls love what they do and being on stage together as there are nothing but smiles all around as they bounce around the stage. If you’ve not heard of Blue Ruin before, then I highly recommend that you check them out as ones to watch!
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It’s finally time for our headline act and the incredible Cherie Currie to take to the stage. Starting the set with “Queens of Noise”, Currie seems ready to give it her all tonight. As she heads into “California Paradise ” she really hits her stride though as she dances around the stage and gives the song some of that Runaways attitude. Watching her move around the stage, it’s easy to see that’s where she belongs. With an album out soon, the set includes some of these brand new tracks including “Mr X” which Slash and Duff wrote of Guns N Roses fame and ” “. Hearing this tonight, I can already tell that this new album is going to be incredible when it comes out. As the set continues, the band runs and bounces around the stage, leaning right on the front barrier to get up close and personal with the crowd. While Cherie Currie might be the star attraction, she allows the band to take their own moments in the spotlight, encouraging them as she dances and performs with them. Along with the new tracks, there are more hits from her Runaway days including a sing-along of “It’s Alright” while she changes the lyrics to include Bradford in them. Other hits in the setlist include “Is it Day or Night?” and “Midnight Music”. Thrown into the mix, Curie also includes a cover of David Bowies’s “Life on Mars” which she dedicates to her late brother who
sadly passed shortly before embarking on this tour. She more than do this cover justice and her voice stands out showing how much of a talented vocalist she is. It’s a moving movement and clearly affects Currie but she manages to recover and continues with the show.
As the night continues on, with more original and Runaway hits, the band play “American Nights” and it seems like the show may be over as the band pause to take a photo with the crowd, however, they keep going with “C’mon” from the first Runaways album. Currie then invites supporting singer Loz Campbell to the stage to play the guitar on “Cherry Bomb”. It’s one hell of a performance with this classic as Campbell becomes one with the band while Currie puts her all into the song. There was only way that this night could end and this was perfect!
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Review: Emmie Ellis
Photography: Mark Ellis
