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After being forced to cancel some shows on their last jaunt around the UK due to vocalist Josh Todd battling a particularly nasty chest infection, American rock and roll outfit Buckcherry made good on their promise to come back real soon. And almost 23 months to the day when the band cancelled their show in Glasgow, Josh Todd and company are back at the same venue, this time around as part of an impressive co-headlining tour with Finnish legend Michael Monroe.
Keeping it similar to the cancelled show in early 2024, the opening act slot goes to Boston, Mass.-Based veterans Rubikon.
Highlighting an Audioslave/Soundgarden influence, the outfit led by livewire vocalist Jae Sims have a belting new album – ‘Wasteland’ – to promote, and drop in newer tracks such as the full-on guitar-fest ‘Welcome Mat’ as well as the soaring ‘Leave It Alone’, which might just be one of the finest tracks that the band has created in their 20+ year history. Surrounding these are older moments, like the glorious, hard-hitting ‘Chickfight’, which features soaring vocal hooks and insanely catchy guitar tones, and a ballsy take on local heroes Biffy Clyro’s humongous hit ‘Many Of Horror’. Further investigation is mandatory.
At a most un-rock and roll hour, arguably the greatest rock and roll performer alive today takes to the stage with his incredible band and proceeds to slay all gathered in front of him, including, it has to be said, a fair number of younger fans who would not have been alive the first time around. Michael Monroe is in the house.
Who cares if Monroe was only here ten months ago? This is Michael Monroe, with fellow Hanoi Rocks legend Sami Yaffa (the coolest bassist since Lemmy?), NYC guitar god Steve Conte (Company of Wolves, eh, am I right, or am I right), powerhouse drummer Karl Rockfist, and the always-crucial Rich Jones on guitar. Together, this is a gang that also happens to play music. A bunch of players so in tune with each other that at times it is almost telepathic.
Armed with a new number one album, ‘Outerstellar’, Monroe is savvy enough to know that many of those in attendance would have also been there ten months ago, and even though there are time restraints, he switches up some things here and there to keep the faithful on their toes. Hanoi Rocks ‘I Can’t Get It” is a welcome addition to the power-packed setlist. As are the three new bangers in the guise of ‘Rockin’ Horse’, ‘Shinola’, and ‘Disconnected’.
It’s the biggies, though, that get the loudest cheers. Strap on for size solo moments like ‘Old Kings Road’ and ‘Last Train to Tokyo’, Demolition 23’s ‘Hammersmith Palais’, where Monroe asks, “Do you want to hear the story of my life?”, and Hanoi Rocks gems like ‘Don’t You Ever Leave Me’, ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’, and ‘Malibu Beach Nightmare’. The highlight of the set is, as always, a throaty, riotous run-through of the greatest song of this century, ‘Ballad of the Lower East Side’. Beginning with Monroe and Conte sitting on the lip of the stage as Conte strums the opening chords, it soon bursts to life with a roll of drums from Rockfist and an explosion of sound once the high-kicking Jones and Yaffa join in. Simply put, it has yet to be bettered this century.
Like the Michael Monroe band, co-headliners Buckcherry are still producing top-quality output when similar bands might baulk at the idea of going into a studio to create new music. 2025’s ‘Roar Like Thunder’ is the latest in a recent handful of studio albums where Buckcherry highlight that slowing down is not an option. Neither is purely relying on legacy tracks. And it’s a perfect mix of both old and new that gets this high-octane set off to a flying start.
The familiar strains of ‘Lit Up’ launch proceedings, and once again, Josh Todd is “…on a plane with cocaine…”. What’s interesting about this rabble-rousing perfect slice of rock and roll is not only that it will have been most fans’ entry point into the world of Buckcherry (the opening track to the band’s 1999 self-titled album), but it is one of the best examples of “don’t bore us, get to the chorus” as it only takes a sprightly 38 seconds for the chorus to land. The fact that Todd still moves like it was 1999 is both a testament to his discipline and irritating to anyone needing Ibuprofen to get out of bed in the morning. From the early days, to more recent times, and it’s straight into the title track to ‘Roar Like Thunder’ with barely a pause to breathe. Damn, life is good.
With it being a Sunday night and a strict curfew, Buckcherry are not hanging around as they bludgeon their way through a 12-song set that stops at a handful of junctures in the Californians’ career. ‘So Hott’ from 2021’s ‘Hellbound’ album is special, and keeping with newer material, the fact that the band slots in ‘Let It Burn’, ‘Come On’, and ‘Blackout’, shows the faith that they have in the ‘Roar Like Thunder’ album, and rightly so, as it’s kinda special. It’s always a blast hearing ‘Say Fuck It’, especially with the mash-up of Icona Pop’s ‘I Love It’ and some sizzling riffage from BC guitar legend Stevie D. Even 21 years on, ‘Sorry’ still hits all the right spots, and from the same album, ’15’, ‘Crazy Bitch’ is the money shot that brings the set to a rousing climax. Special mention needs to go to BC drummer Francis Ruiz, who, like Karl Rockfist earlier, plays out of his skin from the moment he sat down behind the kit.
At approx 70 minutes for each co-headliner, this is a lean, fat-free evening of music, with not much time to catch a breath. Use the 15 minutes or so in between bands wisely, because you don’t want to miss a second. There are lessons for other bands to be learned here. Keep the punters on their toes, with no chances of lethargy setting in.
Remaining tour dates:
Mar 06 – Nottingham, Rockcity
Mar 07 – London, O2 Forum Kentish Town
Mar 08 – Brighton, Chalk
Ticket information, HERE
Review – Dave
All images – Dave Jamieson
