Devil's Gate Music
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Excursia opened the evening’s entertainment. Fronted by the powerful presence of Lewis McGuire, backed by a drummer who stepped in at the last minute and bassist Callum Fraser, it is the twin guitars of A’Dan Shide and Sam Hill that give their sound a classy edge. They won over the sparse early crowd with a set of crushing yet tuneful songs. Check out the driving rhythm and dark harmonies of “Rise”, the complex “Pleonexia” and the head banger “Burning Through” for a taste of what they dished up. Following them onstage was Who Knows Didley?. A total change of style from a band at a very different stage of development. Talking to singer Jabe after the gig, they have been back together making music for just under a year, having decided they missed it too much and it was time to get back on stage. You get an idea of how capable they are musically when you spot a couple of people air guitaring to the sound check, as guitarist Gareth warms up with some complex string work. Completing the line up are Craig on drums and Dai on bass. It is clear that these guys love being in front of an audience and have a warm camaraderie, especially between Jabe and Gareth. Jabe’s voice (as he puts it) is no longer capable of the range he used to have as a youngster (weirdly due to too many choke holds in his other career!) but it is powerful and tuneful. Add in backing vocals that fill out the sound and you have a thoroughly enjoyable set. In the bar Jabe asked what their sound reminded me of, and after listening to their album on band camp a few times it reminds me of Extreme, with a very funky guitar a la Bettencourt (listen to the intro to “20 kilo suitcase”). “All Your Wishing” and “Won’t Be Easy” (shades of UFO?) are well worth a listen and went down really well with the slowly growing crowd. Thoroughly enjoyable set and definitely a band I will keep an eye out for whilst I spend time in the Capital. By now a decent sized crowd had filled the venue and Shiraz Lane bounded on stage in a blur of hair and colour. I have a soft spot for Finnish rock bands, Hanoi Rocks being one of my all time favourites, and there are definitely similarities in terms of the glam, eye liner and big hair look of Shiraz Lane. The sound, however, is rooted in the California vibe of monster bands like Aerosmith and Guns N’ Roses. Hannes Kett leads the band straight into a set of huge energy and showmanship. Leaning over the audience he serenades them with “Carnival Days” and it is clear he is a showman of the top order. “Wake Up” brings in guitarists Jani Laine and, hidden under his hat, Miki Kalske and Kett’s vocals soar even higher. It is the rhythm section of Joel Alex and Ana Willman’s turn to bring in the next song “The Crown” before the vocals soften and fill out for a delightful sing-along chorus. I had no idea what to expect as Shiraz Lane were new to me, but I have to say I am having a blast and so are they! “Tidal Wave”, the slower “Story to Tell”, the bounce along “War of Mine” and the catchy “Shot of Life” take us deeper into the set, and by this point band, crowd and certainly this photographer are soaked with sweat as they pour on their youthful energy. The set continues in similar vein as I head away from the front of the stage to rehydrate and watch from a distance. It probably reaches its heaviest with “Mental Slavery” (VERY Motley Crue vocals) before my favourite of the set “People Like Us”, another that sounds like the best of a good number of California influenced rock bands. Shiraz Lane are young, energetic and put on a damn good show. Lack of recognition over here leaves them playing small, intimate venues such as Fuel, but a couple of good festival slots and they could find themselves breaking through and returning to a bigger audience. Check them out if you like music that is tuneful, melodic and fun. Review and pics – Rob Wilkins [gallery type='flickr' user_id='132278830@N06' view='photosets' photoset_id='72157700880030845' media='photos' columns='3' tag_mode='any' sort='date-posted-desc' per_page='85' layout='square' caption='title' thumb_size='s' main_size='z' ]]]>
