GD TAKE'S ON THE WORLD: festival

Vardis [Review]

Rock & Blues Festival

Pentrich

Derbyshire

25.07.14.

For the second weekend running I find myself at a festival in Derbyshire watching a New Wave of British Heavy Metal band, last week it was Girlschool, this week it’s the turn of Vardis who have returned to the fray after an absence of twenty eight years. I last saw Vardis in November 1986 at the mardi gras Nottingham which must have been one of their very last gigs, until now that is.

Formed in the 1970’s Vardis rose to their peak of fame in the early 80’s with their debut album 100 MPH which uniquely for a first LP is a live recording. I saw them back then support Hawkwind on the Levitation tour and Slade on the Till Deaf Do Us Part tour as well as opening up the Heavy Metal Holocaust festival at Port Vale in 1981.

Rumours of a reunion began last year and in 2014 it came to fruition with a successful appearance at Brofest(UK)#2 and the re-release of their 1986 album Vigilante which has been digitally re-mastered. Today at the Rock & Blues festival we see Vardis playing their third show since the comeback and lead guitarist and lead vocalist Steve Zodiac bares little resemblance to his appearance of yester year, gone is the mane of long blond hair and the bare foot and bare chest demeanour but not gone is the inimitable guitar sound that so impressed the NWOBHM audiences back in the day.

Joining Steve Zodiac on stage is Terry Horbury (bass) and Gary Pearson (drums) it was Gary by all accounts who was instrumental in finding Steve and getting the old team into a rehearsal studio.

Vardis are in good company at the Rock & Blues festival being joined on the bill by Toseland, Eddie & the Hot Rods, Acoustic TV, New Generation Superstars and many more great live bands. Headlining the main stage on Friday they follow State of Quo which was good for them as 100% of the audience have heard of Status Quo, considerably less of them have ever heard of Vardis.

It’s a testimony to the quality of their songs that not only the ‘hard core’ fans down the front were rockin’ to the hour and a half set but many of the Vardis initiates were engrossed in the show as well. Songs like ‘Let’s Go’ ‘Out of the Way’ ‘Destiny’ ‘If I Were King’ ‘100MPH’ and ‘The Lion’s Share’ standing the test of time and sounding as fresh and relevant as they did over thirty years ago. On the strength of tonight’s performance I’m sure there are now many more Vardis fans in the world, if I were king I’d have a lion’s share because NWOBHM Never Dies… GD Manofmetal.

Visit The Vardis Wbsite:

http://www.vardisrocks.com/

Gee It's Steve Zodiac!

All Five of My Videos From Rock & Blues Festival...

Exit State + Dead Audio Saints + The Goddamn Electric +

Hellbound Hearts + Suicide Tuesday

The Maze

Nottingham

03.05.14

This review is the ‘edited highlights’ of the first day of the annual two day festival hosted by Noize Level Critical Radio Show (NLC) in aid of RACP UK (Rock Against Child Pornography). With around two dozen bands playing over the weekend of the 3^rd and 4^th of May at the Maze on Mansfield road in Nottingham it’s a positive feast of the best underground bands around at the moment. This year The Manofmetal only attended day one so here’s my highlights of the second half of that first day of the festival.

Exit State are a Lancashire based band I’ve seen many times before, I caught them headlining this very venue back in January of this year, they always deliver an entertaining set and today is no exception. Fronted by the likable Roy Bright (lead vocals/guitar) along with Matt Harris (lead guitar) Phil Ireland (bass) and Peat Hicks (drums) Exit State fit into the hard rock genre of music but they make many forays into the realms of heavy metal, punk and indi. They’re signed to the Rocksector Records label and have achieved much over the last few years but it’s the quality of their songs that is the main reason why they are so popular and with three full albums already under their belts there’s plenty to choose from. Playing for a meagre half hour here at the maze today must have posed somewhat of a dilemma when compiling their set list, ‘I Know Where You Are’ off their first album ‘Death of a Rock Star’ and the sing along ‘Is There Anybody Out There’ being particular favourites of mine, while bringing us bang up to date ‘Pull the Thread’ from their current album ‘Let’s See it All’ are the highlights of a quality set.

If you’ve read part one of this review you might remember a reference I made to ‘rock family trees’ well the next band to take the stage are progeny of that particular genealogy. Dead Audio Saints were born only last year, brought forth into the world kicking and screaming out of the ruins of Velvet Star, upon first viewing both bands don’t seem dissimilar however there are several contrasts. Lead singer Danny Jones has reinvented himself for Dead Audio Saints, gone is the shirtless Iggy Pop like posturing in favour of a darker more erratic performance. The shirt remained on throughout (despite the pleas of some ladies in the crowd) and using two mics for the duration of every song (one normal, one with echo) Danny manages to look and sound considerably different from the Velvet Star days. Inevitably Dead Audio Saints do play some old Velvet Star songs an occurrence given time I’m sure will cease to happen. Their facebook blurb says DAS are “Bolstering gritty garage punk vibes with contemporary loops Dead Audio Saints blur standard genre lines!” This is a pretty accurate description of what they sound like but don’t take their word for it or mine, go see them for your self and report back to me, I’d be interested in your opinions.

The next two bands on the bill here at NLC festival are new to me, The Goddamn Electric hail from the Manchester area, they claim to spend more time in the rehearsal room than they do on hairstyles, this is a fact. With an eclectic appearance The Goddamn Electric comprising of Tommy (lead vocals) Al (lead guitar) Justin (bass) and Gavin (drums) took their name from the Pantera song of the same name however they’re definitely not Pantera clones, they’ve got more in common with bands like Black Stone Cherry with southern rock and blues overtones to their music. I definitely want to see this band again as they seemed to be on and off the stage before I had chance to blink, a hors d'oeuvres when I wanted a three course meal… with chips.

The penultimate band of the night are Hellbound Hearts a three piece from York they describe their brand of rock music thusly: “Saw toothed guitars and a rhythm section capable of levelling a city block.... rock and roll as it should be.” A bold claim and one they delivered in a short space of time. Front man Danny Lambert (lead vocals/lead guitar) is both charismatic and amusing as he chats to the crowd between songs while constantly retuning his guitar, his brothers in arms are Jase Brooks (bass) and Andy Black (drums). Again, like the previous band I need to see Hellbound Hearts again, the too short a set proving tantalising, not satisfying, they were good solid stripped down hard rock a trait of most three piece bands that always proves refreshing.

And now the end is near and so I face the final curtain… Suicide Tuesday ceased to be a functioning band toward the end of last year but being staunch supporters of the NLC and RACP they’ve reunited to put in one last performance, to headline day one of the 2014 festival.

So for one last hurrah! Rikki Valentine (lead vocals) Oz Paul (lead guitar) Luke James (drums) and Jonny Suicide (bass) have taken to the stage here at the maze to play an emotional set of memorable songs we all know and love. Songs like ‘Church of Sin’, Dirty Little Thing’ and the poignantly titled ‘Last Time Around’ It’s like they’ve never been away, in fact that’s not true, whether it’s the fact that we will never see Suicide Tuesday again or whether the band members themselves are functioning under a different mind set to normal I’m not sure but tonight’s show is one of their best ever performances.

Last year Suicide Tuesday and Gaz Harris from Gypsy Pistoleros teamed up to record Twisted Sister’s ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ which has become Rock Against Child Pornography and Abuse’s anthem, the song is available to download, all proceeds going to RACP. Tonight’s show was finished on that song with Gazz joining Suicide Tuesday on stage along side guest guitarist Kezza T and the girls of Hell on High Heelz to bring the curtain down an a fantastic first day of such a worthy festival in aid of such a worthy cause.

Just one thing though, although Jonny suicide has moved on to join New Generation Superstars I don’t think we’ve heard the last of Suicide Tuesday, it aint over till it’s over and in one form or other I think we will see this popular Nottingham based rock band return at some point in the future… Watch this space.