GiggingNI.com

A well promoted, organised and importantly, attended night at the Empire brought some new and some more experienced local rock and roll acts to the stage this week. This SO:NI gig doubled as the Thrones of Roll's new EP launch and was excellently compared by Phil from the infamous Payola who brought the calm after the storm that was each band's set.

First up, popping their Empire cherry, were Dead Zebra. And a pop it was as, despite their best efforts, Dead Zebra just weren't enough to get the growing crowd off their seats and on to the dance floor. Over-complicated structures and enough different riffs per song to make a full album made their set difficult to follow at times, with little variety in song style. 'Save Yourself', from the band's new EP, was an improvement, but was in keeping with the rest of the set in its longevity and structure. The band without doubt are extremely talented musicians. With Iron Maiden style dual guitar solos from Jonny Gordon and Darren Murton, and Mark McCallion's bass played with great ability and technique, although not always heard over the guitars, Dead Zebra, with better structure and song writing experience, will improve. Front man Gordon interacted well with the crowd and it was his impressive vocals that really caught the attention of the audience more than the music itself.

With a generous round of applause, Dead Zebra left the stage, to be replaced by Bandwagon, who, fresh from supporting the Answer, are weaving their way up through the local rock scene and quickly establishing themselves as a band to watch out for. Front man Phil Edgar's onstage presence gave the impression that there was more than just the three men onstage, and although the only three piece on the night, achieved a much fuller sound than any of the other bands. Highlights of the set 'Sailin' Through It', 'Mr Know It All', and the more mellow 'Barbra' are great examples of the scope of Edgar's writing ability. Comparisons with Rory Gallagher's 'Taste' and his solo career are hard to avoid, but Edgar manages to combine the Gallagher-esque rawness with a soulful blues style of solo like that of Gary Moore and catchy vocal hooks of Phil Lynott. With powerful delivery of his vocals all eyes in the Empire were on Edgar as he commanded his onstage territory and each song was greeted with more applause than the last as a greater number of people finished conversations to give Bandwagon their full attention. Strong backing vocals and playing from bassist Joe McQuillan backed up by the thump of Mac's bass drum provided a solid platform on which Edgar could excel and helped produce a performance of the highest standard that may have warranted a higher place on the bill. A decent cover of Rory Gallagher's 'Shadowplay' gave Edgar a chance to introduce the band, but slightly took away from the otherwise excellent set. Bandwagon are a must see for any Rory Gallagher or Thin Lizzy fan and are set to play the Limelight this Sunday. Headliners beware - they sure as hell stole the show tonight.

Invinyl, after recently reforming, were not helped by having to follow Bandwagon. Their light rock indie style seemed alien compared to the previous two bands and may have been given a warmer reception on another night with a different crowd. A severe lack of audience interaction did little to help their cause as many resumed conversations on hold from the previous set, but each song was greeted with a healthy round of applause. Easier on the ear than the in-your-face hard rock style on the night, it was always going to be difficult for the returning band to make a great impact, but a tight set with good songs did them no harm as undoubtedly a few heads were turned. The band were certainly not lacking in guitars as it seemed the front man changed his for every song, but, it was in these pauses that any momentum created by the previous song was lost, as, with nothing to maintain the audiences' attention, thoughts were diverted elsewhere. Invinyl are definitely a good band with strong songs that would not be out of place on popular radio; however they were maybe not the best choice for the night.

Dethroned tonight, in my opinion, were the Thrones of Roll. Having seen them as a four piece, it is questionable whether a second guitarist was needed in their lineup as new guitarist Charles Canning failed to add much to the overall sound of the band except for one instance of indulgent meandering on the fretboard. New bassist Marc Russell had big shoes to fill after the departure of their former bassist but his backing vocals and excellent bass-playing proved that he is the right man for the job. The band did seem to be enjoying themselves as the new members gelled well with the original three, Drew on guitar, Michael on drums and front man Shane. Opening with the anthemic 'Zookeeper' soon followed by older number 'Hurricane' the Thrones did what they do best and delivered a hard hitting set of rock and roll. Drew, sporting a new guitar, was, as ever, coolness personified, complete with top hat and Michael on drums was at his best as the backbone of the band. It was front man Shane's performance however that really made the good work of the others obsolete. While some may see it as the work of a good front man, brimming with confidence, some saw it as sheer arrogance. Strutting around the stage a la Liam Gallagher, pulling smug faces and laughing with an adoring minority of the crowd was little short of irritating and as the night wore on became difficult to watch. Requests for spotlights to be put on him were of little surprise as a slower number began, but before long he was back to old tricks jumping about the stage. Lead song from the new EP 'Video Store' and brand new track 'Highway' went down well with the pocket of fans at the front of the stage, but based on Shane's performance tonight I would suggest if you want to hear the music, buy the EP.
[Photo taken from Thrones of Roll MySpace]

Venue: Empire Hall, Belfast - Date: 10/9/2009

GiggingNI.com Rating: 7/10 - Review By: Daniel Lynch