Quireboys/Dan Reed - O2 Academy 2, Sheffield, Monday, 13th December, 2010

Set-List: Long Way To Go/Coming Up For Air/Salt of Joy/She's Not You/Ritual/Brave New World/Cruise Together/Closer/Holy Diver/Rainbow Child/Get To You.

Well because this gig had to be rescheduled due to bad weather somer of Dan's band members couldn't make it, so he started up on his own in acoustic solo fashion. He proved though to be one hell of a great performer in this guise with his songs and powerfully, bright voice selling every note and word to us very easily. Many of the numbers come from his 'Song Of Joy' album that included 'Coming up for Air' and the excellent title track itself.

The bassist and guitarist came on stage for 'She's Not You' and remained there for the rest of the set. It was brillaint to hear 'Ritual' again in it's more balladeering slowed down fashion, like I saw him perform in April at Corporation. 'Brave New World' saw Mat from the Quireboys take to the drumkit that whereby the rest of the songs take on another dimension and comes to life even more so.

'Brave New World' is an excellent number as is 'Closer' (not a cover by that famous goth metal outfit before you ask). Dan's tribute to the late great Ronnie James Dio 'Holy Diver' is still well and truly fixed in the set and sounds as gorgious as ever. The outstanding set finished with the funky number 'Gonna Get To You'.

This man really is a pleasure to see and full of humble, happy, honest charisma both on and off stage. May he reach the heights of his previous band once again as he deserves it.

Main Set: Hoochie CoochieMan/Mayfair/C'mon /Man on the Loose/Misled/There She Goes Again/Tramps And Thieves/Mona Lisa Smiled/Roses And Rings/I Love This Dirty Town/Ode to You (Baby Just Walk)/Lorraine Lorraine/Searching/The Finer Stuff/This Is Rock 'N' Roll/Hey You/Whippin' Boy/Sweet Mary Ann/7 O'Clock.

Encore: Honky Tonk Woman (with Joe Elliott)/I Don't Love You Anymore (feat. Fool To Cry)/Sex Party.

The Quireboys came on stage and eased into the intro song 'Hoochie Coochie Man, taking over from the pre-recorded original recording of it. "Hello Sheffield", Spike shouts to us before they go into the excellent song that's an porn mag and the name of part of London, yes I do mean 'Mayfair'. It's good times a plenty all the way through with newer material like 'C'Mon and classics like 'Man On The Loose' and 'Misled' in that good old Stonesy/Faces groove - the style that's made them so cool since day 1.

Spike is as ever full of humour and makes fun of Guy Griffin, joking about the fact that he thinks he looks like a Chimney Sweep and should be in 'Oliver'. Guy takes it in good stride and let's be honest, he is setting himself to have the p*ss taken out of him by Spike with an image like that. Oh yeah, back to the songs, 'There she goes again' is up and next getting everyone wow a wowing in the chorus section of the song' and all and sundry swaying to the ditty as well. "It's only diet coke", Spike tells us - as if we believe that hahahaha before they go into the excellent 'Tramps And Thieves' from the 2nd album.

Hey if you bought the 69th copy of the new album (theres only 1000 in existence) then you get a date with guy befiore Spike changes his mind on that and says that you get your chimney swept and tells us that The Quireboys are big in Norway (well makes a difference to Japan don't it - lol). 'Mona Lisa Smiled' comes from that new album which I recommend you getting a copy of before they are all out of print.

Back to the heyday for 'Roses and Rings' that flies us into 1988 again - boy, I wish it was sometimes - then again, i was still at school, so give that a miss. "We have songs about drinking, drinking....", Spike jokes before changing direction 'Ode To You (Baby Just Walk)' that goes down great lad.

I never did know the story of how the song 'Lorraine' came to be but Spike says it was about girl that Guy pulled who turned out to be a bloke at The Vox Theartre. Well they were hanging out with Lily Savage at the time - remember her, I mean him - oh you know what I mean - lol. It was nice to hear Spike tell us that the next number is one for his dad and has us all doing a toast to him - a lovely song called, 'Searching (For A Reason)', so I guess he must have lost him in a sad, tragic way before rocking us all back up again with partyvillian greatness like 'This Is Rock 'N' roll' and killer tracks from 'A Bit Of What You Fancy' in the form of 'Hey You'; 'Whippin' Boy'; 'Sweet Mary Anne' that we all got singing along to since they've been part of our lives for so long.

"What time is it?" Spike repeatedly asks us and although it's gone 10 all of us are obviously visibly challenged or just plain stupid as we all shout "7 O'Clock" - since we are in Quireboys time remember and whatever other zone the rest of the world are in don't matter a sh*t when you've got these Boys entertaining you and we all go wild to that said number - it's always time for a party whwn these guys come to town.

Now how can you top an encore with Joe Elliott who came to check out the band tonight. Spike humourously tells us to make him feel welcome on stage as he he trying to make it in the music industry and that he one of the most famous people in Sheffield from a band called Def Leppard - as you can imagine the applause is loud and the place goes metal when Joe hits the stage for a rendition of The Rolling Stones 'Honky Tonk Woman' with The Quireboys - it sounded excellent with Spike and Joe trading lines with so much excitement exploding in the room all over.

The Quireboys chilled us all out and cooled us down with their sad ballad 'I Don't Love You Anymore' before leaving us on a high with that excellent aftershow celebration that goes by the name of 'Sex Party'.Looking forward to doing it all again with the boys next year - hopefully without the weather messing things up.

10/10

Review By Glenn Milligan

Pictures by Bernard Froggatt

Well it wasn’t 2 minutes since I was here reviewing a certain German guitarist in this here room but tonight it’s 2 UK based bands– one of which have reformed especially for this tour, since they supported the headliners back in the day.

Wolfsbane Set List : Steel/Load Me Down/Loco/Totally Nude/Money To Burn/Ezy/Kathy Wilson/I Like It Hot/Temple Of Rock/Paint The Town Red/Manhunt/Shakin’/Wild Thing.

It’s been a good few years since Wolfsbane have hit Sheffield and they no doubt have some great memories of it 1st time around – Blaze Bayley and the boys are absolutely bang on form and it’s like they’ve never been away to be honest with ya. The big voiced frontman is all over the crowd from the get-go, leaning right into them and nearly crowd surfing the front few rows and they f*ck*n’ loved it – walking back and forth and singing his nuts off to everyone.

The ‘bane packed some excellent songs in the set and they were lapped up by plenty of the fans old and new opening with the heavy and in yor face ‘Steel’ – well this is Steel City – so it’s the most fitting way to pleasure up the Sheffielders here tonight. Blaze said that Wolfsbane invented climate change back in the day which is what they are campaigning about at the mo and went into the classic ‘I like it Hot’ not to mention having us singing along to ‘Temple Of Rock’ & ‘Paint The Town Red’.

Loved the song ‘Manhunt’ that Blaze told us was about when they used to get women after them ona regualr basis – what an awesome simplistic chorus in that one – excellente. He felt like some filthy sex with us all that night – well the ladies anyway- hahaha. And if you say that the guys aren’t the sexiest men alive then you need to go to Specsavers as Mr. Bayley truthfully informed us.

Brilliant to find out that they had a new Cd out of re-recordings that was put together recently while their drummer had a hot curry and on sale tonight as well – no doubt plenty were bought after such an impressive set. Showing the guys have a sense of humour they close with an encore of The Troog’s ‘Wild Thing’ that saw Blaze bounding about and dancing on the stage – not to mention us singing along with him.

After the show Wolfsbane came out to sign Cd’s and have photos with the fans – a great set of guys – wish every band did this when they have the chance. Hope to see them back to rock us up in 2010 sometime.

Well it’s been 20 years since it’s release and it just don’t seem as long at all – man it makes me feel old as I remember it coming out back in 1989. This is the celebratory tour of this album ‘A Bit Of What You Fancy’. Opening up with a 2 or 3 numbers from other releases of the last few years they greet the crowd before going into that famous album from beginning to end which is what we wholeheartedly wanted and expected.

The room is pretty much rammed with everyone and Spike is real happy to be on that stage indeed. What is funny about the Newcastle legend is that he treats himself as the punter and the rest of the venue as the lardlord and bar, asking for drinks such as jaegermeister, beer and god knows what else – he always seems to get them bought for him too – with tonight being no exception.

How he does it is anyones guess but I guess he is used to it after all the rock ‘n’ roll excess. In the last 20 years he just hasn’t aged a bit or put any weight on – must be the alcohol that preserves him – who the hell can tell! He roams around the stage like a cross between a young Rod Stewart and Steven Tyler, posing, taunting the crowd and using the microphone and stand like it’s a toy to throw around it. There was a slight line-up change to last time as I am sure Nigel Mogg was in the band last time, but now it’s a new bassist in the form of Dave Williams from Wales – but don’t that against him Spike jokes to us – hahaha.

We find out that Keyboard player, Keith Weir is the proud dad of a baby daughter which he cheer him on and make him feel at home as we are all from his hometown – well Spike said to say we were anyway – lol – well they actually played Belfast the previous night. Highlights when it comes to the night – well o be honest – all the lot and that’s not me being lazy as the whole of the set is outstanding and of course includes the well known live staples such as ‘I don’t love you anymore’; the party anthem ‘7 O Clock’ and runners up ‘Mislead’ and ‘There She Goes Again’ as well as album classics like ‘Roses & Rings’; ‘Whipping Boy’ & ‘Sweet Mary Ann’ that Spike got us to Yeehaa for him, declaring it was a country song.

The encore – which I didn’t actually expect since they had gone over the curfew time turned out to be 2 cool songs. Guy Griffin firstly decided he wanted the band to do ‘Dirty Old Town’ because he liked it from the last album- 2008's 'Homewreckers & Heartbreakers' – a real rocker of a number and followed up by ‘Sex Party’ that Spike said they had forgot to do in the set – whether it was planned or not we don’t know – but it was a fitting end to one hell of great night.

What made the number even better was the fact that he invited Blaze Bayley onto the stage to sing the song with him which was brilliant – now that’s a cool coupling of voices right there – just a pity this wasn’t filmed as the two of them really got into it and nailed it with high wails and immense coolness.

What a perfect christmas tour package this was – no doubt we’ll see more of the Quireboys in 2010 – now get to the big room downstairs (because this was a bit small for them as many fans could not see very well – spilling to both sides of the room with the speakers either side blocking their view! Or what about returning to old habitat up the road – a great rock club that starts with a ‘C’ !!

9/10

By Glenn Milligan

9.5/10

By Dave Attrill

I never imagined I'd have the honour of attending such a prestigious event as this on my own birthday, so it could be little more appropriate than Britain's no1 party rock experts themselves to ice the cake.

Preceding the Geordie rockers comes firstly X-Idols who sound and look every bit then part, coming across like a hybrid of the headliners and classic acts like Hanoi Rocks. Canadian triple guitar act Crash Kelly take their cues more from countrymen Robin Black & The Intergalactic Rockstars but go down well with the rapidly increasing gathering.

And so with the crowd adequately warmed up, the Boys themselves take to the stage and send 'em hopping. Opener 'Don't Bite The Hand', a few recent numbers and of course first album material which accounts for more than fifty percent of tonight's set all come welcomed with complaint but the heyday platters are obviously what most are in this room to hear and 'Hey You', 'Seven O'clock' 'There She Goes Again' and 'Sex Party' .. well need we say more.

Spike remains every bit the energy bomb as before, his precise delivery as sharp as a Victorian schoolteacher, and thankfully one of three original members still on board. With a new releaser in the works at the time of playing, the Quireboys are another act armed and standing by for the already surfacing revival of one of rock's best loved scenes, from the wilderness. Are you as well?

9/10

By Dave Attrill

Helllll yeahh!!!!! This is pure f*ckin' rock 'n' roll baby!!!!! How these guys have been missed over the years and tonights almost sold out crowd all know this - as does the band!

The Quireboys exploded onto the scene in the early nineties, marrying the bluesy rock 'n' roll swagger of The Rolling Stones and the party rock of Aerosmith, which resulted in several hit albums and singles - the most famous being the ultimate party rock 'n' roll boogie of "7 O' Clock". The aformentioned song is played early on the set much to everyone's delight, I guess its the Quireboys way of saying 'Hi! We're back! And kicking ass!'.

It was a sad state of affairs in the mid 90's when grunge kicked in and starved bands like these the chance to get anywhere, and its even more sad that they, alongside the now defunct Thunder and the sorely missed Skin, were the torch bearers of British bluesy rock n roll handed down to them from the Stones, Beatles and Deep Purple. To suddenly have that flame snuffed out by Eddie Vedder and his miserable hordes is a musical tragedy, music that was fun and about having a good time suddenly vanished and died. However, things are a changing as they do - everything comes full circle eventually, and The Quireboys are heralding the return! Ok they're never gonna get to the dizzy heights they once reached at their peak, but they're paving the way for new rock 'n' roll bands such as Pure Rubbish, Beautiful Creatures, Buckcherry, etc to take hold of the torch and keep the flame of rock 'n' roll burning brightly. Awesome.

10/10

By Al White