Quireboys / Willie Dowling And The Invisible Band / Continental Lovers - Corporation, Sheffield, Thursday 9th May, 2024
Now this show was destined to be one of those that will be etched into our minds forever - we'll be saying years from now that we were there. No prizes for correctly stating in advance that this concert would end up becoming a sell-out. Both about history or retro and a milestone to be proven as history in the making too.
First up in front of a near-packed crowd of Rock fans are a Nottingham band who made their premier appearance here a few months previous. Like before, Continental Lovers greet us with some Glammy meets Punk Rock ram-shackled sounds that both delights and baffles the people in here tonight. It's not perfect by any means of the term but the boys seem to go across okay overall. Hey, they even throw in a song that they declared as Country that hopefully warmed them to the older peeps watching.
The direct support is a 2-man outfit featuring a guy that some of the hardcore Rock fans may remember from a good few years ago, since he was a member of The Grip and later Honeycrack (the outfit that featuring CJ Wildheart). Yes, none other than Willie Dowling (that I also find out later was a Wildheart at one point) who tonight sits at the piano and delivers songs that are very much a melting pout merge of Supertramp meets ELO & Billy Joel with the odd Elton John element too. Mid 70's and eloquent 80's indeed which completely match the checked plaid suit he is wearing
Together with a dude on bass (whose name escape me for now) plus the Invisible Band (basically the backing tracks) he hammers out some loving and not so loving numbers in his ample set with a number of tracks coming from his 2024 album, 'The Simpleton'. The proceedings are very political at times and he definitely is not a Pro-Tory - in fact, he utterly despises them and dedicates a song to Sunak's bunch called 'F*ck You, Goodbye' which he will be singing when they lose the next General Election (he hopes).
Judging by the reception to the song and the joyous audience participation from many, I'll put my money on that Conservatives are very much outnumbered in the large room of the Corp - hahaha! Willie also joked at one point about us all at some point maybe having an 'Imaginary Friend' with a song about that too. My Brother, Paul saying that's all I have with a long-term buddy agreeing - Cheers Mr. Froggatt - think I'll stick with the imaginary one, thank you very much - LOL!
Spike and his dapper wearing tribe need no introduction - Mr. Gray is both a legend and Rock & Roll institution and still one of the most iconic Rockstars of the late 80's - he has not aged a bit - something has preserved his looks - maybe one of those individuals who really did do a deal with the devil so as never to look old - he may even be immortal like old Keith for all we know!
Anyways, I am going off on a tangent - nothing new there some will no doubt say. Willie takes the place of Chris Johnstone who cannot make these dates and of course Luke Morley (from Thunder) has stepped into those shoes that were filled by Guy Bailey, who sadly left this world a few months ago. We all have a drink to him and a song was sung in his memory too, Spike even told us that they were doing the dates for him - the main reason the band got back together.
I know it sounds like a cliche but I gotta say that they were so happy to be back up there performing on the boards - big kudos go to Mark Hobson & Jake Eckhardt (of Corporation) for making it happen since this was the bands first ever show since their reformation. Grinning like Cheshire cats - or should that be Cockney and Geordie in this case, they gave us countless gems and diamonds of back catalogue as well as new songs too - even opening with hot off the wax cut from forthcoming album 'Wardour Street', Jeeze Louise' too - quite a gamble but it worked regardless.
It was so good to see that jokey bromance intact between Spike and Bassist, Nigel Mogg - there is nothing like two heroes rip the p*ss out of each other on stage - very much like watching Rod 'n' Ronnie back in the Faces days or Jagger 'N' Richards in the 1970's - a stance of excellence - one which not many can match - they have such an incredible presence up there on stage. Drummer, Rudy Richman is the final piece in the jigsaw who with Mogg completes the second to none rhythm unit.
If this show was a dessert, it would be the best trifle or gateaux you have ever tasted! The sweetest sounding music ever to hit your ears (in my humble opinion and may others I reckon). This was real rock 'n' roll, the way it should be - taking you to a place where you can forget all the bullsh*t and simply party on with Quireboys.
Am so looking forward to the new album if what we've heard tonight is anything to go by. They utterly aced it and did Guy Bailey proud!
By Glenn Milligan