Sex Pistols Experience @ Sheffield O2 Academy

Punk cover and tribute bands are, as our American cousins would say, "a dime a dozen." The Sex Pistols Experience stands head and shoulders above the rest in this respect. Along with excellent local band Reasons To Be Cheerful we were treat to a night of quality classic punk rock.

Reasons To Be Cheerful regularly gig around South Yorkshire and the surrounding area playing punk, new wave and ska from the late 70's / early 80's. Well worth seeing on their own they provided a great warm up to the main act. http://www.reasonstheband.co.uk

 

The Sex Pistols Experience have played over 1,000 gigs around the world, have been involved with several documentaries and films since 2001 and are recognised as the best Pistols tribute you will see. 

Johhny Rotter exudes all the cynisism and bile you would expect as Kid Vicious sneers and baits the audience at every opportunity with Steve Clones and Paul Crook equally enthusiastic in their roles to complete a truly authentic experience. Top notch musicianship combined with all the nasty attitude and energy of the original Pistols shows gave us a fantastic night of old school anarchy leaving everyone sweaty, grinning and howling for more.

More info and gig dates at http://www.sexpistolsexperience.co.uk

The Creepshow @ The Cockpit, Leeds with support from The Radiacs

A great little venue this. With the entrance is situated under a railway arch set in a graffitti covered wall I knew this was my kinda place. Cheap digs were found 100 yards away with pleny of pubs and fast food joints within easy staggering distance. All these plus points added up to an instant decision to keep an eye out for more good bands playing here.

 
Speaking of good, nay excellent bands, on to tonights support in the form of old school psychobillys The Radiacs. Back with a re-vamped line-up with new members Martin Aylward on drums and Ben Lee on guitar. Former bass player Nev Preston makes a welcome return and Dale Williams as ever snarls out the vocals up front. I've got to say they sounded fantastic and it was great to hear the new single "All Wound Up"  fitting right in there with older Radiacs songs but still sounding fresh at the same time. Looking forward to the album guys. By the end of the set I'd already had a great night with more yet to come.

The Creepshow hit the stage rocking with an intense pace that kept us bouncing, dancing and singing along with established favourites from the first three albums and a generous helping of new songs from the latest release "Life After Death". By the end of the gig we were left hot, sweaty and screaming for more, a job well done I'd say.

With Sarah Blackwood leaving the the fold, I like many others wondered what the future held in store for The Creepshow. It became instantly obvious that the Creepshow scored a serious result in the form of vocalist / guitarist (and tattooist) Kenda Legaspi. Kenda sounds amazing, looks great and fits in perfectly with the band. With every album improving on the previous one and a fantastic live show the future is looking good for these Canadian psychobillies.

A big thanks to Kristian "The Reverend" Rowles for joining us for a few beers after the show. Apparently most of the band caught up with us as well but things got a bit blurry as we drank into the wee hours.

Si Cranstoun @ Rolls Royce Club, Derby

After leaving ska band the Dualers in the capable hands of brother Tyber in 2010, Si Cranston has forged an increasingly successful career as a solo artist. Impeccable vocals and presentation with backing from a highly talented band has Si playing to sold out venues wherever he appears.

On arrival at the Rolls Royce Club the dance floor was already packed as the DJ did a fine job of getting everyone warmed up. With no fuss and a modest introduction Si and his band took to the stage for two sets of pure magic. A combination of original songs penned by Si and a selection of covers kept the dance floor alive from the first note to the closing encore. 

Original compositions "50's Pin Up", "Throwback", "Coupe de Ville", "Lonesome Heart Bandit" and "Dynamo" fitted in seamlessly with classic covers including "Reet Petite" and "Twisting The Night Away", very worthy tributes to Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke, two of the biggest influences on Si's vocals. Two surprising covers were "Sex On Fire" and "Just A Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody" both benefitting from Si's unique treatment. Several new songs were also showcased with an enthusiasic reception indicating that the new album could be the best yet.

If you like soulful rock 'n' roll then you need to listen to Si Cranston, I can't think of anyone around at the moment delivering this style of music with such perfection. Tour dates and CD's are at sicranstoun.com and you can go like Si on Facebook.

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages @ O2 Academy Sheffield

Until a few weeks ago I'd never even heard of Barrence Whitfield and the Savages. I spotted them in the local gig guide, checked out some write ups and looked on YouTube and thought "yeah, worth a look".

They proved to be a whole lot more than worth a look. Full on high energy soulful rock 'n' roll delivered by a big guy with an even bigger voice backed up by a group of hard rocking seasoned musicians. Barrence's passion for performing came across right from the start, intantly infecting the audience and continuing throughout the show. 

I'm amazed someone this good has slipped my attention for so long but I'm gonna be sure to make up for it now. More info, music, video and tour dates at barrencewhitfieldsavages.com