Simon Rushworth
Terrorvision – Stage One, Dec 4 2009
There was a time when Terrorvision were the ultimate party rock act – their heady mix of singalong anthems, jaunty riffs and simple social commentary spawning a succession of top 40 singles. These boys were good.
And as they continue on the road to redemption the good news is: they still are. In fact of the frontmen strutting their stuff at Prestatyn this month none was more confident and full of swagger than the ebullient Tony Wright. Always the ultimate showman he possesses that natural abiklity to connect with a crowd and his band mates all at the same time and it’s a tasty recipe for rock success.
A suitably meaty version of smash pop hit Tequila sat comfortably alongside the likes of Oblivion and Jospehine and this sensational set seemed to fly by in a blur of emotion, energy and top notch banter from the man behind the mic. Dressed like a dodgy car salesman and sounding like an extra out of Emmerdale the boy Tony struck the Wright balance between rock star and man of the people – as he always did.
Back in the day this band of Yorkshire warriors were equally at ease opening up for arena stars like Def Leppard and headlining their own sweaty club shows up and down the country. Prestatyn was pitched somewhere in between and the mix of intimacy and a big production suited Terrorvision down to the gorund.
During a weekend when great sets outnumbered the poor shows by a healthy ratio of 4:1 this short but incredibly sweet performance was an obvious and appreciated highlight. The wait for new Terrorvision tunes goes on but at least the boys look like they’re loving every minute of their occasional forays into the live arena two years after regrouping again. Imagine this lot paired with Gun and the Quireboys on a Brit rock triple header in 2010… Promoters and management: if you’re reading this then get it on!