Simon Rushworth
@Newcastle O2 Academy 2, April 15 2015
Turbowolf don’t want to be categorised and they don’t really care if you don’t like them. They do care about their music, though, which is exceptional – just read our 10/10 review of brand new album Two Hands.
They might not care if everyone likes their music but they were preaching to the converted at an under capacity Academy 2 where a fervent crowd lapped up everything Turbowolf had to offer.
The fact that this gig wasn’t seen by more is a crime but good shows are worth more through word of mouth PR than a promotional flyer or tweet could ever achieve and this show wasn’t just good – it was bloody great.
Frontman Chris Georgiadis is like your favourite uncle that comes round for Christmas and cracks weird jokes all night. He crowd surfed three times, took stage diving to a new level and invited a fan onto stage to briefly take over the duties on his synthesiser and gave the type of performance that can only come naturally to very few.
Wearing a shirt that the most determined of hippies would have been proud of, Georgiadis is more like what would happen if Woodstock and Download festivals had a love child. He has the rock and roll attitude that rubs off on the crowd – he even joins in the mosh pit during Solid Gold.
The band mixed up their song list between the biggest and best hits from both their self-titled first album Turbowolf and Two Hands – such as Let’s Die, Ancient Snake, American Mirrors and Seven Severed Heads, which was chosen through a vote by the crowd itself.
There was a four-year break between albums because the band wanted to make sure their follow up was as good as it could be. Behind the crazy veneer there is a steely determination and professionalism to Turbwolf – they aren’t just flowery tee-shirts and random mid-set monologues. Their set was tight, the sound was great and the songs were delivered perfectly.
Georgiadis said his ideal prop would be a sunset. A sunrise would be more appropriate, because this should herald the dawn of Turbowolf’s most successful period.
Russell Hughes