The Virginmarys @ Newcastle Think Tank? 18 March 2017

Ally Dickaty looked like he stepped out of a 90s punk rock video with his lopsided baseball cap paired with a jeans and chain combo, which is fitting because half the audience probably lives through that decade with gusto.

The Virginmarys play the type of music that can bring both old and young audiences together and can easily be said to be one of the most appreciative bands on the circuit today. Barely a moment passes before Dickaty graciously thanks the crowd for coming out before giving the band’s support team the same treatment for working for ‘basically nothing’.

But if the group’s frontman has the spirit of an angel he has the voice of the devil and backed up by Danny Dolan on the drums they served up a night of pin sharp guitar rock that plays straight into the hands of Dickaty’s gravely tones.

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Dolan is a force to be reckoned with behind the kit and even a cow bell wasn’t safe from his efforts. The instrument probably has never been played with such gusto before and it’s unclear if it will again, but the drummer wasn’t going to discriminate as he pounded his way through the set.

Hardly any classics were left out of the set list as The Virginmarys served up hit after hit from Divides and Kings of Conflict as well as their older material as a treat for those diehard fans who had been with them since the beginning.

As those die hards will know, this is a band that getting on getting better with age as they settle into and become more comfortable with their role on stage.

Dickaty has evolved into a more open and engaging frontman who is happy to natter to the crowd, but at the end of the day the show is still about the music and The Virginmarys serve up a high quality show in large amounts.

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