Simon RushworthDare, Tyketto and FM @Newcastle Riverside May 12 2023
Thirty years ago it’s doubtful Darren Wharton, Danny Vaughn or Steve Overland ever imagined this magnificent melodic rock triple header would be taking 2023 by storm.
Wharton’s Dare had already been dropped by A&R following the commercial failure that was the critically acclaimed Blood From Stone.
Man out of time Vaughn was fighting against the rising tide of grunge as he readied the stunning Strength By Numbers against all the odds.
And FM — the oh-so-talented nearly men of the 80s AOR scene — had just one more record in them before an almost inevitable 15-year hiatus.
But you simply can’t keep these good men down (and they’re still really, really good).
All three bands have enjoyed a solid decade and more of rock and roll redemption — realising career defining records, fronting sold-out festivals and adding the NWOCR crowd to their historically loyal fan bases.
The internet-wide eruption of independent rock radio, emergence of dedicated websites and explosion of homegrown festivals has emboldened them further.
And even a global pandemic couldn’t halt their melodic rock momentum.
Dare, Tyketto and FM’s Indian summer is burning bright and this triple threat tour is the hottest package out there right now.
Bad Luck finally runs out for effortless FM
FM’s ludicrously efficient output of eight albums in 12 years since 2010 reveals a work ethic that should have propelled the band into melodic rock’s big leagues back in the day.
But it’s the quality — rather than the quantity — of the band’s most recent work that’s most striking.
And it’s testimony to Overland and co. that the songs at the heart of FM’s ‘second coming’ slot seamlessly into a set anchored by those brilliant 80s hits.
Interestingly, neither Jem Davis nor Jim Kirkpatrick were around when the likes of That Girl, American Girls, Tough It Out, Bad Luck and more took London’s answer to Toto to the brink of superstardom.
But both of the band’s ‘new boys’ (this is Davis’ 30th anniversary with the band!) are key to FM’s enduring, immersive sound.
Kirkpatrick’s peerless axe work is one of the standout highlights of this three-band show and his intuitive partnership with Davis drives an all-killer, no filler hour-long set.
Tyneketto revels in Toon return
And talking of snazzy six-stringers…
…this might have been self-confessed fanboy Harry Scott Elliott’s second gig with Tyketto but the Kane’d/Chez Kane guitarist already looks a natural alongside main man Danny Vaughn.
Note perfect and charismatic to boot, one of the rising stars of NWOCR scene has found the perfect platform to showcase his insane talent.
And Scott Elliott should be immensely proud of this red-hot Riverside masterclass.
After Michael Clayton and Chris Green bid a fond farewell to Vaughn the previous week, this UK tour marks a new chapter in Tyketto’s history.
Scott Elliott joins Doro Pesch’s wingman (and former Britny Fox drummer) Johnny Dee in the new-look band.
And Vaughn’s fallen on his feet judging by this flawless (almost!) performance in Tyketto’s home from home.
Newcastle’s always been kind to a singer songwriter who’s found a second family on Tyneside.
And this latest trip to the Toon was no different with the majority of a near-capacity crowd unashamedly admitting their allegiance to the fan-favourite filling in an AOR-fuelled sandwich.
Rolling out über ballad Catch My Fall was a canny move on a night when Tyketto took top spot on the melodic rock podium.
Dare to believe as Dazzler and Burns deliver
Dare’s Darren Wharton has never looked happier — on stage racing through a high energy set or off it mixing with the locals on the Riverside balcony.
The Thin Lizzy keysman resisted the urge to have a tinkle as he focused on whipping a fast-filling crowd into a pre-Tyketto frenzy.
And with Rushonrock Record Of The Week Road To Eden featuring heavily, Wharton was on a mission to prove his band is back with the proverbial bang.
That Celtic-tinged colossus of a hard rock record — bolstered by some of Vinny Burns’ career-best ever fretwork — sounds sumptuous live.
And fair play to Dare’s ringleader for fleshing out the greatest hits with some of the band’s finest work to date.
Of course, the era-defining Abandon drew some of the warmest applause of the night and that AOR anthem for the ages still sounds effortlessly cool.
Wharton and Burns were always a melodic rock match made in heaven and almost 40 years since Dare’s genesis, the intuitive duo still possess a special bond forged in timeless melody.