adminW.A.S.P. and Armored Saint joined forces for a full metal assault across the UK. Rushonrock’s Niall Lumley got drunk on mid 80s nostalgia.
Animal instinct… four decades down the line
Left, right and centre — 50-something blokes who sneaked home copies of W.A.S.P.’s infamous Animal (F**K Like A Beast) single as metal mad teens jostled for position in a steaming O2 City Hall. Those same kids had rushed out to buy copies of Kerrang!, featuring frenzied frontman Blackie Lawless supping blood from a skull. And some of them might even have bluffed their way into the Mayfair for the band’s first Newcastle show. The rest of us had to wait until a City Hall date and a show where W.A.S.P. more than lived up to the hype. But four decades down the line could Lawless’s legendary theatrics still cut the mustard?
Lawless fires up the L.O.V.E. Machine
The first set was the debut album in full and — let’s face it — that’s what we came for. W.A.S.P. penned catchier songs — and flirted with mainstream stardom later on in their career — but nothing was ever as sleazy or fun as that febrile first album. The songs are simple glam metal (Blackie’s ex-New York Dolls so what do you expect?) and perfect for live singalongs. Lawless confessed he was nervous about playing all the tracks in album order but that’s how the fans lapped them up in the first place. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. After I Wanna Be Somebody we hit an immediate highlight with L.O.V.E. Machine and a dizzying gig rolled on from there. The Torture Never Stops ushered in the mid-set break but a bouncing crowd was only just warming up.
The Best Of W.A.S.P. is better than most
Knowing what was about to hit them after that full throttle first set, a strangely subdued City Hall crowd took the opportunity to pause for breath. It proved to be the calm before a riotous storm as Blackie and the boys returned with a Best Of set for the ages. The highlight was a wonderful reworking of The Who’s The Real Me. Blind in Newcastle/Texas wrapped a memorable show but only after an unnecessary monologue about free speech. Nice sentiment Blackie (and maybe a nod to his mid 80s war of words with Tipper Gore) but W.A.S.P. are about fun and torture — not politics. Always were and always will be.
Saints alive
Most of the City Hall faithful had rocked up early to see John Bush’s Armored Saint play their first Newcastle gig. And yes — they delivered. The voice that could have driven Metallica and later led Anthrax filled a storied venue with all the power and passion the Toon’s metal masses had hoped for. Long Before I Die and Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants were the standout tracks before the Saints gave us the awesome Can U Deliverand Reign Of Fire to close. The frenzied crowd reaction must have left a bewildered Bush and co. wondering why they’d never been to Newcastle before?
Images by Adam Kennedy