Simon RushworthEnuff Z’Nuff @Newcastle The Grove, 04.09.26
According to glam rock royalty Chip Z’Nuff, this stellar show should have included a sleaze-fuelled early 90s throwback featuring fellow US bad boys Faster Pussycat and Love/Hate.
However, the refreshingly frank Chicagoan thought nothing of calling out his peers in typically forthright fashion — suggesting the tantalising triple header may have collapsed due to the financial demands of the other two bands.
“We decided to play Newcastle anyway,” declared Chip, proud as punch that he was back in the Toon. “It’s a great city and we love it here.”
The feeling’s mutual.
From start to finish the vibe was fun, freeing and fabulously retro — from the main man’s outrageous attire to six stringer Luis Kalil’s frantic fretwork. A rising star of the LA scene, the bloke’s like a whirlwind hybrid of Vai, Van Halen and the late, great Derek Frigo.
Kicking up a storm behind the kit was Brentt Arcement, a New Orleans drummer feted by White Lion, amongst others, and a one-time roommate of Chicago Bulls’ legend Dennis Rodman. Really.
And if it’s still challenging to picture Enuff Z’Nuff as a three-piece, this was a sound that was pin sharp without ever sacrificing the loose and liberating feel of the classic band that brought us the Beatles-influenced Fly High Michelle, New Thing and Little Indian Angel back in the day.
Occasionally the band’s fluffy co-founder stretches the boundaries of sincerity with his gushing tributes to those die-hard fans packing the floor and punching the air.
But Cheesy Chip’s heart’s always been in the right place and it’s his endearing capacity for connecting with the passionate folk out front that makes these gigs must-sees every time the band’s in town.
The voice is still strong, the key messages are still positive and the capacity to entertain remains reassuringly undiminished.
In new(ish) single Heavy Metal, there’s compelling proof that Chip’s still a songwriter supreme, even after all these years. It’s a rollicking anthem that appears to poke fun at fame and fortune — all of which eluded Enuff Z’Nuff when the band could and should have been so much bigger.
Four decades down the line and Chip’s still content to scrape a living, write some songs and jump on a plane to reconnect with the familiar faces who’ve been there from day one. At the merch stand afterwards he declares cash is still king. Fortunately Kalil has mastered the art of PayPal.
In truth, Enuff Z’Nuff’s DIY day-to-day is much more rock and roll than the big budget productions rolled out by the handful of stadium-straddling bands still clinging to the coat tails of hair metal’s mid 80s boom.
Livin’ on a prayer? Keeping the faith? That’s Chip Z’Nuff in a nutshell. Always has been and always will be.
In The Groove, in The Grove, a band at the very top of its game kicked off the weekend in style. We’ll be back again next time: When the songs are this good, Enuff is never Enuff.
Images by Gordon Armstrong of G’s Gig Shots