December 2011… Feat: Tyketto/Wrathchild/Def Leppard/Motley Crue/Steel Panther/ Dr. & The Medics/Dawn Trader/Thunder/HELL…

December 31^st… HELL (MFN Shipley Gate)…

And now the end is near etc… yes folks it’s New Years Eve and as we say goodbye to 2011 and a big HELLo to 2012 there’s time for just one more gig and boy what a show it was. HELL round off their renascence with a New Years Eve show to remember and by doing so lay down their intensions for next year. The setting is MFN in Thunder Valley and the atmosphere is building to a crescendo, earlier in the year the reformed NWOBHM band made their comeback at MFN after a quarter of a century away from the scene and sold the place out. Tonight they play a phenomenal set of old songs from their debut album ‘Human Remains’ and some new songs from their forthcoming much anticipated second album. Although tonight is not sold out it is still packed with not only local people but many who have travelled long distances to be here. HELL have built up a fanatical following over the past year or so, way back in the early 1980’s this was not always the case, I was at their first show in 83’ I think it was and their was a fraction of the people at that one than is here tonight. The reason for this in my view is that HELL were way ahead of the time but now the world is ready for them it looks likely that a major tour is imminent so it’s time to ‘deliver us from evil’ as the dawn of a new year begins ‘let battle commence’… GD.

HELL - Macbeth

HELL - The Devil's Deadly Weapon

HELL - The Oppressors/Blasphemy and the Master

HELL - Deliver Us From Evil

TooREX - Children of the Revolution

TooREX - New York City

December 2011… Feat: Tyketto/Wrathchild/Def Leppard/Motley Crue/Steel Panther/ Dr. & The Medics/Dawn Trader/Thunder/Hell…

December 21^st… Thunder… (Rock City Nottingham)…

Yet another Christmas party and this time it’s none other than Thunder who having ‘split up’ a couple of years ago came back to play the High Voltage festival in July and seem to want to round off 2011 with their traditional end of year visit to rock city in Nottingham. Due to the demand of tickets Thunder added an extra show, which was the 20^th of December, so being prompt at getting our tickets means we’re seeing the ‘second house’ so to speak. It has to be said that this show was one of the most uncomfortable gigs of the year; too many people were refusing to move forward resulting in a near impossible quest to reach any sort of vantage point to see the band. Thunder played two sets, the first one an acoustic affair of covers and original songs which having rucked and mauled my way to the head of the scrum I still couldn’t see due to the band sitting down on stage. After a half hour break Thunder returned, this time upright and plugged in to play the main set of the night. It was all meant to be a bit of fun but too many covers were included for my liking. The crowd went wild at the original material however and the cover of the evening, the Slade classic ‘merry Christmas everybody’ sent most of the audience home happy. I’ve heard that Thunder are not reforming but I’d be very surprised if we’ve seen the last of messers Bowes, Morley, James, Matthews and Childs… GD.

Thunder - Merry Christmas Everybody

Thunder - Castles in the Sand

Thunder - Like A Satellite

Thunder - Better Man

December 2011… Feat: Tyketto/Wrathchild/Def Leppard/Motley Crue/Steel Panther/ Dr. & The Medics/Dawn Trader/Thunder/Hell…

December 18^th… Dawn Trader… (The Rescue Rooms Nottingham)…

It’s Christmas party season and not to be done out of hosting one Dawn Trader have booked into the re-vamped Rescue Rooms in Nottingham. Trader have had an astronomical year having launched their debut album ‘Castle’ back in May (25 years late) as well as supporting great bands like Y&T and the mighty Status Quo to cement their return. The master of ceremonies tonight is none other than rock leg end Mr. Badaxe who insists on playing an acoustic set of Badaxe songs, altogether now… ‘Who’s that hiding in the garden? It’s Bin Laden it’s Bin Laden’. After these debased shenanigans it’s time for a bit of sanity and a bunch of young lads called Sucker Punch play a support set which appeals to the younger members of the crowd. When Dawn Trader do hit the stage they seem determined to make tonight a memorable one with several former band members taking to the stage to perform with them. However the best kept secret of the evening (not) was to be a guest appearance by none other than Graham Oliver (Saxon/OD Saxon) pictured with GD, Graham once jammed with the Trader boys in the early 80’s and has waited till tonight to repeat the feat. Saxon’s ‘Wheels of steel’, Cream’s ‘white room’ and a rock n’ roll medley are played to a warm reception from the audience. This show was all about having fun and fun is what we had, despite Mr. Badaxe playing for us twice. I met up with Graham Oliver after the show and was reliably informed that Oliver Dawson Saxon will be releasing a new album in the New Year and playing this very venue in March with Dawn Trader, a show well worth waiting for GD.

Dawn Trader - Wheels of Steel

Dawn Trader - White Room

Dawn Trader - Whole Lotta Trouble

Dawn Trader - Angel