It’s quite incredible to think that Blaze Bayley has been a presence on the UK rock scene (and by extension in many of our lives) for over four decades. From Wolfsbane to Iron Maiden to his solo material, Blaze has always been a performer of passion and fire, and tonight’s show, centred around the anniversary of his first solo album “Silicon Messiah” - itself now a staggering quarter of a century old – shows just why he’s still held in such high regard by so many after all these years.
Read MoreIt’s not often that you get to see two amazing bands doing a free meet and greet before and after a show. This unique combination of down to earth humbleness and sophisticated musicianship is precisely what we got at Eleven.
Absolva were the first group to hit the stage and they have a fascinating sound to them. NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) brought back to life but modernised in a way that you can still hear its roots without it being spoiled.
Read MoreThe night didn’t start well. The Creamfields Festival was on the same weekend in my home town of Warrington, and I forgot. This meant that I spent a whole lot more time than I had planned for sitting in barely-moving traffic on the M56, resulting in me completely missing tonight’s first band Hollowpoint. Bah. Sorry Hollowpoint, I’ll catch you next time. The next thing I realised was that my “proper” camera, which had been on the coffee table in my living room while the battery was charging was….. still on the coffee table in my living room. Damn. So I apologise in advance if the pictures aren’t up to our usual standard, the bands were great, the lighting was great, your reviewer is a fuckwit. Onwards!
Read MoreWith no particular expectations as to what the evening may bring, I am, tonight travelling down the M56 to the Tivoli in Buckley. Once again, as well as photographing I am back on penning duties. Rock writers these days are as unpredictable in their delivery as a deal for Brexit.
Blaze Bayley is currently on a 4 date mini UK tour before heading for the continent, showcasing his latest release “The Redemption of William Black”, the final instalment of the trilogy “Infinite Entanglement”. Blaze Bayley is infamous for being the guy who was a lead singer for a decade in the band ‘Wolfsbane’ with no notable success (compared with his peers of the late 80s). That is, until Blaze got to be that guy who was picked to replace Bruce Dickinson; Iron Maiden lead singer during the mid 90s Just for a couple of albums whilst Bruce Dickinson was going through a bit of a midlife crisis, being an airline pilot, writer in no particular order. Anyway, I digress.
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