Music does weird things at times. As I got in the car to drive through for the gig, the first song that randomly popped on was by Shinedown. A band I saw in Edinburgh at the old HMV Picture House in 2012. On the same day as one Alice Cooper was playing around the corner at the Usher Hall (I actually thought it was the Playhouse, but further checks say that my memory was wrong), his last Edinburgh gig…
Until tonight.
Squeezing in a couple of “intimate” shows (you’re pretty big if 3000+ is classes as intimate) around a co-headliner or two with Judas Priest, this Playhouse show sold out rather quickly. A seated venue is no longer unusual with Alice Cooper, the last two times I’ve seen him at the Hydro the whole place has been seated, so perhaps that was one reason for the nostalgia trip. Regardless it’s welcome, as is the chance to see opening act Bobbie Dazzle for the first time.
I interviewed Bobbie herself a couple of months back and she’s an absolute gem. Bringing the 70s into the 20s, Bobbie and her band have done a great job with their debut album, harking back 50 years to create a sound that somehow isn’t dated. They’ve not had the best run of luck recently, being screwed over by an Irish festival and having been on the bill for the recent ELO Hyde Park show that sadly had to be cancelled, but they were obviously happy to be on stage tonight.
The lights went down and “Iron Man” played, a fitting tribute to the recently deceased Prince of Darkness, the one we weren’t seeing as headliner tonight. The band themselves snuck on stage towards the end of the song so the audience could enjoy it in full before they launched into their own music.
Their thirty minute set featured six songs and they were all enjoyable with some better than others. “Revolution!!!” went down well, “Merry Go Round” is so much fun, and “Antique Time Machine” is a definite banger. They included a cover of ABBA’s “Watch Out” (which I confess I would not have known was a cover if they’d not told us as I’ve not heard of the original!” which went down well.
The sound was good, the band looked great – very much the 70s part – and Bobby engaged really well with the audience. She’s likeable and her passion for the music comes across well. My only real criticism is they looked a little static for the first half of the set, but as things got going they seemed more relaxed and started to prowl and pose and… be a bit more rock and roll!
Definitely one to keep an eye on, their new album is due out soon and they’ve announced a raft of live dated though the furthest north they will be heading on that run is Newcastle.
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Alice Cooper doesn’t need an introduction. I mean… it’s Alice. He continues to impress, not only with his live show but with his overall work ethic. This smattering of live dates surrounds the release of a new Alice Cooper Band album (the first in 50 years) and a show that is taking place as I write this (July 25th) in London with most of the original lineup. He still manages to look spritely on stage and while never having been hugely active while up there, he moves smoothly, he prances, he bounces and at the end of the show he’s not even out of breath while introducing the band.
The set, of course, spans his entire solo career with tracks from Welcome To My Nightmare butting heads with those from Trash and the more recent Road album. It’s hard to pick a favourite when there are so many great songs being thrown at you.
The stage show is all present, with knives and beheadings and Alice’s daughter killing her dad for the umpteenth time… and it’s so much schlocky fun. Alice and the band overact their way through the full ninety minutes and, as always, the band are a huge part of the show. Alongside the “minions” who play the bit parts, this is pure musical theatre and as such this is the perfect venue.
I’ve seen the band three times now with this lineup and they have gelled perfectly. The movement, the performances, and the obvious musicianship are top notch. They look like they’re having as much fun tonight as the first of the three times in 2022.
At the very end, Alice dedicates the show to Ozzy and the voices and cheers throughout the venue dwarf anything before. With Ozzy’s name, not Alice’s, being chanted as the band leave the stage, things could not have ended on a more perfect, if poignant, note.
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Photos by Gavin Lowrey
