My first trip through to Glasgow this year brought me to SWG3. It’s easily one of my favourite mid-sized venues, even if it is a bit of a trek to get to. It took two trains for me to make it through for Buckcherry and Michael Monroe’s co-headline tour, with the addition of US openers Rubikon. I didn’t know much about the latter, but it looked like a cracking night all round.
With a 10pm curfew, it was an early start. Rubikon hit the stage at 6:30pm, claiming to be “The Greatest (Opening) Band of All Time” according to their Facebook page. They’re currently touring behind their new album Wasteland, and we got a healthy dose of it alongside some older material. They kicked off with the groove-laden “Live That Lie” from 2015’s Delta. Jae’s vocals really carried the track, backed by a solid beat from Doug and some interesting guitar work from Josh and Dave. Hugh’s bass was particularly tasty, too. It was a strong start, even if the sound seemed a bit lost from where I was standing at the back of the hall.
The band headed back to 2004 for “Chickfight”, which gave off some serious Pearl Jam nods as the song ebbed and flowed. Jae can certainly shift gears with his voice, and the guitar licks were spot on. This was a highlight for me as it has such a fabulous groove. From the new record, we got “Down”, a great number that gets the feet moving despite the title, followed by the foot-stomper “Welcome Mat”, the soaring “Lose It All”, and the excellent “Leave It Alone” – which had a bit of a Foo Fighters vibe. They ended a short but enjoyable set with a surprise Biffy Clyro cover, “Many of Horror”, which got the crowd singing along. For a band that’s been going for 25 years, I’m not sure how they passed me by, but I’ve rectified that now. Most enjoyable stuff; go catch them if you want some proper American rock ‘n’ roll.
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The crowd was well and truly wired for the next act. Cheers erupted for the Peter Pan of rock ‘n’ roll, the one and only Michael Monroe. The band bounced onto the stage and launched straight into “Dead, Jail or Rock ‘n’ Roll” and didn’t stop for breath. As expected, we got plenty of Hanoi Rocks material, starting with “Motorvatin'” from ’82’s Oriental Beat. We also took a trip to “Malibu Beach Nightmare”, a drum-driven rocker that proved Michael’s stage presence puts performers half his age to shame.
We stayed with the Hanoi Rocks era for a few tracks from Two Steps from the Move, including the pounding “I Can’t Get It”, the ballad “Don’t You Ever Leave Me”, and one of my all-time favourites, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”. That guitar intro is unmistakable. The band even dipped into Demolition 23 territory with the punk-infused “Hammersmith Palais”, which is basically rock ‘n’ roll perfection. Tracks from the new album Outerstellar also got an airing, including “Rockin’ Horse”, the bouncy “Shinola” featuring some great work from Steve Conte, and the thumping “Disconnected”. We finished up with “Old King’s Road”, “Last Train to Tokyo”, and a sublime cover of CCR’s “Up Around the Bend”. I never tire of Michael Monroe; he’s a natural entertainer who can still kick his height and do the splits. It’s hard to believe I first saw him 43 years ago – he makes me feel old just watching him strut!
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I wouldn’t want to be the one following that show, but Buckcherry were up for the challenge. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the boys live, and they kicked things off with “Lit Up” from their 1999 debut. “Roar Like Thunder”, the title track from the new album, motored along like a freight train on speed, followed by the infectious “So Hott”. I was in the pit photographing for the first three songs and the sound was a bit rough, but once I moved back into the hall, everything cleared up nicely. Josh Todd is another top-tier frontman who never stays still, and the rest of the band were on fire all night.
“Ridin'” is always a winner and has that primal feel that makes you want to move. From the new record, “Blackout” and “Let It Burn” both exploded with great guitar work. There’s a heavy early AC/DC swagger to “Come On” that really draws you in. The crowd got a proper sing-along with “Say Fuck It” from the 2014 Fuck EP, and the energy stayed high for “Gluttony”. The tempo finally dropped for the ballad “Sorry” before the groove returned for “Porno Star”. They ended a slightly short set with an extended “Crazy Bitch”, sprinkled with a bit of James Brown and Tina Turner. It was a fabulous night of pure rock ‘n’ roll from three bands who all brought their A-game. I left with a massive grin on my face for the train back to Edinburgh. Cheers, boys.
Photos by Gary Cooper
