Another gig night at the mighty Bannermans as they prepare to close in the next few days for a few months for repairs and some upgrades. We all know what upgrades I would like, but that’s another story; we are here tonight to catch up with the fabulous Gypsy Pistoleros on their Dark Faerie Tales tour in support of their new album of the same name.
We have two support acts to get through first, starting with a last-minute opener in the form of Mambo Kurt. My mind and ears are still trying to process what I witnessed. Think about someone like Alan Partridge playing hard rock on a home keyboard in a German accent mixed with The Goodies and you are close. He played Van Halen, Journey, and Germany’s greatest trance act (whoever they are). It seems he has done Wacken a few times as well; festivals do seem to like the odd “interesting” act these days. I’m not sure if I liked or disliked him; it was one of those surreal moments where you had to be there and I’ll leave it at that.
Up next we have James Kennedy and The Underdogs from Wales, featuring Jack Davies on guitar, Elliott Blake on bass, and Aggy Nowicka on drums. The band have shared stages with The Meffs, Ginger Wildheart, Marisa and The Moths, Black Orchid Empire, and Amongst Liars. The band just went for it from the word go, with singer James bouncing about like he had drunk a crate of Red Bull. They blasted through hard-rocking songs like “We Fight Dirty”, which is like a dirty version of Queens of the Stone Age – a real guitar-driven rocker with some great licks from Jack.
Elliott on bass was moving about as much as James; it’s a quality song. We also watched “Autopsy”, an intense look at the state of the country and world, featuring strong vocals and a fabulous underlying guitar riff with some terrific drumming from a smiling Aggy at the back. “The Mind Revolution” just cruises along with Jack, Elliott, and Aggy running riot as James uses the whole stage and some of the venue floor, as the stage is just not big enough to hold this band. It was possibly my favourite track of theirs tonight. They aired a few new ones which definitely bode well for the future. The band were exhausting to watch, especially James and Elliott.
Also, cheers for the taste of your hip flask, Elliott – whatever it was would have cured the flu. What a burn! If you get the chance to catch them in your area, go see them as they were pure rock ‘n’ roll energy. I loved them and will definitely be keeping an eye out for them.
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The headliners now as the Gypsy Pistoleros take to the stage. I’ve seen this band many times and in a few guises since 2013. They class themselves as a Glam Punk Goth ’n’ Roll band, but I have to say they are just pure fun rock ‘n’ roll. They also have the happiest bassist I’ve seen in Kerry White, who was dancing about all night in her faerie wings. The band are touring on the back of their excellent new album Dark Faerie Tales and they open with the title track. Shane takes us in on guitar as new boy Steve lays waste on the drums. The mad, smiley faerie Kerry is killing it on bass while bouncing about, and then there is Gypsy Lee on vocals with that unmistakable voice, resplendent in one of many headpieces tonight. It was a terrific, bouncy start to the night.
We get a couple from the Church of the Pistoleros album next with the foot-stomping “I’m in Love With Myself” and the pounding “Last Train to Nowhere”, a fast-paced modern punk-infused song with a fabulous groove that had the crowd bouncing. The pounding “Like Tears in the Rain” kicks in hard with guitar and drums, keeping that vibe all the way with fantastic vocals before the Goth-infused “My One Desire to Burn It Up” cruises along with tasty licks from Shane. I love the drums on this one as they just rock, and it has a great chorus section with nice backing vocals.
The guitar kicks in as we meet the “King of Almost Everything”. I love the vocal harmonies on this one; it’s a standout from the new album. Another highlight tonight is the crunching “Shadow Walker”, featuring great guitar work from Shane and Kerry killing it on bass. There is an underlying groove on this song that I love; the music has an almost Velvet Revolver feel to it. The punk-infused “Close as You’ll Ever Be” is just a joyous fast-paced romp, a real bounce-about song with the band really going for it. The singalong “What’s It Like to be a Girl?” is a joy, with Steve keeping that bouncy tempo and Shane and Kerry in glorious form with their backing vocals. It’s a song that always makes me smile live. The hard-hitting “Revolution” leads us into “Prince of the Damned” with its Wednesday 13 vibe. The last one from the new album tonight is “Rattling”, a fast-paced song with harder vocals from Gypsy Lee. The band end the night with their cover of Dexys’ “Come on Eileen” and if ever there was a song that really suited a band, this is it. It was a fantastic singalong end to a fabulous night of music.
A great night was had by all. The band never fail to impress, and we had a laugh with all the headgear changes. The new album sounds tremendous live. If they are in your neighbourhood, get out there and support live music; you will have a fantastic night with a great band who happen to be great people as well. Until next time, I’m heading home with another big smile on my face and tunes playing in my head.
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Photos by Gary Cooper Photography
