Let's start at the beginning, this all stemmed from my youngest daughter missing out on the Damned at Koko and, through what has been a tough time for her, I bought her tickets to see the Hollywood Vampires at Wembley, supported by the Damned and the Darkness, to cheer her up. I was fairly ambivalent about it all, viewing the Hollywood Vampires as more of a tribute act and not being a fan of the Darkness, I would've been going to see the Damned and as I now have tickets to see them in November, I wasn't too fussed but Anouska does view gigs as a Daddy/Daughter thing and this one was important to her, she loves the Darkness and is mad about Aerosmith so seeing Joe Perry was a major part of this. I have to admit that I've never seen Alice Cooper so I was interested to see him.
The first issue was seeing that the Damned were coming onstage at 7pm and I work in Buckingham. A generous boss and an extra 15 minutes meant that I was in the gig shortly after the Damned came on stage, missing a minute or so of the first song. They were amazing, easily good enough to headline this place by themselves, Dave Vanian, master of the dark arts, a voice that is a gothic baritone, crooning his way through some of the songs and using the venom and bite of the erstwhile punk that still dwells somewhere within, to bring attitude to the likes of "New Rose", "Neat, Neat, Neat" and "Love Song", songs that couldn't be recreated by any of the new "punk" bands. But the Damned were never just a punk band, from the majesty of "Eloise" to the urgency of "Ignite" and the 50's noir of the last single "Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow", this isn't a band that is standing still, this isn't a tribute act to an age past, this is a revitalised and exciting prospect that confound and surprise. Let's put it this way, my daughter was absolutely amazed by them.
The Darkness are not a band that I have much interest in, I don't like Justin Hawkins' falsetto although I do think he is a very good guitarist. However, more recently, the songs I've heard have been really good, I've really liked the last couple of singles but they are still not a band that I would see through choice..but that was all about to change...
Simply put, they were refreshing, so enthusiastic, a real throwback to 1982 and the excitement of the NWOBHM, they are a classic English rock band, running through a set of killer songs that work so well live. I am a convert, they were fantastic live, funny, rocking and outrageous, I finally got them. The great thing is that I couldn't make a comparison between them and the Damned, it was like I was at 2 separate shows, so totally unrelated.
The Darkness are a good time rock band, they are immense fun to watch and you can't help but smile, they are endearing and, like the Damned, quintessentially English. There is a dearth of headline acts for the big festivals coming up as the older bands will be finished over the next few years and maybe the Darkness need to up their game and get back to the big stages, they are the natural heirs to headline the festival circuit and they will do it fantastically well.
On to the main act and a sold out Wembley had been rocked by the best support acts I have ever seen, the headliners had a show to put on.
The strains of "Bela Lugiosi's Dead" by Bauhaus eerily echoed across a gothic and fog laden stage and then roar of Joe Perry's guitar started the show. It was truly epic, exciting and poignant. Alice Cooper was the ringmaster, the focal point of the show and what a truly dazzling frontman he is, captivating, part Freddie Krueger and part vaudeville, a man of many faces, all of them Alice Cooper, baton twirling, top hat wearing and timeless. Joe Perry looked great and his guitar playing is as loose and natural as ever. Johnny Depp was part Jack Sparrow, a smile here and there, some very good vocal duties and a man all over the stage but Alice Cooper...he was the master of the stage, an actor, a singer, the consummate performer, he was just incredible.
Cooper channeled Jim Morrison as the backdrop showed the Doors and their fallen frontman, various stills to honour the dead. A biting version of "Ace of Spades" sung by the bass player (great voice) and various other Hollywood Vampire songs and each showed the rockstars that we had lost, Lennon, Lemmy, Cornell, Prince, Lynott, Scott, Nilsson, Bonham, Moon, a list that is far too long and it did hit home and I finally understood what the Hollywood Vampires are, they are not a karaoke act, they are a tribute to friends and heroes that have died throughout the years, an act of love and respect. This is a band that has been around as a tribute for a few years and they have a revolving membership, but they were a band that didn't tour, they played shows with whoever showed up but this was taking the show on the road and I really hope that it is a band that continues to release and tour, constantly evolving as members "leave" because I think they are amazing and I love the idea behind it, this is no ego trip, it is an homage and I get it and love it. This is the other band that should be headlining festivals across Europe, who wouldn't want to hear Bowie's "Heroes" played by this band and sung by Johnny Depp and his understated vocal, just as Bowie sang it. Who doesn't want to hear them play "School's Out" to close the show, seguing into "Another Brick in the Wall"? It was brilliantly realised.
This was a genuine event, more than a gig, and with three such great bands together to form this unholy trinity, I would leap at the chance to see this all over again but UK festivals spring to mind, the Hollywood Vampires have the associated rock stars to enable them to headline the festival circuit and because they are such a unique prospect with the band's personnel and the songs they play, they would have a huge appeal. My idea of fun is not standing in a muddy field, it would take a lot for me to do that again but maybe I would for this lot...
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