By David O’Neill
This triple bill caught not just my eye a while ago, but also those of the ÜRHQ team, as Monk and DQ had given serious consideration to crossing that highly expensive expanse of water known as the Irish Sea to join in the fun… Fortunately for me, they were unable to do so, and so I was left to fly solo, as it were.
Personally, I have seen Tyketto and FM, both at Steelhouse, in 2013 and 2015 respectively, but have never seen Dare. My interest was piqued a few months ago when the Darren Wharton lookey-likey Paul Anthony played the band’s alternative version of ‘Emerald’ from 2009. I then started researching the band to find that Darren Wharton had been in Thin Lizzy from 1980, a fact of which I was unaware. This was mainly because I was a fan of 70’s Lizzy, culminating in ‘Live And Dangerous’ in 1978.
I have to say, though, their 60-minute set was full of a variety of styles of songs from out and out rock to power ballads and a variety of styles in between. Kicking off with ‘Born In The Storm’ was pretty impressive for this Dare novice. I was impressed with the lyrical style and range of Mr Wharton, as were the obviously enthusiastic crowd which joined in with many of the songs.
The dedication of ‘King of Spades’ to Phil Lynott by Wharton ensured this adoration continued. This was nowhere more obvious than during ‘Abandon’: I didn’t realize that I actually knew this one! My ignorance more than anything else.
The diminutive figure of Vinny Burns cut a certain impressive style on guitar. There was a definite array of guitar styles and riffs on display, all of which complemented the bluesy voice of Wharton. The bass playing of Nigel Clutterbuck (who reminded me of the late great Lemmy to look at) completed the rhythm section with Kev Whitehead.
This was my first Dare gig but it won’t be my last especially if they consider reviving their version of ‘Emerald’ in the setlist. This was a good start of a night of rock/AOR.
The arrival of Tyketto served up an absolute lesson in ‘90s hair rock from Danny Vaughn on vocals. Whilst there were Welsh debuts from Chez Kane guitarist Harry Scott Elliott and Johnny Dee (ex Waysted and Doro), you would have never guessed it from the show they put on.
There is no doubt that Vaughn is an exemplary front man for any band, but the instrumentation from the rest of the band left you thinking, WOW these are NEW band members?
From the opening track ‘Reach’ to the iconic anthem ‘Forever Young’, the audience knew they were in a show. Vaughn frequently encouraged the enthusiastic crowd to keep the band on point and we assisted at every opportunity. This is what a frontman should be like. I may get pilloried for this but he reminded me of the aura that I got from watching Steve Tyler at Download a few years ago.
Closing out tonight (the running order revolved on each night of the tour, with each band taking it in turns to “headline), there is no doubt that FM are a class act. From the opening tape introduction at the start of ‘Synchronized’ right throughout the setlist there wasn’t a missed beat.
Steve Overland’s vocal range is still incredibly impressive.
This was a masterclass in AOR. From the constant background keyboards of Jim Davis supporting the other guys filling the arena with sound, to the basslines and drums of Merv Goldsworthy and Peter Jupp keeping perfect rhythm for the others, Jim Kirkpatrick made guitar playing look totally easy and he didn’t break sweat in the hour-long show. On top of that Overland regularly picked up a road worn sky-blue Fender to add more depth to the guitar sound of Kirkpatrick.
These guys were superb, even better than I remembered from Steelhouse. I have to say that the sound guys did a fantastic job as well. The mix was spot on in the arena.
Everyone I spoke to in the audience thought it was a fantastic bill. Monk and DQ: you missed a treat (OK, don’t rub it in – M!).