On the
hottest day of the year so far can Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Sweet
and Blue Öyster Cult pull off shows that are just as scorching?
We head off to Stone Free Festival with high hopes for a first-class day of
rock and roll.
It's the
middle of June and the sun is blazing down as we emerge from North
Greenwich tube, heading towards the O2 Arena. Beverages will be
needed aplenty to keep us watered and in good spirits for what will
most likely be an exhausting day. One of the good things about the
O2 is the little Tesco near the tube exit, which means we don't have
to spend too much cash before the day has even started. Over a fiver
for a pint at one of the bars? No thanks, we'll stick to drinking £2
bottles of beer outside like dodgy street drinkers, before making our
way into the venue.
Booze
and weather issues aside, there is a whole host of entertainment
lined up for us at Stone Free Festival- bands, spoken word,
comedy and The Wicker Man! Fans are filtering in slowly, greeted by
enthusiastic bands belting out tunes on the Orange Amp stage to the right and the obligatory All Bar One to the left. But hey, we're
music lovers, so what better way to satisfy our needs than to flick
through the numerous boxes of vinyl at the VIP Record Fair stall,
whilst catching some of the acts playing next to the entrance. I must
admit, we're not really entranced by said groups and spend the next
couple of hours flitting in and out of the Indigo, various bars and
Tesco in anticipation of Blue Öyster Cult, Sweet and Rainbow. A
brief visit is paid to the 'Beer Garden', but the choice on offer
isn't exactly overwhelming, so it's back to TGI Fridays and their
colossal cocktails.
With the
time nearing five in the evening, and with a growing determination
not to miss Blue Öyster Cult (as unfortunately has been the case with
Arthur Brown), we decide to queue up and head into the sweat pit... I
mean, the Indigo!
Blue
Öyster Cult
The band
headlining the day’s performances on the Indigo O2 stage are
untouchable veterans of the rock scene Blue Öyster Cult, now
celebrating almost fifty years of dominance and understandably the
venue quickly reaches capacity. The crowd is a distillation of what
makes Stone Free what it is; gnarled, ageing bikers in their stinking
leathers and bandanas stand alongside families with children in
oversized Maiden and Sabbath shirts. As the music fades and the
lights change, the applause and hollering issuing from the attendees
dissolves into a hushed anticipation of what is about to happen. Eric
Bloom (complete with iconic shades) and Buck Dharma, armed with his
Swiss cheese guitar, cut a classic figure on the stage, and despite
them both being card-carrying pensioners the next hour or so shows
that they are in no way close to being put out to pasture. A short
silence is broken by the cranking of guitar volume knobs and Bloom's
introduction of the troupe, addressing the fact that the New Yorkers
will be performing a full run-through of their eponymous debut album
(only the second time this has been done, according to the band).
The
stabs in the opening riff to ‘Transmaniacon MC’ and an
uneasy-sounding roll down of the frets kick the event into life.
These guys have a way of creating hard-hitting rock music that at
once sounds characteristic of the genre but that also hints at an
ever so slightly off-kilter flavour. This initiatory track showcases
that this was key to their sound even in the embryonic stages.
Straight
away, the competency of the musicians performing is staggering; with
the bass holding a steady yet funky rhythm, knitting tightly with a
drummer who is unafraid to deviate from what is played on the
original recording but who is all about the feel of the material,
thus embellishing not detracting from it. Set-staple ‘Then Came the
Last Days of May’ goes some way to exemplifying this point, not
only because the band extend the middle section allowing for blazing,
soulful solos but also because the solo from youngest member Richie
Castellano sees him soldier on magnificently after snapping a string,
garnering even more appreciation from the punters.
It could
be said that besides crowd-pleaser ‘Cities on Flame with Rock and
Roll’ Blue Öyster Cult’s debut album is not often cited as a
contender for fan favourite, with their more beloved tracks appearing
on later records but hearing it live demonstrates just how good this
band was from the very beginning. It reinforces what makes up the BÖC
sound; tales of drug deals gone fatally awry, bizarre biker gangs and
an otherworldly quality that seems to sum up the hippy dreams of the
1960s falling to earth brutally in the wake of drug deaths, bad
trips, political assassinations and murders.
The
acid-freakery and twitchiness of the times shine through in the
band’s encore with ‘Burnin’ for You’, ‘Godzilla’ and, of
course, ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper’ making an appearance; the
latter bringing together Blue Öyster Cult’s prowess for
songwriting and their ability to capture a dramatic eeriness that
they mingle seamlessly with a nostalgic beauty. (4/5)
Sweet
The
Sweet could be the most misunderstood band of the 1970s. To many,
they are perceived as little more than a tacky Glam Rock act. Their
chart singles - generally dismissed as harmless bubblegum - don't do
much to dispel this notion. However,
those of us in the know have a different perspective. A string of
powerful albums - from 1974's Sweet Fanny Adams through
to 1978's Level Headed - and a selection of superb,
raucous b-sides confidently argue the case for The Sweet as one of
the most primal, versatile Hard Rock outfits of all time.
It has
been years since Brian Connolly and Mick Tucker were taken from us,
and Steve Priest currently resides in California, occasionally
fronting his own version of the band. But what of guitarist Andy
Scott's Sweet here in the UK? We are about to find out tonight.
Taking
the stage with the evergreen 'Action', it's immediately
clear that Mr Scott has assembled an impressive coterie of musicians
around him. On drums we have NWOBHM veteran Bruce Bisland, Pete
Lincoln (ex-Sailor) handles the bass and Tony O'Hora switches from
guitar to keyboards (and back again) throughout. Lead vocal duties
are shared between Lincoln and O'Hora, the former singing the lower
register parts, while the latter fearlessly tackles the
stratospheric, high-pitched moments. Sonically, does this talented
crew resemble the classic Sweet line-up? No. But that would be a tall
order in any circumstances.
Over the
weeks leading up to the festival, there
had been much talk among
Sweet fans that Stone Free would see a reinvigorated set by the
group. There would be an emphasis on the heavier album tracks and
somewhat less time given to the poppier material, we were told. To
some degree, this speculation proves to be accurate, although it
might be said that the selection process could have been a tad more
ruthless. The likes of 'Teenage Rampage' and 'Little
Willy' may be catchy, but do they have the same visceral impact
as a 'Cockroach' or a 'Turn It Down' for this
type of audience? Perhaps not. The inclusion of Hello/Ace Frehley
chestnut 'New York Groove', combined with passages from
Alicia Keys' 'Empire State Of Mind', is baffling at best.
Still,
Mr Scott appears relaxed and convivial throughout, and as the set
reaches its conclusion with the inevitable one-two finale of 'Blockbuster' and 'Ballroom Blitz', the faithful
at the front show no signs of flagging. (3/5)
Ritchie
Blackmore's Rainbow
Rainbow
are naturally the big draw at Stone Free Festival this year,
headlining the main arena to a mammoth crowd who are eager to see
what delights the infamous and outspoken virtuoso Ritchie Blackmore
will lay on tonight. Anyone in attendance at the Rainbow shows across
Europe and the UK last year will remember that the setlist contained
more Deep Purple tracks than actual Rainbow classics; to the surprise
of some who particularly lamented the lack of material from Rising,
and this year Blackmore has titled the night ‘Rainbow in Rock’
suggesting we can expect more of the same. But what is at the
forefront of most people’s minds is simply seeing Blackmore playing
this pioneering music live; signature Stratocaster in hand, loud and in
the flesh, no matter what the setlist ends up containing.
The
opening strains of ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ pump through the PA
and a Union Flag fills the screen backdrop, signalling either the
beginning of a UKIP rally or, as is more likely, an indication that
Blackmore sees the country as somewhat important in the world of rock
music. The anthem changes with a dimming of the lights and the
disembodied voice of Judy Garland informs both her canine companion
and the crowd gathered tonight that we no longer in Kansas. A roar
erupts and Blackmore enters the stage as the band begins performing a
dreamy rendition of ‘Over the Rainbow’. Then it’s straight into
Joe Lynn Turner-era Rainbow with earworm ‘Spotlight Kid’, a track
that bounces along and neatly showcases the talents of each member in
Rainbow’s rented troupe. Right away, vocalist Ronnie Romero’s
voice soars (owing a clear debt to the legendary Ronnie James Dio in
its growlier moments) and Swedish keyboardist-extraordinaire Jens
Johansson flies off the handle, trading ripping solos with Blackmore.
Another track from 1981’s Difficult to Cure follows in the
form of ‘I Surrender’ – a fan-favourite with its sing-along
chorus reminding that Rainbow were no doubt the ultimate stadium band
at their peak, and a glimmer of that spark can be seen here when the
band find their groove and the whole thing flows.
Sadly
however, these moments of alchemy where the band seems to transcend
the sum of human bodies on the stage aren’t as frequent as you
might want or indeed expect from such a group of musicians. Romero’s
admission of there being no setlist for the show may go some way
towards explaining this and also the fact that there is a lot of dead
time between tracks, causing the evening to feel stunted at points.
The band don’t seem as if they can relax into the music; their eyes
flitting to each other to keep track of where the song is going, at
times seemingly at the whim of their leader Blackmore. Perhaps
strangely it’s the slower, stripped back numbers such as Purple
classics ‘Mistreated’ and ‘Soldier of Fortune’ as well as the
beautiful ‘Catch the Rainbow’ that really shine through and allow
the band to weave their magic. Each of these tracks provide a point
of stability and add dynamism to the setlist appearing after the more
frenetic tracks.
With all
this said, the times when Rainbow are on fire musically lift you like
only rock music can at its most transformative and cathartic. These
glimpses of the infinite come in the form of the stratospheric primal
screams in ‘Child in Time’ where every fan pours out their hearts
alongside the group itself, or in the equally as epic ‘Stargazer’
and ‘Burn’ which set the crowd alight and give us all what we
came to see – Ritchie Blackmore absorbed in his craft, away from
the traditional folk that he has been pursuing since the late
nineties. There’ll never be another one like him and there’s no
knowing how many more outings Rainbow will have, so for many the
night was “mission successful” in that they got to see one of the
guitar gods in his natural environment. (3/5)
Live photography: P.G. Brunelli
Festival intro: M Godding
Writers: Jack
Welch (Blue Öyster Cult and Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow) and George
Colwan (Sweet).
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