THE DEAD DAISIES (Live)

at The Point, Sunderland, U.K., December 7, 2015

THE DEAD DAISIES (Live at The Point, Sunderland, U.K., December 7, 2015)
Photo: Mick Burgess

With a lineup that includes members of Guns N’ Roses, Mötley Crüe, Whitesnake and Billy Idol’s band, the pedigree of The Dead Daisies is indisputable so it’s no surprise that their recently released Revolucion album is nestling in many scribes “Album of the Year” lists.

Initially conceived as a fluid band with a revolving membership of musicians dipping in and out as commitments would allow, the lineup seems to have crystallised for now with former Noiseworks and INXS lead singer Jon Stevens replaced by onetime Mötley Crüe vocalist John Corabi while Marco Mendoza whose credits include Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Ted Nugent returns on bass taking over from Rolling Stones bassist Darryl Jones.

When the show was originally planned it coincided with the Def Leppard/Whitesnake show at Newcastle’s Metro Arena so rather wisely the venue and date was switched thanks to the quick eye and even quicker action of the local promoter who brought them across the region to Sunderland which meant that fans could now attend both shows and thank goodness for that as The Dead Daisies were frankly phenomenal.

This was exactly what you want from a Rock show. It was loud, brash, exciting and energetic with a real edge. John Corabi was an inspired choice as lead singer, possessing a gravel hewn voice that could stun a rhino at 100 paces. It’s easy to see why many consider the sole album he recorded with Mötley Crüe as the best of their career.

Guitarists David Lowy and Guns N’ Roses man Richard Fortus delivered some cutting riffs and killer solos with Fortus looking every inch the heir to Johnny Thunders crown. Bassist Marco Mendoza laid waste to the belief that bass players remain in the shadows. He posed, preened and gyrated as if his life depended on it particularly on the funked up “With You and I.” One things for sure, you can’t ignore Mendoza on stage.

While the bulk of the set tipped towards the excellent Revolucion including “Mexico,” with its huge hook really making an impact there was still some space for the odd song from their debut release such as “Lock ‘n’ Load” which featured Slash on the recording but alas not at tonight’s show but in all honesty, his presence was not missed.

Rather than draw on their collective bands back catalogues for a few songs The Dead Daisies instead opted for a few choice covers including The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” and Free’s “Alright Now” while the sleazy take on Aerosmith’s “Sick As A Dog” could have been custom written for them. While both band and crowd enjoyed their spirited renditions, their own material stands strong enough and maybe a couple more of their own songs would have been preferable especially more of the calibre of the driving “Devil Out Of Time” but who cares when everyone had so much fun.

Whether this lineup of The Dead Daises endures to make the next record remains to be seen but whatever happens Revolucion is a fine statement for the band to make and one that screams even louder on stage. We await their next move with baited breath.

Author

  • Mick Burgess

    Mick is a reviewer and photographer here at Metal Express Radio, based in the North-East of England. He first fell in love with music after hearing Jeff Wayne's spectacular The War of the Worlds in the cold winter of 1978. Then in the summer of '79 he discovered a copy of Kiss Alive II amongst his sister’s record collection, which literally blew him away! He then quickly found Van Halen I and Rainbow's Down To Earth, and he was well on the way to being rescued from Top 40 radio hell!   Over the ensuing years, he's enjoyed the Classic Rock music of Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, and Deep Purple; the AOR of Journey and Foreigner; the Pomp of Styx and Kansas; the Progressive Metal of Dream Theater, Queensrÿche, and Symphony X; the Goth Metal of Nightwish, Within Temptation, and Epica, and a whole host of other great bands that are too numerous to mention. When he's not listening to music, he watches Sunderland lose more football (soccer) matches than they win, and occasionally, if he has to, he goes to work as a property lawyer.

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