If Carlsberg did weekends then they’d probably be like this.
After a somewhat shaky start with cancelled trains and travel chaos ahead of Sunderland Football Club’s Championship Play Off Final at Wembley things got even worse for the first 75 minutes of the game before a minor miracle occurred and they turned defeat into victory with a last minute winner guaranteeing them a place at the top table of the Premier League and a £250million windfall sending the red and white masses of Sunderland down in the capital into delirium. Ha’way The Lads!!
A quick leap onto the underground and off to the Islington Assembly Hall for the first of two nights by America’s finest, Blue Öyster Cult in what may well be their last shows in the UK.
This however, was no ordinary BÖC show, this was billed as a super rare appearance by Soft White Underbelly, BÖC’s name before adopting their more familiar moniker, and their first under this name for a staggering 44 years. Tonight was set to be a special one.
Set in the rather impressive Islington Assembly Hall, an art deco building in the heart of London and the home of legendary performances by the likes of George Formby, this beautifully formed compact theatre was the perfect setting for tonight’s historic show.
Opening with “Transmaniacon MC”, BÖC were quick off the blocks swiftly followed by “Before The Kiss, A Redcap” before they raised their glasses on high and drank a toast to the “Golden Age of Leather”.
They were up and running and any pre-show doubts about lack of rehearsals and shows recently were quickly dispelled as the jets were fired up for “ME262” and the guitars set to stun for the wonderfully weird “Cagey Cretins”.
Guitarist Buck Dharma stepped up for the more mellow “Harvest Moon”, featuring a stunning lead break and the epic “The Vigil” while Eric Bloom hit back with the riffmungous “E.T.I”.
All rounder Richie Castellano slipped between keyboards and guitar while adding lead vocals to a fired up “Hot Rails To Hell” and a glorious “Tainted Blood”.
“Then Came The Last Days Of May” was a sure-fire show stopper. A song of total beauty with Buck Dharma’s vivid tale of a drug deal gone wrong turned into a musical tour-de force with Buck and Castellano trading solos. Absolutely stunning.
With a powerhouse “Flaming Telepaths” coming late in the set it was left to the old lizard king “Godzilla” and the evergreen “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” to bring the main set to a close.
With so many big hitters in the main set, how on earth were they going to go out with a bang for the encores?
How about “Arthur Comics”? A song from their pre-BÖC Stalk Forrest Group days, played for only the 6th time in an almost 60 year history. Grown men were seen weeping into their beer. This truly was a historic BÖC “I was there” moment.
A crushing “Dominance and Submission” blew away those tears of joy as Bloom’s call and response with the crowd had the audience involved right up to the back row of the balcony.
It wasn’t on the setlist but Dharma pulled out a real hidden gem in the gorgeous “I Love The Night” complete with the extra verse. Quite, quite stunning.
With “Cities On Flame (With Rock and Roll)” bringing the curtain down on a phenomenal first night, the only question to ask after such a deep and varied fan pleasing setlist was, how on earth would they be able to top that the following night?
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