Velvet Revolver – Metal Express Radio

VELVET REVOLVER (Live)

March 20, 2008 Mick Burgess

They say that a week is a long-time in politics and that could quite easily apply to the world of Rock ‘n’ Roll too and certainly in the life of Velvet Revolver. It’s not been that long that Velvet Revolver were heralded as the all conquering Supergroup who would take the Rock world by storm. They have certainly had their moments and you wouldn’t expected anything less than a band comprising of the core of Guns N’ Roses, The Stone Temple Pilots and the err…Electric Love Hogs!! A Number 1 Billboard hit album in the shape of their debut, Contraband seemed to confirm their obvious potential. However, internal wranglings threatened to tear the band apart before they had even finished their first tour and when their second album Libertad appeared it seemed momentarily, that the soothsayers were wrong. Fast forward to their “will they/won’t they” UK shows. There were rumours flying around that lead singer, Scott Weiland was arrested/stuck in rehab/out of the band and there were serious doubts that the shows would go ahead but come showtime they did indeed show up as they crashed onto the stage with “Let It Roll”. Weiland replete in “dirty old man” style overcoat and scarf…a little like Eric Morecombe used to wear at the end of the great Morecombe and Wise shows!!; gyrates and slithers across the stage while Slash, clad all in black with his iconic top hat and shades pulled all of the classic Rock guitar poses, no doubt causing glee amongst the Guitar Hero computer game generation. Bassist, Duff McKagan still epitomises cool with his bass slung so low that it almost scrapes the ground. Matt Sorum (drums) and rhythm guitarist Dave Kushner go about their business in a more perfunctory, no frills way compared to their more flamboyant bandmates. …READ MORE

VELVET REVOLVER (Live)

August 14, 2004 Per Olav Heimstad

The sun had just set when Velvet Revolver entered the main stage at Øyafestivalen, Oslo. Before them, Norway’s own Gluecifer had delivered a great rock ’n’ roll gig, before they gave Slash & co the task of ending the sold out evening. A happy and excited audience was as ready as they could get. This outdoor festival is not the biggest one around, so I guess quite a few couldn’t believe their eyes when they first read that Velvet Revolver would be the major headliner this year. After all … there is something about Slash, Duff, Matt and Scott … They have enough past glories to refer to to sell concert tickets and albums from here to eternity. Unfortunately, their first album released as Velvet Revolver, Contraband, does not contain any song that is strong enough to be remembered as a classic like the ones the guys once wrote for Guns N’ Roses and Stone Temple Pilots. Not one of the Contraband songs is better than any of your top ten Guns N’ Roses favorites. Not even “Set Me Free,” as I back in my album review described as “OK” (Read review here), has the needed charm to establish itself as anything close to memorable in the history of rock. So why then is it so cool to see them play live? Because everything about their appearance, presence, and playing is ROCK AND ROLL! EVERYTHING! They are all rock and roll icons from their toes to their top hats. Even the less known Dave Kushner on guitar proves he has something to add to this family of legends when he steals the spot light from Slash on the “Set Me Free” guitar solo. Scott Weiland is not the best singer around (the former Guns N’ Roses guys have never dealt …READ MORE

VELVET REVOLVER (Live)

August 12, 2004 Metal-Katie

There were a couple of changes to Velvet Revolver’s show in Helsinki. First, the show was moved to a bigger hall due to increasing ticket demand, and then a local warm up act was added to the bill at the last moment. The Old Ice Hall is not the best possible place to have a show, but this time the acoustics were fine and the sound level was kept surprisingly low. This show would have definitely fit better in a club, but thanks to the eager audience that rushed to the front, it was definitely as hot as in it would have been in a club, if not hotter. Weiland started promisingly enough, taking off a piece of clothing per song, but sadly stopped only after removing his hat, coat and shirt! There was lots of extra eye candy to be had since the only member not ending up without a shirt was Dave. As could be seen, the whole band seemed to be in pretty good shape. Since this super group only has one album under their belts so far, their actual set only lasted 50 minutes, and that included a jam during the “Illegal I Song,” during which Weiland got to play keyboards. The fourth song was STP’s “Crackerman,” but the biggest cheers went to “It’s So Easy”. It seemed like most of the audience were there to hear G N’R tunes, since those were the ones that got the biggest reaction from the crowd. They played “Used To Love Her” in the first encore, and the place exploded when they started the second encore with “Mr. Brownstone.” Slash even came out wearing his top hat! They weren’t too many smiles to be seen on stage (not counting Matt’s sunny face) … the rest of the group seemed …READ MORE

VELVET REVOLVER – Contraband

June 8, 2004 Per Olav Heimstad

All right. Former Guns ‘N Roses men Slash, Duff, and Matt, along with ex-Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland, and the less known guitar player Dave Kushner, have put their heads and instruments together to form what the press for has been calling (for a while); a super group. Quite a few of you out there have hoped that this unit would be able to make the killer rock & roll album everybody has been waiting for for ages. Slash & co’s masterpiece, Appetite For Destruction, from 1987, is still said to sell 7,000 copies per week worldwide, and wouldn’t if be great if we’d get more of those songs, those riffs and licks, those attitudes, that appetite…? Well, Velvet Revolver hasn’t even tried to do their best. Contraband is indeed an interesting album for several reasons, but it has turned out to be a product way below reasonable expectations. I am not saying one bad word about the guys’ musical abilities, but the album suffers from a total lack of good songs! Actually, I can’t describe even one of the tracks as more than OK. “Set Me Free,” which we got to know a year ago by its appearance on The Hulk movie soundtrack, was nothing more than “all right,” but contained promising foretaste on what to expect … it stands today as the album’s best track. “Superhuman” and “Dirty Little Thing” are good rock songs as well, but will never put anything on fire … The slow stuff on the album, like “Fall To Pieces” and “Loving The Alien,” just don’t work at all. Both are well played and well sung, but oh so cliche. As I said, they sure play well, and they indeed rock hard, but the material will provide you nothing new. “Sucker Train Blues’” …READ MORE