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Velvet Revolver; a supergroup in terms of content and band members, containing three former members of Guns N’ Roses a Stone Temple Pilot and two of Dave Navarro’s band members. With such rock pedigree and a surprisingly good debut album I'm intrigued about what to expect from them as a live proposition. However, with support band The Datsuns I know exactly what to expect, high-octane rock. With the front three working their way through the Classic Rock Poses Handbook they whip the crowd into a slam dancing frenzy. ‘Mother Fucker From Hell’ is the perfect opening track for the night, with the highlight from the half hour set being ‘In Love’ which most of the audience seem to know.
As The Datsuns finish the tension starts to build. Standing in the middle of the Slash fan club (which basically extends to the whole of the pit) it's clear who is going to get the loudest cheer when the band came on. Like a latter day Clapton, Slash’s guitar playing inspires devoted followers, most of who are trying to claw their way over me to get to their god.
The band have a great stage presence and are more than just the left-over parts from a couple of great rock bands. Opening with the first track of their album, ‘Sucker Train Blues’, the crowd erupts. Keeping the volume up loud they go straight into ‘Do It For The Kids’. By ‘Headspace’ clothes are being shed with Scott Weiland looking like a muscled prisoner of war, Duff McKagan looking scary and Slash unveiling a t-shirt with the logo – ‘I have the biggest dick in the band’, it wouldn't matter even if he had the smallest dick in the world the way he's soloing the ass out of his guitar. Dave Kushner (sporting a moustache like a trigger-happy ‘Chopper’ Read) and Matt Sorum are devoted practitioners of the rock pout and strut.With megaphone in hand Scott launches into STP crowd pleaser ‘Crackerman’, which sounds fantastic. ‘Illegal I Song’ is followed by the upbeat ‘Fall To Pieces’ and then the gritty ‘Big Machine’. The first Guns N’ Roses song of the night; ‘It’s So Easy’ comes next, which has the crowd surging towards the stage. It's really great the band don’t shy away from playing past hits as ‘Sex Type Thing’ sounds just as good now as it did thirteen years ago. ‘Set Me Free’ ends the main set before the crowd tempt VR back onstage for the encore.
Slash comes back on stage with his trademark hat on and there's cigarettes all round for popular G N’ R song ‘Used To Love Her’. Then ‘You Got No Right’ sees Slash brandishing a double necked guitar and rocking out. The night finally ends with ‘Slither’ and Velvet Revolver prove themselves as a band in their own right.
Photos by Michelle Evans
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