Review by Paul H Birch, photos by Haluk Gurer and Mark Lear.

The guy up on stage sporting a fuzzy beard informs us he’s not Rosalie Cunningham. No fooling. She’s been taken ill and Jack J Hutchinson has rode-in to save this support slot date  – Headliners FM invited a variety of guests for selected dates, of which he was already scheduled to play others, so that was fortunate. Like the man himself, his band are wearing wide-brimmed hats, the music they’ll play generally defined as blues rock, but listening tonight it’s apparent Hutchinson is something of an  aural storyteller too.

Kicking off with some catchy riffing, his voice mellow carrying the tune well; it’s not long before his foot’s resting on a monitor playing a guitar solo. He name checks the guys either side of him early in the set, Phil Wilson to his right adds snap, crackle, and some pop on the drums, while over to his left is the tall frame of Greg Smith on a meaty five string bass. First number over they’re into the motorbike revving single ‘Bullets’ then with a change of guitar ‘The Road To Hell’ proves a slower Southern Gothic movement and it’s here where the echoed vocals begin to offer insight into his penchant for more thoughtful narratives, the song itself proving a stirring enough epic.

The man’s had four albums out he informs the ignorant among us, and the bright rocking ‘Call Of The Wild’ is offered next from that collection. He then tells us how his father was diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s a few years back and how he wrote ‘I Will Follow You’ for him,  then laughs that his dad would have preferred an AC/DC number, placing the man’s character square, showing the subtle differences between father and son, and so too the love. A chordal strum with a country shyness to it edges towards a bluesier beat before going out in a Southern rock glory – “It means a lot to me that you joined in,” he remarks sincerely before launching into the band’s final number, the power-charged ‘Constellations’ that incorporates more of his wiry-yet-lyrical guitar solos.

He’s proved interesting and entertaining,  A mental note is made to check out Jack J Hutchinson, and give what he’s singing about a good listen. The songs appear to go beyond the more obvious.

KK’s Steel Mill always treat support acts well. Their name and/or logo gets emblazoned across the stage’s large screen projector and there’s good use of the lighting arrangement. For the headline act tonight, the screen will also adorn assorted album covers alongside the FM logo glaring at us as we return from the bar (a pint of KK’s Dark in hand) as the main lights go down white spotlights twirl from on high swooping to shine down on the audience who begin to whoop as figures take up position on stage. Pitched between a bank of keyboards either side of him, Jem Davis begins playing, as other join in and Steve Overland asks “How we doing, guys!” on what will soon feel like a regular night out with old friends. Pounding away with chorus perfect harmonies they turn on the lights for ‘Synchronized’, chiming away as those white strobes change to reds and blues that sweep over the stage. Without taking a breath they’re straight into ‘I Belong To The Night’ the frontline working the full breadth of the stage. ‘Turn This Car Around’ has them kicking into first gear when you thought they were already there, a euphoric feel good vibe exuded overcoming its lyrical life decision quandary – Similarly the light show is going hyper,  while Overland, Jim Kirkpatrick and Merv Goldsworthy with guitars and bass fall into that old Status Quo pose beside each other as they chug on down. 

Having three songs in quick succession, Overland strides the stage with microphone stand between his fists, while – as with a few more occasions tonight – he’ll half-feign a rock weariness, “Here we are again, another album, another tour…” We’re promised new songs, some old chestnuts and others rarely played over the next hour or so, then with a synth-thrilled keyboard intro from Jem Davis the first power ballad of the night – as such – gets aired with ‘Someday (You’ll Come Running)’.

New number ‘Living On The Run’ comes next and the stakes for best song of the night so far get higher, Kirkpatrick’s infectious guitar riff having us refocus our attentions towards him as he proceeds to play an absolute blinder tonight – He turns in solos of inscrutable dexterity with a left hand that looks to be doing reverse clock face turnarounds of his fretboard, delivering an individualistic tone, while not losing sight of the melodic nuances this band thrive on. Similarly, it must be said, across stage, Merv Goldsworthy defies that bland hold the root note regimen of melodic bass players, rather these are rock ‘n  roll lines, sharp and precise, swinging with a hefty bottom end and keeping the beat alongside drummer Pete Jupp who himself ensures that when they end a song that they go hell for leather without taking prisoners. Here on this number, they’re rocking away, hitting us with several counter melodies and hook lines that a good part of the audience are already singing along to a song not long released. Kirkpatrick has us looking over his way for at least two solos on this one, the first clever, scuzzy in sound, but short, the latter more leary as it wails away, Jupp beating ten tons of crap out of his kit as it reaches a climax.

Goldsworthy and Overland having left the stage, Jupp and a stage front poised Kirkpatrick leads a lengthy instrumental intro before the others return and a great big collective “Whoa-oh-oh!” gets called out into the mics and about me fists pump into the air for a strident take on ‘Let Love Be The Leader’. There’s some running to the front edge of the left hand side of the stage by Goldsworthy and Overland before the latter’s over the other side performing a harmony solo with Kilpatrick, the bass player then joining them to do their three-man-army Quo movement.

Live, new song ‘Don’t Call It Love’ proves another evening highlight, Jupp’s hi-hat and Davis’ synth teasing us in to what becomes a romping rocker; this well polished engine of a band not faking it in a live environment with some more great harmonies and Overland belting it out with aplomb centre stage, all while Davis’ keyboards subtly play something befitting the Madhatter’s tea party while it the band continue to rock out.

Old Habits Die Hard’s cover is up on the back screen, eerie keyboard effects flutter and a slow blues lines runs through for the Sergio Leone AOR that’s ‘Black Water’. Slower paced it possibly gives them time to get their energy back, but there’s little sign of sweat running down foreheads.

Bass throbbing, audience clapping, the inherent narrative humour in ‘Burning My Heart Down’ comes across well to these ears and Kirpatrick adds sleazy sonics to a solo that boils over towards the song’s climax, and similarly he shines on early band number ‘Dangerous’ at the end of which Overland reminds everyone how long ago it was recorded, asks how many out in the crowd have been with them since then, and then thanks them for keeping him in a job. Truthfully, maybe the song has aged a bit which I’m not totally keen on but I look to be in a minority because there are some hefty blokes here and about shrugging their shoulders amiably and females shaking all they’ve got waving their arms wildly in the air.  Played with vigour ‘Does It Feel Like Love’ has the rhythm section pumping hard as guitars accentuates the chord changes before ‘Incredible’ takes on something of an epic gospel feel.

FM now head for the homerun, ensuring no one gets left behind. The guitars commence a steady charge before steadfast chord changes ring out and there’s an unruly sea of grown men pumping the air with their fists as they sing their hearts out to ‘That Girl’; fortunately, the guys on stage are louder and can hold a tune. Without let up, Goldsworthy’s bass line prefigures ‘Bad Luck’ followed by a hard but melodious ‘Tough It Out’. Overland claims those gathered at KK’s are the best singers they’ve heard on the tour, but we’re long enough in the tooth to take such platitudes in our collective stride. There’s some semblance of sweat about the brows on stage now and Overland’s white shirt’s showing wrinkles under the armpits, but they’re still giving it large moving about the stage as they end the set on a euphoric high with ‘Kill By Love’ before returning for a two song finale of an encore.

Jem Davis reappears on stage first and walks up to the mic – and I think I’m correct in reporting, because there were some big cheers from the crowd – that he’s recently had some “great news” with a two year all-clear cancer diagnosis, briefly discusses that bugger of a disease, tells us how writing ‘Just Walk Away’ had helped that spiritual healing process for him then bounding up to his keyboards. Positioned he proceeds to make out like a one-man symphonic orchestra before switching to electric piano. Overland walks back on, asks us to give it up for Davis, and the pair deliver the empowering ballad in full, Kilpatrick joining them near the end as his guitar helps take the number to its zenith. Amidst the applause Davis wraps his keytar round his neck and takes up position for a four man strong front line up and the night’s final number ‘Heart Of The Matter’ – With continued bouncing and racing about the stage, assorted two-man smiling faces-off between all five, they go out on high.

After one particularly virtuoso solo “whoa-ah-whoa” styled vocal Steve Overland sighs and laughs that he’s been doing this for 43 years now… We share in the self-admiration; what he’s really telling us is he may be knocking on but he’s still bloody better than most singers out there.  Now, we could argue about a few song choices, the overuse of a few catch phrases from the Paul Rogers songbook and the odd set stage routine, but they’re varying their set each tour and very rarely does a song not sound fresh and never come across without enthused playing. 

It’s absolutely packed here tonight, even more in attendance than when I saw them at The Asylum in Brum a year back; that’s pretty good news for fans of silver foxed rock ‘n soul and hopefully FM and KK’s coffers.

Set List:

• Synchronized

  

• I Belong To The Night

• Turn This Car Around

• Someday (You’ll Come Running)

• Living On The Run

• Let Love Be The Leader

• Don’t Call It Love

• Black Water

• Burning My Heart Down

• Dangerous

• Does It Feel Like Love

• Incredible

• That Girl

• Bad Luck

• Tough It Out

• Killed By Love

Encores:

• Just Walk Away

• Heart Of The Matter