The fourth hosting of the traditional Cozy Powell Birthday Bash saw the event move to a new home at the mighty KK’s Steel Mill. And the improved facilities certainly benefitted the occasion with an expanded production, more room for the musicians to manoeuvre on stage and an overall feeling that this was bigger and better than what had gone before. With everyone giving their time for free and proceeds going to Cozy’s favourite charity, the whole evening was a resounding success, with the audience treated to well in excess of three hours of high quality performances that paid tribute to the legendary drummers considerable musical legacy.

The show ran in chronological order, with archive video of Cozy Powell’s Hammer on Top of the Pops with Top 10 hit ‘Na Na Na’ followed by one of his explosive drum solos before local DJ Andy Fox set the scene for the evening. Starting in the mid-70’s the Rainbow set ran for around an hour with vocals shared between Carl Sentence and Jimi Anderson. ‘Kill the King’ provided a lively opener and a majestic ‘Stargazer’ was a real stand out moment. Others on stage included Chris Childs, guitarists Ian Richard Wills and Keith Atack, and a variety of drummers including Bob Richards, Russell Gilbrook and Harry James who were all playing Cozy’s original kit from the Slide It In tour. The Graham Bonnet era was also well represented, including a thumping ‘Lost in Hollywood’ and Graham’s solo hit ‘Night Games’ on which Cozy originally played on.

Rainbow Set:-

Kill The King / Man on the Silver Mountain / Stargazer / Eyes of the World / Lost in Hollywood / Tarot Woman / Long Live Rock n Roll / Night Games / All Night Long / Since You’ve Been Gone

Guitarists Sam Wood and Glenn Quinn were joined by Rocky Newton (bass) and Nick Foley (keys) for ‘Into the Arena’, that set the scene for the Michael Schenker Group set. Lee Small handed much of the vocals for this section, with the likes of ‘Cry for the Nations’ and ‘Armed and Ready’ taking us back to the early 80’s and the classic live album One Night at Budokan. There was a very special guest to round off the MSG part of the night with none other than Blaze Bayley leaping on stage for a joyous ‘Doctor Doctor’.

MSG Set:-

Into the Arena / Cry for the Nations / On and On / Attack of the Mad Axeman / Armed and Ready / Let Sleeping Dogs Lie / Doctor Doctor

By now we were moving into the mid-80’s and revisiting Cozy’s tenure with Whitesnake. In what was probably the highlight of the night, Dan Byrne absolutely nailed the pre-1987 era David Coverdale with an absolutely captivating performance. Dan was joined by Chris Buck, Chris Childs, Richard Bailey, Glen Quinn and a variety of drummers including Johnny Dee for a set that took in ‘Walking in the Shadow of the Blues’, ‘Ready N Willing’, ‘Gambler’ and more for an hour of classic ‘Snake, reminding us what a great band they were. Also, we must mention vocalists Esther Rowley and Zoe Green who did a superb job backing up Dan.

Whitesnake Set:-

Walking in the Shadow of the Blues / Don’t Break My Heart Again / Love Ain’t No Stranger / Slow N’ Easy / Ready N’ Willing / Gambler / Crying in the Rain / Here I Go Again / Slide It In / Fool For Your Loving

Moving into the 90’s and Cozy’s time with Black Sabbath, Carl Sentence returned to handle vocals on the always welcome ‘Neon Knights’ and ‘Heaven and Hell’. Tony Martin was unable to make the event so it was left to Jimi Anderson to lead the band through a fine ‘Headless Cross’ and ‘Anno Mundi’. Guitarists were Ian and Sam, with Bob on drums, Chris on bass and Neil Taylor on keys. And staying in the 90’s was the surprise part of the night, and something that had not been tried before, with a mini Brian May / Queen set that saw an appearance from current Queen / Adam Lambert bassist Neil Fairclough. Even through the show had already lasted more than three hours the crowd were still up for a sing-a-long to ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ and ‘Hammer to Fall’. Guitarists Jim Kirkpatrick and Glenn Quinn used signature Brian May guitars, and others on stage included drummer Chris Allan and Dan Byrne returning on vocals.

Black Sabbath Set:-

Neon Knights / Heaven and Hell / Headless Cross / Anno Mundi

Brian May / Queen Set:-

Driven by You / Tie Your Mother Down – Bohemian Rhapsody – Resurrection – Hammer to Fall

After all of that excitement there was still time for Bob to lead the drummers through ‘Dance with the Devil’, Andy Fox then welcomed everyone back on stage for a reprise of ‘Since You’ve Ben Gone’. With the announcement that the Bash is now officially endorsed by the Cozy Powell estate, the event looks set to further grow in stature in the coming years. Given the logistics involved in getting everyone together, not to mention the task of selling tickets at this time of year, all credit to Bob, Ian and everybody involved in making this another great occasion. Some terrific songs played by a bunch of talented musicians and a wonderful atmosphere, we’re already looking forward to next year!

Encore:-

Dance With The Devil / Since You’ve Been Gone (reprise)