It was a decent crowd on Sunday night at The Castle & Falcon for a show that saw co-headline sets from local rockers Dawn After Dark, playing in Birmingham for the first time in two years, and Goth rock royalty Ghost Dance, still fronted by Anne-Marie Hurst who co-formed the band with Gary Marx back in the mid-80’s and put together this latest incarnation back in 2019. Apologies to Black Country based post-punk openers Turning Back Like Lizards as we only caught the very end of their set, although by all accounts they were very well received.

With Anne-Marie’s vocal delivery still spot on, and backed by a strong band line-up that included guitarist Tim Walker, Ghost Dance performed an impressive set that included songs from both their 80’s incarnation and 2023’s The Silent Shout. They always had a reputation as a powerful live band back in the day, and the current version evidenced a determination to do justice to the band legacy. Newer songs, in particular the dramatic ‘Falling Down’ and ethereal ‘Jessamine’, sat comfortably alongside older material such as the almost hit single ‘Down to the Wire’ and ‘Walk in my Shadow’. Having only recently played a couple of shows in Mexico, Ghost Dance are clearly in good shape, There is another opportunity to catch them at an intimate show over in Notts later this month with their Christmas gathering at The Pit in Newstead. https://www.seetickets.com/event/ghost-dance-christmas-gathering/the-pit/3147922

Although they were often lumped in with the Goth crowd back in the late 80’s, there was very little about Dawn After Dark that musically was anything to do with that scene. Taking their blueprint from albums like Powerage and Rocks, DAD always had their very own unique sound. There have been a couple of changes in the ranks over the past couple of years with towering bassist Christophe Davis, (complete with very fetching orange dickie), having a sound as big as his stage presence. Chris has a notable history with DAD that goes back to 1988 when they were the very first band he ever saw live. Young lead guitarist Richie would not have been born back then but, having played just a handful of gigs with them so far, you get a sense he has really settled in. Most of the songs played tonight were old ones, but they resonated with a power that eclipsed anything the band was capable of in the past.

The two relative newcomers were joined by vocalist Howard Johnson (in striking two-piece orange suit), drummer Tony Henderson and guitarist Russ Frame and they kicked off with the stuttering riff of ‘The Groove’, with barely a pause for breath before they launched into the thumping intro to ‘Crystal High’, the song that set them on their way some thirty-odd years ago. Their loyal following may have aged in years but their enthusiasm shows no sign of letting up, as they all gathered front and centre and happily danced away to ‘The Day the World and I Parted Company’ and ‘Is There Time’. An inspired cover of The Cult’s ‘Wildflower’ was followed by the captivating ‘Truth and Freedom’, complete with orange balloons being scattered around the venue. It all came to a scorching conclusion with the communal sing-along of ‘Maximum Overdrive’, a fantastic hard rocker that still has the force to whip the crowd into a frenzy.

At the end of the set someone who hadn’t seen DAD since 1989 commented how much they had enjoyed it. “terrific stuff, they are just a good old fashioned Midlands rock band”, and that pretty much summed it up. With more gigs planned, and the promise of new songs in the works for 2025, the future is most definitely looking orange.

The Groove
Crystal High
Dead on Time
The Day The World And I Parted Company
No Shame
Is There Time
The Shifting Sands of Time
Show Me Faith
When Will You Come Home To Me
Wild Flower
Truth and Freedom
Maximum Overdrive
Encore:-
Nothing Can Fulfil Me Without Your Love