Famously taking their name from Alice Cooper’s 70’s celebrity drinking club, The Hollywood Vampires are back in Birmingham as part of their European summer tour, and while the sun is still shining brightly outside, we’ve been assured that there’s no chance of sunlight entering the Utilita Arena as proceedings get underway.

Following an opening set from Jesus & Mary Chain and short set change, Bauhaus’ ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’ plays over the PA as screen visuals shows the four protagonists of Cooper, Perry, Depp & Henricksen seemingly being resurrected. To up the gothic stakes further, this then segues into Bach’s Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor as Christopher Lee narrates the Dracula line “listen to the children of the night, what music they make” while a pair of giant eyes cast their gaze over the stage and crowd.

‘I Want My Now’ is an explosive opener; a Vampires original is typical latter day Cooper with added sass. ‘Raise The Dead’ follows which is accompanied with suitably appropriate horror animations. It’s then time for one of Alice’s classics; ‘I’m Eighteen’ which he deliveres with the obligatory crutch. Johnny Depp then takes the lead on a wonderfully dark and brooding ‘Venus In Furs’ which also has Chris Wyse playing an upright bass with a bow.

Hollywood Vampires – Utilita Arena, Birmingham – 19th August 2026Depp stays on vocals for a rock and roll run through of ‘People Who Died’ with the screens projecting images of musicians that we have lost in the last few years including Shane Macgowan, Ace Freheley, but the biggest reaction comes from Ozzy. Tribute to Johnny Thunders is up next as Joe Perry sings ‘You Can’t Put Your Arms Round a Memory’.

‘Who’s Laughing Now’ starts with Chris Wyse taking centre stage for a bass intro while the rest of the stage is shrouded in red dry ice and a pair of huge inflatable fangs appear above the stage. This is also the last of the Vampires’ originals as they head into the second part of the set. ‘Living On The Edge’ is the first Aerosmith cover and Cooper sings it well, ably backed by Tommy Henriksen who takes care of the higher notes.

Cooper then dedicates the next song to “the court Jester of Rock and Roll; Keith Moon”. ‘Baba O’reilly’ starts off as an acoustic affair, with Buck Johnson swapping keys for guitar, before erupting into a full blown affair with some superb drumming and showmanship from Glen Sobel. Joe Perry then leads them through a frantic ‘Bright Light Flight’ with Cooper adding harmonica. Jeff Beck then gets remembered with ‘Beck’s Bolero’ and ‘Roadhouse Blues’ gives chance to celebrate Jim Morrison.

Depp is then back up to the mic to pay tribute to David Bowie with a strong take on ‘Heroes’ on which his vocals are surprisingly suited. Tommy Henriksen then leads the charge on a rousing ‘Highway To Hell’ that seems to up the energy levels a notch. His importance to this band is probably overshadowed by the huge personaliteis he shares the stage with, but he’s an integral part of the band. Those energy levels continue with ‘Walk This Way’ which Cooper carries off extremely well and Perry’s swagger and solo confirm that he’s still one of the cooleset guitar players to grace a stage. A terrific end to a night of entertainment and celebration.

After that it’s almost as if an encore isn’t needed, so an encore of ‘Train Kept A Rolling’ and ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’ just add icing to the cake. While Beck himself may have only chosen to play it sporadically, the sing-a-long nature and party vibe it has works as a perfect summation to the gig, sending the punters home having had just as much fun as those on stage seem to have.

Setlist:
I Want My Now
Raise the Dead
I’m Eighteen
My Dead Drunk Friends
The Boogieman Surprise
Venus in Furs
People Who Died
You Can’t Put Your Arms Round a Memory
Who’s Laughing Now
Livin’ on the Edge
Baba O’Riley
Bright Light Fright
Beck’s Bolero
Roadhouse Blues
The Death and Resurrection Show
Heroes
Highway to Hell
Walk This Way
School’s Out / Another Brick in the Wall

Encore:
The Train Kept A-Rollin’
Hi Ho Silver Lining