It’s always a treat when a Status Quo tour is announced, and especially when that jaunt coincides with Yuletide. There’s something about their explosive brand of rock n’ roll that fits the festive period perfectly; it’s the joviality of the season combined with a band who rarely disappoint that makes for such a potent experience, and that’s precisely what’s dished up with the second instalment of their Official Archive Series. Recorded at London’s O2 Arena on 19th December 2012, this double disc finds the perennial rockers in fine form and doing what they do best; setting amplifiers aflame and getting the dandruff flying like a snowstorm.
2012 proved a busy year for Status Quo performing over the globe in support of their Quid Pro Quo album before rounding out the year with a 10-date Quofestive UK jaunt. The gig from which this recording is culled was the tour’s finalé, finding the band in fine fettle and pumping like well-oiled pistons. If ever proof was required as to the longevity of the Quo, then it’s provided by the one-two punch of opening couplet ‘Caroline’ and ‘Paper Plane’. The former is welcomed with a huge cheer, evidencing what love the crowd hold for the band, whilst that affection is shot right back with Quo giving their fans the riff heavy ‘Paper Plane’. It’s an endearment that electrifies this recording and you can almost feel it radiating between stage and audience from Francis Rossi’s good natured ribbing to the crowd’s constant participation. This is the type of audio that comes with a certain visual aspect; you can almost see the beaming smiles and pint glasses held aloft in salute as Rossi and Rick Parfitt adopt their trademark poses to deliver a barrage of classic riffs.
Like a Marshall amplifier that’s warming up and delivering an increasingly treacly sound, Status Quo really grow into this set and by the time we reach the second disc and the bluesy ‘Creepin’ Up On You’, they’re swinging with a groove of which classic ZZ Top would definitely approve. With their dressed down aesthetic and deceptively simple sound Quo are often denigrated for giving their fans what they want (as if that’s a bad thing), yet that’s precisely what’s delivered in this crowd-pleasing set. Despite (or perhaps because of) these songs being played thousands of times, they segue smoothly between ‘Marguerita Time’, ‘Living On An Island’ and ‘In The Army Now’, with each song being performed with the respect deserved. The tension that’s built in the middle of ‘Roll Over Lay Down’ could only come from a band at the top of their game. However, Quo always throw a few surprises in the mix, and this year it’s an encore of ‘The Christmas Medley’ during which they mash up a few festive favourites. It’s shame this was never recorded in the studio and released as a single, because it definitely has chart-topping potential, and is better than 99% of the songs that are released at Yuletide.
When Quo tour in December there’s always the feeling of conclusion, the summation of a year’s hard work, the turning of a page and a new chapter, and no more so than with this gig. Not only was this show the last of the tour, but it was to be drummer Matthew Letley’s final gig with the band. Yet, as this recording proves, Quo were, and remain, an unstoppable force.
Official Archive Series Vol. 2 is released via earMUSIC on 24th November 2023 (available here).
Track List:
CD1:
- Intro
- Caroline
- Paper Plane
- Hold You Back
- Rain
- Mystery Song
- Rock ‘N’ Roll ‘N’ You
- Beginning Of The End
- The Proposing Medley
- The Oriental
CD2:
- Creepin’ Up On You
- Marguerita Time
- Living On An Island
- In The Army Now
- Drum Solo
- Roll Over Lay Down
- Down Down
- Whatever You Want
- Rockin’ All Over The World
- The Christmas Medley
- Burning Bridges
Vinyl Track List:
Side A:
As CD1, Tracks 1 through 5
Side B:
As CD1. Tracks 6 through 8
Side C:
As CD1, Tracks 9 through 10
Side D:
As CD2, Tracks 1 through 5
Side E:
As CD2, Tracks 6 through 8
Side F:
As CD2, Tracks 9 through 11
