Suited and booted, Rubikon come dressed for action, and they play like it, too, getting straight down to business with a hard-edged sound. Full on and feisty, they throw themselves into their set with reckless abandon, especially the vocalist, who looks like he’s being subjected to a series of high voltage shocks and sings like an old school bluesman. Rubikon’s no-holds-barred set leaves an indelible mark on all present and raises the bar exceptionally high for the rest of the evening.
While Michael Monroe might be approaching pensionable age, he’s certainly not ready to shuffle off into the sunset. Like David Lee Roth in his prime (after imbibing amphetamine), Michael delivers a high-kicking, thigh-slapping extravaganza that sweeps everybody up in its effervescence. Intent on becoming one with the crowd, Michael makes the first of several sojourns to sing from the barrier, having some fun with an audience that requires little goading to join in. Not wishing to be outdone, the band are equally animated and are all over the stage like a rash, each throwing rock star poses and vying for the crowd’s attention. It’s a feast for the ears and eyes, a sensory overload that threatens to go off the scale…and it’s only the first song! New track ‘Disconnected’ sits next to the older ‘Ballad Of The Lower East Side’ very well, each song increasing the celebratory atmosphere exponentially, and by the time we reach a cover of the Creedence Clearwater classic ‘Rollin’ On The River’, all that’s missing are balloons and streamers. A follicle flying festival of glam metal, Michael Monroe are going to be a hard act to follow.
If there is one band that could pick up the gauntlet thrown down by Michael Monroe, it’s undoubtedly California’s Buckcherry and their sun-kissed sound. There has been a three-decade journey characterised by the usual travails that afflict a band, but proving that strength comes from adversity, they arrive ripped and ready to take on the world, immediately setting the taper aflame with ‘Lit Up’. Along with the following ‘Roar Like Thunder’, it makes the perfect one-two punch, the band collectively cutting the figure of an unruly street gang who’ve just stepped straight out of the film The Warriors.
Powered by the kind of riffs you’d wish AC/DC would still write, there’s something so very life-affirming about tracks such as ‘Say Fuck It’, which make them the perfect fit for a Friday night in Nottingham and a capacity crowd certainly agrees, singing along with every word and punching the air in unison. Vocalist Josh Todd is a smooth operator and prowls the stage in snakeskin trousers, becoming a shamanistic figure who casts a spell over the entire venue. The force with which Buckcherry attack their set means that closer ‘Crazy Bitch’ comes around far too soon, but along with Rubikon and Michael Monroe, they’ve made this a night to remember.
Review & Photos By Peter Dennis
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