Support act: the Datsuns
The support act was the Datsuns. Hailing from New Zealand this
band was a perfect choice to open the evening. Having a reputation of their own,
the fact that they were supporting Velvet Revolver was a promise in itself of what was to come.
The lead singer/bass player is a natural entertainer and has a voice with a fantastic range. The songs
were catchy and really get you in the mood for a rocking good night. All the band members played their
instruments well and take pride in their show.
Velvet Revolver
Waiting for the stage to be cleared seemed to take forever, the word “Slash” was chanted over and over.
But we were rewarded with a godly image of Duff stepping out to a roaring crowd his bass hanging from his
hips like a gun. He was soon joined by his band mates and the venue exploded. The only downfall of the whole
evening was the crowd. To begin with we were glad that everyone around us was mature, but as soon as the
music started they all went crazy. The pushing was unbearable and very violent. After nearly losing our footing
a number of times we had to move back and give up our place in the fifth row.
The music, from the CD ‘Contraband’, was created for a live audience; the power that emanates from it is awesome.
Scott’s voice is identical live as it is recorded. There is nothing fake about this band. They rock and it is pure
and unadulterated, kick ass music. The sound is tighter than Guns n’ Roses and more professional. The ex-members
have matured into respectful musicians, but without losing the ability to rock it like they are still in their
twenties. They say sex, drugs and rock and roll. The sex, as in sexuality, and rock and roll is still very potent.
But on losing the drugs we have a better band, more focused on their performance and enjoying themselves through the music.
To quote Scott. “Rock and roll is sexuality, an orgasm of the spirit.” Hell yeah!! You can tell that they have chemistry
between them that allows them to improvise on stage, as they did awesomely during two songs. They jammed away and kept
it rocking. That shows talent, and talented they are.
‘It’s So Easy’ is a lovely song for Scott’s pitch, the key being perfect for his voice and range, though Scott
had to struggle not to imitate the vocal sounds of Axl Rose in every Guns n’ Roses song they played. The point in the
song where they sing “You think you’re so cool, why don’t you just….” and the whole crowd screamed “FUCK OFF!” was one
of the funniest parts of the evening. Another amusing part was when Slash picked up the microphone and started talking
commenting on the tour so far, he said that the whole of the UK was awesome but the rowdiest crowd so far was “here in
Wales! So be as rowdy as you like but make sure you lose your minds.” He then introduced the new single, ‘Dirty Little Thing’.
During this song it was Slash using his voice. It was amplified through a digital microphone, giving it a surreal sound
to go along with his guitar playing. We were stunned! They finished off the first set with ‘Set Me Free’ and disappeared
off stage. The crowd chanted ‘vel-vet-revol-ver’ and clapped while waiting for them to return.
The band came back with Slash taking a chair with Scott. Dave sat on the drum platform and Duff stood behind his
microphone. Slash opened with a solo off an old Guns n’ Roses song. Losing himself in the music he drifted off to another
plane and took everyone with him. The sound was hypnotic in its beauty. The solo then developed into the opening tunes
of ‘Used To Love Her’ and the crowd went crazy. Before breaking into ‘You Got No Right’ where Slash played a double necked guitar,
Scott asked Dave to say hi to the audience. Dave walked up to the microphone and said, “Hi,” before walking off again. Scott then said, “Dave is a little
bit shy, but he loves you all the same.” They then left the stage for the second time leaving the crowd confused as to
whether they were going to return. But they did return, of course, starting off with an awesome drum solo. Matt teased
us with his rhythm patterns and at the end of the solo starting to play the drum intro of ‘You Could Be Mine’. He grinned
when the crowd went mad and continued with the opening of ‘Mr. Brownstone’, before he was joined by the rest of the band.
The big screens came in handy with this solo; we could see his facial expressions perfectly. They topped the evening off
with ‘Bodies’, an all rock and roll sound.
Verdict:The performance, chemistry and techniques, to put it simply, blew us all away. A band not to be missed.
Accredited across the world and for good reason. The Bullet highly recommends it if you like your rock raw and powerful.
Go check them out!
Sarah and Lisette
Click here to see pictures of this gig!
