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STRAY
Half Moon, Herne Hill, London, 3 April 2010

Photos by Noel Buckley

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At the end of every year,  the reviewers at GRTR! are asked to list their favourite albums of the year.  When the points were tallied up last year, the album to make the number one spot was surprisingly Stray with their Chris Tsangarides produced album 'Valhalla'.  Not bad for a band who originally reached their peaked back in the early seventies.

Only Del Bromham remains from the original line up but along with Stuart Uren on bass and drummer Karl Randall, Stray have made one of the best albums of their career with songs touching the subjects of war, freedom and racial harmony.  Del Bromham is a man's thinking man and has developed a wisdom throughout the years that he shares with us on the songs from 'Valhalla'.

Tonight's show is in one of London's best kept secret music venues.  Not many attend this venue simply because it is not served by the London Underground, but not many realise just how simple it is to come here.

Still in the Zone 2 travel area ,down the road from Brixton, a short 5 minute train ride from London Victoria and your right here on it's doorstep, with plenty of time at the end of the night to get back in time for the last tubes.

Another good reason to come to this bar is that its chefs make the best oven baked thin crusted pizzas made this side of Venice.  There wasn't much left of the bands rider once my photographer Noel Buckley and myself tore into the bands pizzas before the gig.  A mouth watering evening was in store.

The band started off on familiar territory with the title track of their second album 'Houdini' before going into 'Come On Over', a track recently covered by Lauren Harris, who decided to cover this song after hearing it most of her childhood life after her father Steve of Iron Maiden fame was such a big fan of the band.

It has to be said that it was the new songs from 'Valhalla' that got the biggest audience reaction.  'Skin' has a funky vibe to it which featured shared vocals from Uren which has the line ''We are all flesh and blood, just different skin.''.

There was more of man's insanity highlighted in '1600 Pennsylvania Avenue', home of the White House.  A song of protest about leaders decisions to send young men off to war to fight in countries they've only seen on TV.

'Free At Last' has to be one of the heaviest Stray songs ever and is a great little rocker too.  Another war themed song 'Harry Farr' was the last new number played tonight ended a trio of new songs that held the audience captive.

'I Believe It' is my favourite Stray song andIi never tire of singing along with it's easy anthemic chorus.  Ending the set with the ten minute classic 'All In Your Mind' (Another Steve Harris fave, as Iron Maiden would later cover this for a B-side.), this gave Bromham the opporutunity to let rip and give his guitar some good feedback.

'Move It' a Cliff Richard cover that was Stray-nized was the last encore, a track that is being used in an American TV advert for GMC General Motors at the moment could win the band a new generation of fans Stray really should be bigger than they are.  If you haven't discovered the band yet, then do yourself a favour and check them out, because the best is yet to come.

Set List : Houdini / Come On Over / Take It Easy / After The Storm / Move A Mountain / Skin / Time Machine / Jericho / 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue / Free At Last / Harry Farr / I Believe It / Leave It Out / Suicide / All In Your Mind ..encores..Hallelujah / Move It


Review by Mark Taylor

Photos by Noel Buckley

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