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GMT/The Clan, Yardbirds, Grimsby
12 November 2011

Photos and Gallery by Dave Merchant
www.stagelightimages.com

Respect to bikers, whatever their colours, for the role they play in promoting live music. A small anecdote - After this gig, in true rock n roll tradition, we stopped at a motorway service station to hunt out pies, pasties and milky bar buttons. Rock n' roll, eh?

Very often at GRTR! we are asked to review gigs of old icons at the larger venues like the arenas and the assembly halls. Very nice, too...it's places like biker-run The Lion, Revolver on the Wirral, Robin 2 and here at the 'red and the white' club, Yardbirds in Grimsby, who also take business risks on our behalf to provide entertainment.
 

We coincidentally met The Jokers, who had been playing at another biker haunt, The Lion in Castleford. I had made the 300 mile round trip to Yardbirds in the company of The Clan who were supporting Messrs Guy, McCoy and Torme.

This is significant. Very often at GRTR! we are asked to review gigs of old icons at the larger venues like the arenas and the assembly halls. Very nice, too. Not complaining. And yet, it's places like biker-run The Lion, Revolver on the Wirral, Robin 2 and here at the 'red and the white' club, Yardbirds in Grimsby, who also take business risks on our behalf to provide entertainment.

We could, of course, scoff and suppose that the bands above would rather be playing larger venues. Yet one, 'Philthy Phil' (no relation) had made a similarly gruelling round trip as us from the vicinity of Leamington to Grimsby to catch up with GMT on their UK dates.

Dedication indeed, but it's slightly worrying that a shorter sojourn isn't available. As he pointed out, eight quid is not an unreasonable amount to pay compared to the fifty we are often asked to fork out for bands we used to see in the '70s and '80s for a couple of green notes.

And yet, the major reason I was there was to cheer on a hard working band whose sole aim, through their own material, from the NWOBHM heritages to bring joy largely to a rock nation that cut its teeth on the rock songs that raised our spirits rather than make us think too much about which hang up we were going to inject ourselves with on the latest album.
 

The Clan were first up, and I hold my hands up and confess some bias: I am not exactly in the practice of slagging off a band with whom I shared garden chairs - more evidence of rock cliché - in the back of a van surrounded by Marshall and Hartke cabs. Ah, that's more like it!

And yet, the major reason I was there was to cheer on a hard working band whose sole aim, through their own material, from the NWOBHM heritages to bring joy largely to a rock nation that cut its teeth on the rock songs that raised our spirits rather than make us think too much about which hang up we were going to inject ourselves with on the latest album.

In such convivial circumstances, it is best to look for objectivity around the room and see what reactions were to songs like 'Rock for You' which is really, like BOC's 'RU Ready to Rock,' a call to the audience to leave their worries behind them and in celebration of classic rock that is to follow.

What's not to like about that attitude? The RSVP was warm and appreciative. Masterstroke was the transition of the ballad, 'Day to Day' and its link with Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain.' A crowd pleaser here, too. The set ended with guitarist Craig McDonald's piece, 'The Few' and a timely reminder of the sacrifice some of our forefathers made to allow us to enjoy such freedoms,

And so to GMT who were promoting their new album and a surprisingly high content of new material. With McCoy and the dynamic - but technically precise - Robin Guy on drums, Mr Torme is able to whammy his way through some electrifying shreds.

Bernie was famously the man who played for Ozzy for two weeks and turned him down as permanent replacement. He and McCoy formed the backbone of Gillan as they reached their TOTP peak with the 'Future Shock' album. And yet, both men decided long ago that their musical heritage is to be defined by them not by someone else's "recollections in tranquillity."

Would GMT be playing larger venues if they had traded on past glories? Probably, but here are men of principle who still have a story of their own to tell through tunes like 'Cannonball,' 'Bullet in the Brain' and 'Accelerator.'

In the Motörhead tradition of telling it like it is without too much of the baggage that comes with this constant debate of new vs old. The story goes on.
 

But even for six quid advance and eight quid on the door, I was slightly disappointed at the length of the 75 minute set list. While tribute bands seem to bare the brunt of criticism for the perceived state of the industry, I have never ever seen a tribute band do less than two hours. Having recently seen Blackmore play for three, albeit for forty quid, I still reckon that longevity is not just about surviving.
 

Torme's guitar technique might sound to some ears typical of many of the bedroom YouTubers who amaze us with their Ibanez touch sensitive notes plugged into generously powered digital effects processors. But we must remember that Torme was a pioneer of the screaming hebeegeebies, and should take his place alongside Slash and Sykes as a revolutionary.

McCoy's party piece was the famous horned bass, complete with smoking cannon at the end to accompany the rip roaring classic, 'Cannonball.' Great fun, and professionally executed.

But even for six quid advance and eight quid on the door, I was slightly disappointed at the length of the 75 minute set list. While tribute bands seem to bare the brunt of criticism for the perceived state of the industry, I have never ever seen a tribute band do less than two hours. Having recently seen Blackmore play for three, albeit for forty quid, I still reckon that longevity is not just about surviving.

4am return, and so to bed with an idea for biker anthems to theme my Rockwaves programme. I awake half an hour before 11 with the realisation that many soldiers did not awake to debate these leisurely matters.

Review by 'Biker' Keith Thompson

Photos by Dave Merchant
www.stagelightimages.com

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