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One such story is detailed in the song “When We Were Young” where Jake tells us that it is written about going on a huge bender in London with Phil Lynott. They still have the energy, the songs and plenty of great stories about their experiences. The band after all these years can still put together a concert that can beat hands down many of the much younger acts. Kicking off with “Wasted Life” at the front of the stage, it erupts with a mass of sweaty bald headed 40-50 something men dancing for all they are worth. If he hadn’t told the crowd about this we’d be none the wiser, it just looks like business as usual. Despite still suffering Jake Burns pulls together all his strength and goes out in front of his adoring audience. An exceptional start to the evening and the career of a new band that I really hope to see much more of.Īt exactly 9:15pm the lights go down and the familiar intro of “Go for It” starts up. The set ends with a surprise chest pounding version of The Almighty’s “Jonestown Mind”, which gets much of the audience excited as it’s a track that has not been heard in a very long time. The band steps things up with a fantastic version of Black Star Ridersí “Finest Hour” and a spirited version of The Clash’s “Tommy Gun”. “Schwaben Redoubt” from the “Hearts on Trees” album gets played and disappointingly Jake Burns does not join him as with on the album. There are tunes like “Toffee Town”, “Johnny Ringo” and the arse kicking “Celebrating Sinking” where Ricky and Mark’s guitars really impress the Portsmouth crowd. This is Ricky Warwick being himself no alter ego or preconceived ideas, just playing his own music he has created with a really original style. The band arrive on stage and kick off with the powerful “Damascus Street”, immediately pulling people away from the bar crowding towards the stage. Ricky is an old friend of the headliners and a fellow native of Northern Ireland-there can be no better pairing. The band include Mark Gemini Twaite -Guitar (The Mission, Gary Numan), Robert Crane- Bass (Black Star Riders, Ratt, and Lynch Mob) and Gary Sullivan- Drums. Ricky has put together a band to tour his two Pledge Music-backed solo releases “When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang the Blues)” and “Hearts on Trees”. This as well as his fronting heavy rock band The Almighty who formed in 1988.
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Tonight’s support came from Ricky Warwick, who is known for his recent work with rockers Black Star Riders, and a reformed Thin Lizzy.
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We are in Portsmouth tonight on the seafront at the Pyramid Centre and news reaches us from backstage that Jake has a nasty bout of food poisoning and may not make the gig. Their recent well-received album “No Going Back” has given the band a new rejuvenation and this tour sees the band stepping up their game playing some bigger venues. It is hard to believe that these guys formed the band in Belfast in 1977 and are still going strong. Jake Burn’s is wearing a dinner suit and doing his best miming to “Just Fade Away”. I then stumble upon a recording of Stiff Little Fingers on Top of The Pops from the 1980’s.
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One late night recently I was flicking through the television channels rolling through the night numbing rubbish you find these days.