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Nottingham Rock City, 20th November 2008
The majority of people in Nottingham Rock City tonight either have a full head of long hair, a mullet, a skullet, tattoos or all of the above. The minority seem to be the offspring of the majority and are obviously being taught a lesson in rock. I’m here to see the band formed from the commercial debris that was The Darkness, giving birth to a new ballsy rock n roll soon-to-be super power known as the Stone Gods, who are tonight’s support to the spawn of AC/DC, Airborne.
Rock City is submerged into near-darkness, and the Indiana Jones theme tune belts out as the band stroll on, lead by the bald Richie Edwards, ex-Darkness bassist, who takes to centre stage. Dan Hawkins resumes guitar duties, and takes to stage left, whilst his old friend Toby MacFarlaine takes control of the bass stage right, and Ed Graham at the back, on drums.
Rammed to the rafters and painfully loud
Edwards screams: “Nottinghaaaam!” as the drums pound and the chugging guitars sound out across the room. Feet begin to tap, and heads begin to nod. The place is rammed to the rafters, and the band are painfully loud. “Nottingham, Rock City are you fuckin’ ready? This prompts raised fists everywhere and You Bought A Knife To A Gun Fight is belted out.
This band is ballsy. They’re rock n roll in its purest form. Edwards and Hawkins have already far exceeded The Darkness’ achievements by a million miles. The crowd clap as the band dive into the groovy Making It Hard, a song that shows the bands true talent at producing downright honest, guitar driven songs. “We played Stoke last night. It was like playin’ a rock show in a stately home. It’s not right I tell ya.” quips Edwards.
The world’s loudest band?
He continues: “You don’t mind if we turn the heavy-omiter up to 11? You’re not scared of heavy fuckin’ metal are you Nottingham? Knight Of The Living Dead fires up, a slow, sludgy, but heavy ass song! My ear drums ache. This band are giving Motorhead a run for their money as the worlds loudest band.
Stone Gods are so Spinal Tap, such a cliché rock n roll band, but the crowd love it. I love it. My ears ache as sweat drips from my forehead. The energetic vocalist runs round the crowd, finishing mid crowd, with another Busted jump. A cover of Metallica’s Whiplash gets the crowd going insane, and demanding real respect for a true rock band.
“Stoke left a nasty taste in our mouths, but coming back here redefines our faith in rock and fuckin’ roll. This isfor Airbourne.” – Defend O Die. The fists rise and heads bang for the band one last time. “Scream for me Rock City!!” We do because they’ve played their asses off tonight. I left with my ears numb and feeling as if I’d witnessed something truly legendary.
Review: Tom S Hunt
