Electus + Daxx & Roxane @ The Robin, Bilston, Wolverhampton - 9th November 2016

Review By Woody

For Electus’s second headline show at The Robin this year the band have assembled another intriguing collection of bands to support them! Making this a real value for money gig!

First up are local hard rockers Tyrannosaurus Nebulous who kick things off nicely with a snappy rocking set! Their music has a strong NWOBHM and old school eighties metal vibe to it, which really hooked me in to it with its melodic tinge, but they aren’t a retro sounding band they just wear their influences openly in their sound. They have a strong modern rock feel to them, some alt rock mixed into their sound updates those influences giving the band a current sound which is quite popular at the moment. That Americanised modern rock feel is accentuated by Matt Darby’s deep vocals and singing style which is similar to Chad Kroeger (Nickelback) or Scott Stapp (Creed). In fact, I did keep getting a Creed vibe from some of their songs and it did feel like Judas Priest had sat down with Creed and said hey! let’s be buddies and how can we mix our styles and still sound awesome!

I enjoyed these guy’s way more than I expected too based on my research prior to the gig, and they definitely got the night off to a good start. My only complaint is that they seemed lost on The Robin stage, staying reasonably static so they weren’t overly entertaining visually. I think these guys are used to playing much smaller venues because I did feel as though their movements and posture on stage was as if they were consciously trying not to elbow or knock their band mates constantly! It’s a very minor thing and didn’t hinder my enjoyment of their songs, stagecraft can only be honed through experience and performances on stages that allow more movement.

This was the first ever live show for Wakedown so you have to tip your hat to Electus for not only giving the band a chance with their first gig but also one on a decent sized stage! It’s good to see bands supporting each other in what in my experience is a very competitive industry.

It was also really good to see the band had gathered a decent crowd of fans who all came down the front to support them. There were obvious nerves on show and a few hiccups in their performance, but nothing major and to be expected from a debut show I think the band on the whole can be proud of their performance and things will improve from here on out. They made a few rookie mistakes in their stage performance, but a lot of this was nerves I think and their stagecraft will improve with experience and confidence collected from further live shows.

The band show a lot of promise and I’m sure they could become quite popular in the local Alt-rock scene. Personally, though I wasn’t enamoured with their songs – this isn’t a criticism of the music, it’s more about personal taste. I tend to like very polished and smooth music, Wakedown are full on Alt rock act a little bit grungy and very rough around the edges so the band don’t appeal overtly to me musically. It’ll be very interesting to see how this new band develop and I’ll be keeping an ear out to see if they change my mind in future!

Daxx & Roxane were easily my band of the evening after they delivered a tight full-on rock and roll performance! Full of explosive energy and a hard rock sound that was incredibly infectious! Mixing elements of AC/DC style guitar riffs into their driven up-tempo rock the band play, though they also have a strong European touch that makes me think of bands like Shakra, Gotthard and Krokus.

Although these guys are very new to me their stage performance sees them rocking out like seasoned pro’s utilising the stage space and delivering electrifying and energetic performances which enhances the power and drive of the band’s music throughout. Fans of straight-ahead no-nonsense rock and roll should LOVE these guys. They aren’t reinventing the wheel, but it’s just so hard to not just get swept up in their music and find yourself smiling from ear to ear! A great fun band who I’ll be keeping a firm eye on in future!

They were a superb entertaining band visually but they also had the songs to match that and they won me over with absolute ease. There driven rock riffs and gritty rock vocals get under your skin and their songs have an infectious energy which is born for the live stage! If after seeing these guys live you don’t feel pumped up and energised, you don’t like rock n roll….fact….

Electus frontman Russell Peake once again hits the stage in full stage attire and face paint and definitely meaning business as the band intend to keep the atmosphere generated by their predecessors going! Just like their headline show in the summer the band kept it tight and no nonsense, just a wall-to-wall rock show!

The show in the summer wasn’t anywhere near as well attended mainly due to it clashing with an important European cup match, tonight was a much-improved turn out and the band seemed energised by this and obviously, a lot happier to be performing to more people. The band performed with a lot more confidence and vigour because of this I feel. Although I enjoyed their performance earlier this year, I felt tonight they knocked it up a notch and were not only more entertaining visually their music came across a little more dynamic and driven.

Electus have a unique flavour to my ears as they mix alt rock sounds with no nonsense rock n roll. A little dark and off kilter at times and Russ Peake’s stage attire accentuates that off the wall touch the band have. To me they have a sound which should appeal to a wide range of rockers and they have a solid hard rock back bone which ensures for a hard-hitting impact live.

The band don’t out stay their welcome onstage they just get the job done and leave you feeling entertained! Although they are the headliners, I’m glad they have dispensed with the ‘encore’ tradition, something I’d like more bands to do. If a band does that well a crowd demands one more than an impromptu encore is really cool – but it’s become the expected thing at every show and the whole point of an encore has been totally missed.

Electus have already booked another headline show at The Robin next summer and I’m hoping the line-up they gather for that is half as good as their previous line-ups have been! If you enjoy live music regardless of genre these shows are well worth popping out for! Especially as they support original bands!