Gun @ The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton - Wednesday 25th March 2015

Review by Woody

Birmingham based opening act Klasside open up for Gun tonight. They do seem an appropriate sounding band given the evolved sound of the recent Gun albums and as they plough through their set it’s easy to understand why they were given this slot. For me though personally the band are just too diverse and experimental to really appeal and grab my attention. So, I did struggle through their set, it’s not that they weren’t competent or having a bad night, in fact they seemed a well-rehearsed and hardened live act, it’s just all about personal opinion on the songs and Klasside simply aren’t for me. Their alt rock sound is very experimental, and they add lots of elements of other genres to the mix some may see these experimentations as unique but for me it can sometimes come across as too chaotic to enjoy.

Now rambunctious rock ‘n’ rollers The Wild Lies provide a sound much more on my wavelength. They have an energetic stage presence and even on the small confines of The Slade Rooms stage they manage to put on a show of wild flowing hair and air punching, the Wild Lies provide a visual treat that is an exciting part of the live experience. Now it could be my unfamiliarity with the band’s songs, but this is where the band failed to impress me, they had lots of vibrancy and excitement, but the songs had no lasting impression they always seemed to lack that killer chorus that lifted you and made you raise an eyebrow and mutter wow. They show a hell of a lot of promise and could shortly be an act commanding a loyal army of fans amongst those who currently love Jettblack, Reckless Love and The Treatment.

I got into Gun when I was a kid and just getting into music when I caught the tail end of their Swagger album promotion way back in the mid-Nineties, to this day that album still qualifies as one of my favourite albums and without doubt one of the few that features no songs I dislike. One of my biggest regret’s was never seeing Gun with original vocalist Mark Rankin whom I still call one of my favourite singers although he has long since retired from the music biz. Since Gun reformed, I have seen them on a few occasions with the rather awesome Toby Jepson although I never felt Jepson’s vocals really suited the sound of the original Gun material, I still enjoyed these live performances regardless. I have to admit I was unsure and doubtful of moving Dante Gizzi from bass to front man was going to be a successful move.

I have to also admit the first Gun album to feature Dante on lead vocals Break The Silence failed to leave an impression and was quickly forgotten but their latest opus Frantic is far superior and although it does see the band evolving their sound it features lots to enjoy although old school fans may not be as impressed.

Gun hold nothing back tonight playing to a loud boisterous crowd who cram into the Slade Rooms. With the help of a full on no holds barred light show the band as a whole put on an exciting and energetic stage show which electrifies the crowd and builds a wonderfully buoyant and enjoyable atmosphere. Any doubts I had about Dante as a front man were quickly dismissed as he commanded the stage and audience from the opening note full of confidence and he interacts with the crowd with total ease. He may have been used to a more background role within the band but has taken to the spotlight like a duck to water! On the older material Dante’s deeper vocal tone suits the songs better than Jepson’s and hearing all those classics sung in much closer fashion to how Rankin would have sung adds an extra little bit excitement for me and a smile crept on my face frequently during the older material.

Of course, they integrate as many new songs into their set as possible and even though I was already enjoying the Frantic album but hearing these songs live gave me much more love for them and they really came to life in the live environment. In fact, I would probably say it was a new song ‘Frantic’ that was one of if not the highlight of their set for me, the emotion and power of that song really hit home and the first thing I did when I returned home was to blast that tune out on repeat! They have without doubt proved there is still life in Gun and they have a lot more to give, also from the new one they played ‘Let It Shine’ which they opened the show with, ‘One Wrong Turn’, the energetic crowd pleaser ‘Hold Your Head Up’ and their latest single ‘Labour Of Life’ featured in their encore.

The band still has a lot of ambition and Dante frequently thanks the crowd for their loyal support over the years and promises that when they return, they will be playing the Wulfrun Hall and given tonight’s performance Gun are definitely a band who deserve that honour! One of my favourite Gun songs ‘Don’t Say It’s Over’ is blasted out early in the set and rev’s the crowd up and clears those throats for the singing yet to come. The classics are an unrelenting one-two punch of awesomeness as Gun gives us the cream of their back catalogue and demand we sing along! ‘Better Day’s’, ‘Something To Believe In’, ‘Money’, ‘Real World’, the emotion driven ‘Higher Ground’, ‘Taking On The World’ the ultra-catchy and sing along ‘Inside Out’, their big chart hit ‘Word Up’ and they finish of their set with one to their most popular songs ‘Steal Your Fire’. During ‘Steal Your Fire’ Dante looks straight at me jumps off stage and walks straight over to me to shake my hand and doesn’t drop a single note the whole time as the crowd roars along on that killer chorus and cue a massive smile on my face.

They wrap things up in the same high energy style as we had from the beginning with ‘Shame On You’. An amazing show from a band who are still very much at the top of their game, and I know I’m not alone wishing they could have played for longer and I’ll definitely be there when they return, here’s hoping they don’t leave it as long next time!