Skid Row - United World Rebellion Tour - Glasgow - Garage - Monday 28 October 2013
Living between Scotland and Australia I was exposed to a wide variety of music growing up and Skid Row were a band I heard a bit of during my time Down Under and also during my travels as a kid through the US in the late 80s. From that period of my life, I remember and in particular liked the songs Youth Gone Wild and Slave to Grind.
Back in Scotland, my ears ventured to the Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets and in particular the Stone Roses and I did not give Skid Row or indeed many of the bands I heard in Australia or the US much thought. Fast Forward a couple of decades and I am chatting to my mate Big Andy from Perth (Western Australia) and he tells me his band Babyjane are going to be supporting Sebastian Bach (former lead singer of Skid Row) in Australia and all of a sudden I feel the urge to purchase 40 Seasons: The Best of Skid Row to hear those 2 songs I remember from my early teens.
After a few listens I discover a few ‘new’ tracks that take my liking such as Monkey Business, 18 and Life, Beat Yourself Blind and the ballad I Remember You. I am aware Sebastian Bach has been replaced by Jonhny Solinger on vocals but do not know much more about the band. Anyways, when my mate Des calls me up one night and asks me if I fancy going to see a Skid Row/Ugly Kid Joe Double Bill at the Glasgow Garage for £20 I do not need much in the way of persuasion. In turns out there was actually a third band on the bill, Dead City Ruins but unfortunately we arrived too late to catch them.
Arriving at the Garage you can feel the energy in the air and despite it being a Monday night there are a number of people going for it at the bar hammer and tongs. It is worth mentioning the merchandising stall at this gig as in all my time of attending gigs and concerts (I reckon 300+) I do not think I have ever seen a more organised and attractive display of merchandise (perhaps rivalled by the last Kiss tour). Pleasingly for the devoted fans of Dead City Ruins and Ugly Kid Joe there is an array of T-shirts on offer as well as signed posters, drumsticks and the like. Unfortunately for the Skid Row fans there is no signed items but all and all..one hell of a merchandise display (shame I did not take a photo)!
So onto the gig….
My review of Ugly Joe can be found here: /ugly-kid-joe.html
With the crowd somewhat pumped after the ferocious set by Ugly Kid Joe, Skid Row take the stage and open up with Let’s Go. Next up they bring out the ‘Big Guns’ and crank it up with Makin a Mess, Piece of Me and 18 and Life. A number of other songs follow as the crowd responds with air-punching, devil horns and pogo-ing! The crowd bounces to new heights through Psycho Therapy and is then brought down a level with the big power ballad I Remember You with singer Jonhny getting in amongst the crowd and embracing fans.
Some sound problems persist throughout the set and the show comes to a crescendo with Monkey Business before the band take a short break before returning to the stage for an encore consisting of those 2 songs I remember from my teen years Slave to Grind and finally Youth Gone Wild.
My mate Des and his cousin are very impressed with the performance of the band whilst the venue, crowd and Ugly Kid Joe made it a Monday night to remember.
For up-to-date information and photos follow: @OfficialSkidRow
Also worth a follow is: @UnitedWRFinland
If you enjoy Skid Row and music of the sort I would also suggest you check out Babyjane:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/BABYJANE/110902428925603
http://babyjane.com.au/
Living between Scotland and Australia I was exposed to a wide variety of music growing up and Skid Row were a band I heard a bit of during my time Down Under and also during my travels as a kid through the US in the late 80s. From that period of my life, I remember and in particular liked the songs Youth Gone Wild and Slave to Grind.
Back in Scotland, my ears ventured to the Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets and in particular the Stone Roses and I did not give Skid Row or indeed many of the bands I heard in Australia or the US much thought. Fast Forward a couple of decades and I am chatting to my mate Big Andy from Perth (Western Australia) and he tells me his band Babyjane are going to be supporting Sebastian Bach (former lead singer of Skid Row) in Australia and all of a sudden I feel the urge to purchase 40 Seasons: The Best of Skid Row to hear those 2 songs I remember from my early teens.
After a few listens I discover a few ‘new’ tracks that take my liking such as Monkey Business, 18 and Life, Beat Yourself Blind and the ballad I Remember You. I am aware Sebastian Bach has been replaced by Jonhny Solinger on vocals but do not know much more about the band. Anyways, when my mate Des calls me up one night and asks me if I fancy going to see a Skid Row/Ugly Kid Joe Double Bill at the Glasgow Garage for £20 I do not need much in the way of persuasion. In turns out there was actually a third band on the bill, Dead City Ruins but unfortunately we arrived too late to catch them.
Arriving at the Garage you can feel the energy in the air and despite it being a Monday night there are a number of people going for it at the bar hammer and tongs. It is worth mentioning the merchandising stall at this gig as in all my time of attending gigs and concerts (I reckon 300+) I do not think I have ever seen a more organised and attractive display of merchandise (perhaps rivalled by the last Kiss tour). Pleasingly for the devoted fans of Dead City Ruins and Ugly Kid Joe there is an array of T-shirts on offer as well as signed posters, drumsticks and the like. Unfortunately for the Skid Row fans there is no signed items but all and all..one hell of a merchandise display (shame I did not take a photo)!
So onto the gig….
My review of Ugly Joe can be found here: /ugly-kid-joe.html
With the crowd somewhat pumped after the ferocious set by Ugly Kid Joe, Skid Row take the stage and open up with Let’s Go. Next up they bring out the ‘Big Guns’ and crank it up with Makin a Mess, Piece of Me and 18 and Life. A number of other songs follow as the crowd responds with air-punching, devil horns and pogo-ing! The crowd bounces to new heights through Psycho Therapy and is then brought down a level with the big power ballad I Remember You with singer Jonhny getting in amongst the crowd and embracing fans.
Some sound problems persist throughout the set and the show comes to a crescendo with Monkey Business before the band take a short break before returning to the stage for an encore consisting of those 2 songs I remember from my teen years Slave to Grind and finally Youth Gone Wild.
My mate Des and his cousin are very impressed with the performance of the band whilst the venue, crowd and Ugly Kid Joe made it a Monday night to remember.
For up-to-date information and photos follow: @OfficialSkidRow
Also worth a follow is: @UnitedWRFinland
If you enjoy Skid Row and music of the sort I would also suggest you check out Babyjane:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/BABYJANE/110902428925603
http://babyjane.com.au/