Firstly – thanks to Bede for getting me the ticket! It was a great show. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
If you like your Rock fast, loud and raw then this is a great new band to catch. Straight out of Ireland with strident R&B riffs, cool look and attitude this band of young men set about tearing the place down.
This is none of your over-produced studio-machined bland crap; this is the real thing. If you want energy and verve you’ve got it in spades. If you’re looking for authentic Rock then here it is. The Strypes lay it down.
They’ve got the same vitality that the early Yardbirds, Stones and Downliners Sect brought to R@B. I never expected to find an audience singing the chorus to the Bo Diddley classic ‘You Can’t Judge a Book by Looking at the Cover’, but these lads got them going.
It was good to hear classics like the Birds (The British Birds) classic ‘Leavin’ Here’ getting a cover on the album.
But this band is not all about doing the old Bo Diddley, Billy Boy Arnold and Jimmy Reed tracks with the panache of the old Beat Groups, they took the riffs and energy and added their own touches and Punk energy. Most of the set was their own material and it stormed along.
They also had the moves. The guitar played behind the back and a lot of stage-craft.
It remains to be seen if they can produce material that is of the same quality as the R@B they started out with. They have a great grounding, some quality musicianship and the attitude to go with it.
This was as exciting a performance as I’ve seen in many a year. A great young band to watch!
They were ably supported by ‘The Mighty Stef’ who also hail from Ireland and did some incredible Rocky stuff of their own.
A joy of a concert!!