I’ve never managed to see The Stray Cats live. I’ve come close a few times, having seen Brian Setzer solo, and havlng had tickets for the ill fated final tour when the headline draw of tonights show fell off the stage before the Glasgow date, leading to the rest of the farewell tour being cancelled! After tonight I only now need to add Lee Rocker to that list.
Walking into Mono on Friday night was like taking a step back in time. A most welcome one I should add, the sea of quiffs of different shapes and sizes, the variety of vintage clothing styles and classic old school rockabilly fashion was a joy to behold.
Another thing that makes some gig nights really special and memorable is the people. Attending with my good friend and gig buddy Fraser, it was then a delight to see a host of familiar and friendly faces stream into the packed venue. Even briefly catching up with people throughout the night (and joining them in a bit of a pit for a raucous Rock This Town finale) is enough to lift the spirits.
Before I go on I’m going to tackle the elephant in the room. a legend and an amazing drummer he may be, but, and I’m sure someone will shoot me down for this, just maybe Mr Phantom should stick to the drums and leave the singing to Darrel Higham. It’s not that he can’t hold a tune, its more like his voice just doesn’t really have a presence, gets a bit lost in the mix. Having said that, I stiIl had an absolute blast. How can you not when you’re presented with such an array of classic rockabilly and rock n roll tunes.
One of the things I love about Rockabilly music is sound of a stand up bass, so to have two superb proponents of this glorious instrument on one bill was a rare treat, and who doesn’t love the sound of a well played Gretsch.
Glasgow rockabillies The Hurricanes opened the night in style blowing up a storm with a crowd pleasing mix of covers, including Rip it Up and Folsom Prison Blues, and their own songs. If you’ve never had the pleasure of listening to the band or witnessing them live, I’d highly recommend both!
The headliners are an extraordinarily talented trio of musicians and in their own inimitable style, played classic song after classic song, each one raising a roar of appreciation from the partisan crowd. Of course there was an expectation for Stray Cats numbers and so there was an extra loud cheer for Runaway Boys and of course the ubiquitous “theme” tune Stray Cat Strut, and the aforementioned closer Rock This Town. Other highlights included covers of Eddie Cochran & Gene Vincent standards but particularly with Darrel taking the lead on Johnny Burnett’s early rockabilly trailblazer Rockabilly Boogie.
All in all a total blast, with my pal going home having somehow detached the sole of his creeper – the sign of a good night?
For my money the Hurricanes were the band of the night. You are correct about ol Slim Jim’s voice not cutting through. I was down the front and amazed that the same simple drum fill was played for 90% of the set. No bad thing when the guitar and the big bass do the work to bring the songs to life. However although Darrel is a gifted, technical player (and a better singer) he lacked projection. The Hurricanes had more drive and pizazz. Great. Reminded me of a band called King Voodoo back in early 2000’s in Aberdeen, good tunes with a nice twist on the Rockabilly thing.