Mean Fiddler

Watch out for the Northern line from (well north London!) it isn't running in places after the derailment at the weekend

Iam really looking forward to tonight. I have been waiting years to see Glenn as I have missed other gigs or not even known about them.
Who else is going ? does anybody know if ther is a support band?

See Ya Laters

Mark

This review just in from Jason Ritchie at Get Ready To Rock

A near full Mean Fiddler, which was a pleasant surprise given AC/DC were playing the same night! Caught openers Firebird on their second number, the band formed after guitarist/vocalist Bill Steer left grindcore
metallers Carcass. But here the band play blues rock as a solid trio and it's very 70's in feel. I was thinking the songs a bit samey until midway through their set when they really took off and featured some real no-nonsense rockers and great slide work from Steer. Closed the set with a foot stomper driven along by harmonica - Blackfoot came to my mind on this
one. I am a convert and will be seeking out their two studio albums to date. A well suited opener for once.
So to Glenn Hughes... Saw him live for the first time last year on the excellent Legends of Rock tour when he was the star of the show. He looks bloody good for someone who's led the life he has, especially when you look at his contempories like Ozzy. The voice is as powerful as ever and he has kept his range, right up to those trademark screams (leaves the
Darkness in the shade!). Opened with 'In My Blood' of the excellent new album 'Songs In The Key Of Rock' and good to see many of the audience familiar with the new material. Other tracks of the new album included 'Wherever You Go', possibly the weakest track of the night and 'Higher Places', a tribute to Led Zep's John Bonham and it has a big Led Zep riff
running through it. Trapeze got a look in with 'Seafall', a funky little number with some neat keys from Lasse Pollack. Indeed the band were very tight including long-time guitarist JJ Marsh (or JJ Blondmore as Glenn called him) and ex-Electric Boys/Silver Ginger 5 drummer Tomas Broman.
Four Deep Purple songs in the set including the epic 'Mistreated' with JJ Marsh nailing those Blackmore solos to a tee, 'Getting Tighter', 'You Keep On Moving' and of course the set closer, 'Burn'. Even got 'Seventh Star'
in the encores from Glenn's ill fated Sabbath days.
Superb gig, with Glenn Hughes on fine form (plenty of on-stage banter and he seemed genuinely pleased to be back in London) and voice. Good news in that that he will be back in the UK next year, along with Joe Lynn
Turner, for some HTP shows. Just wish he'd play some Phenomena tunes!

Here's another press review of the recent show at the Mean Fiddler (formerly The Astoria) in London.

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Glenn Hughes
Tuesday 21st October, 2003
The Mean Fiddler, London, UK
By Charlie Farrell

70s Legend is back to rock

Its been a few years since I last saw Mr Hughes play in London. His flirtation with the funkier side of music didn't particularly appeal to me and I was seriously disappointed by the set he played when touring with his Return Of the Crystal Karma album. However reports that he had returned to playing more rock-orientated music and excellent reviews of his most recent disk Songs in the key of Rock gave me the motivation to check him out once again.

Equipped once again with a very capable group of Swedish musicians, but with only longtime cohort J.J.Marsh remaining from the band I'd seen 3 or 4 years back, Mr Hughes came on stage around 9pm, looking extreemly healthy. The band opened with In My Blood from his new album and set the tone for the rest of the set, which was that he was definately in the mood to rock.

The Hughes/Thrall Project number First Step of Love and a couple more numbers from the new album, including one dedicated to John 'Bonzo' Bonham of Led Zeppelin followed before he dipped right back into his back catalogue, to a song that Glenn told us he "wrote when I was 18". Entitled Seafull, it was a tune from the Trapeze album Medusa and enhanced by lovely keyboards from Lasse Pollack it was by far the most progressive tune he played all evening and something that I'm going to have to investigate further.

After a number from his previous disk Building The Machine, we were then treated to a stunning version of Deep Purple's Mistreated. Sure it is a tune made famous by David Coverdale, but it is some time since he performed it live and it was sheer delight to hear it interpreted by a voice which could do the song justice. Though Glenn had a tendency to go over the edge to the 'screamy' side of his voice during the gig, here he kept it perfectly under control and J.J. Marsh executed Ritchie Blackmore's solo parts to a tee. Fantastic stuff and worth the admission price alone.

After this, the following number Wherever You Go was a letdown, but they picked up once again with a further Deep Purple tune. This time Glenn chose to pay homage to Tommy Bolin in the form of Getting Tighter, from the Come Taste The Band album. This turned into a lengthy jam with all of the musicians demonstrating their chops but brought the set to an early close.

Fortunately the band returned and once again we were treated to something out of the ordinary as they launched into Seventh Star from Tony Iommi's solo disk, Seventh Star, recorded when Glenn was singing for Black Sabbath. Then it was back to Glenn's Purple-era material for Keep on Moving and a rousing set closer of Burn, which no Glenn Hughes's gig would be right without. It wasn't the best rendition I'd heard as by this stage Glenn had resorted to screaming just a little too much when reaching for the high notes, but it brought to an end a fine concert and confirmed the press's opinion that Hughes is rejuvenated. Roll on next year's Hughes Turner project tour!

www.dprp.vuurwerk.nl/concrev/glennhughes.htm

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