We’re in Wales, well Buckley, on a wet Saturday night on what feels like the start of winter.  The accents in the queue are thick with wool.  Why the queue? Technical difficulties are holding back the doors.  I always wonder why they don’t just let us in, they’re not keeping a secret from us.  We know how bands sound check.  The bar is still working.

Johann is nervous, I missed the deadline for last review, by some way, a gig I requested.  There is talk of interlopers, a support slot for the headlining act. I don’t blame him, I’m a naturally lazy fucker and he’s not. I must be a pain in the arse to know. 

The doors open and for the first time there is zero hassle getting in. Rocky, the owner of the Tivoli remembers Johann.  This bodes well.  For the first time in ages I feel like I’m at a proper rock gig.  A bass booms out the opening act Stoned Trigger are still sound-checking. The hair on my arms raise up, I remember doing this. The green amped monster rears.  It’s a big, tall room littered with disco balls and posters upon posters of all the gigs coming up. This legendary rock venue has seen some of the best bands rock has to offer.  It’s sat in a dreary estate surrounded by disused units.  The ideal place for bored teens to take up an instrument. It's good to be out of the city. English cities don't do rock and metal, they represent but they don't invent. That's left to the provinces, the green villages and towns is where British metal is born. The boredom of small towns must light the fire under hamlet teens.    

I go to the bar. 

Me: “Can I get two cans of beer?”
Bartender: “It’s three for tenner mate.”

I am flabberghasted. 

Me: “But..but it’s a gig, surely you’ve heard that Liverpool and Manchester venues charge a fiver a can!”

Bartender: “No mate, it’s three for a tenner.” 

The Tivoli is the number one venue for rock fans in the North west, this is justified, they don’t rip fans off, great bands lined up all year. 

The terminator theme music rings out a chorus of 'Children of The Night' follows.  The intro is slightly sluggish but Trigger find their stride quickly.  A bouncy chugged rock song ensues. The singer rasps out the verse to 'Children of the Night', his voice wavers somewhere between L.A and Dublin. I’ve seen a few bands from the Republic now who have fully retro activated the spirit of the eighties. Stone Trigger are keeping things simple and effective. With Skid Row inspired melodies and simple rhythmic rock and roll they live comfortably in that Motley Crue four chord vibe.  'Children of The Night' sets the tempo for a set of simple but danceable songs full of easy to sing choruses. The focus is predominantly the singer Tommy Rockit. With all the required accessories of a mid-eighties frontman, Steven Tyler Scarf? Check, Aviators? Check. Vince Neil Headband? Check.  Sporting red leather keks, Tommy has a good rapport with the crowd and with some understanding of where Stone Trigger stand, the crowd appreciates his ironic questions. 

The Triggers play through a set of eight songs, highlights including 'Black Venom' a mid-paced and serious rock song with a feel of Alice Cooper.  Andy Andrews is given some room to fire off some solos, showcasing his melodic approach to guitar playing.  'Edge of Insanity' is a stand out track from their set.   With a piano intro of rolling arpeggios with a moving bassline behind the songs, it feels serious, but the band kick into a fast drum driven stormer.  With the band fully warmed up people are starting to dance.  If you are going to see L.A. Guns give the Irish boys a listen, they even give a short nod to very best of Ireland, Thin Lizzy. 'Show your hands' gives Tommy Rockit all the opportunity to display his crowd control.  With a big singalong chorus, influenced heavily by Bon Jovi, it gets easily under the skin of the crowd and everyone is fist pumping and whoa whoaing to the outro of the song.  Stone Trigger have a strong live presence and good songs. They have a decent social media presence so won’t be hard to find their music.  They are doing the whole European tour with L.A. Guns, which Tommy was only too happy to tell me across urinals in the Tivoli.

So I’ve been told on numerous occasions (Johann) and now reinforced by some Tivoli patrons that Jared James Nichols (JJN for short) is an Stevie Ray Vaughan inspired, blues guitar god.  The first thing you notice as he walks on stage is how tall he is, like Zakk Wylde, he also has long blond hair like Wylde.  

The sound in the Tivoli has been exceptional, the singers can be fully understood and the music is loud, you can feel it through your body. 

Jared starts the set off with 'Don’t be Scared', a guitar/bass stomper, his style is ferocious, no pick is used. His fingerstyle blues is fiery, and the tone and vibrato are huge. His singing style is easy and effortless, and he plays with confidence but isn’t cocky. His Les Paul earns its reputation as he bends and shakes the neck.

'Honey Forgive Me' is a rhythmic toe tapper.  Laden with effects and plenty of intersecting solos.  This is laid back blues, with a drop of The Black Crowes and hints of the ever popular Black Country Communion.    

Jared plays with a love of phrased pentatonics, with homages that veer between SRV and Jimi.  His snappy fingerstyle gets people moving. He has a good southern twang in his voice despite being a northern son of Wisconsin. JJN belt out a fantastic cover of Black Sabbaths 'N.I.B 'with help from the evergreen Tracii Guns. The crowd is bouncing, women are dancing, the men range in age from the youthful and inquisitive to those getting a free bus pass. 

Jared James Nichols Band are worth a watch and he is definitely a stellar guitarist in the same rarefied air that the likes of Derek trucks might be breathing. Jared James Nichold is also touring the full European tour with L.A .Guns.

Once again, I come face to face with an eighties hair band I never really listened to back then.  Sometimes if we are going to see unsigned or small bands I’ll give them a listen before we get to the venue.  It helps see if they are well polished etc.  However with these well traveled veterans of the 80's rock scene I like to go in fresh. See how they grab me. Well from the off they grabbed hold and never fucking let go. Shit! Tracii Guns can shred the arse off a rhino with his 69 reissue Les Paul! 

The dynamic and fist shaking riff of 'No Mercy' rings out. Tracii Guns looks much more modern in his jeans and T-shirt combo.  The rest of the band in leather and hats with pale makeup and dark eyes, it’s a weird juxtaposition. Guns melts through guitar parts.  With high octane choruses, the crowd shouts back "show no mercy", and Guns shows none. I’m surprised at some of the melodies, complex, winding vocal parts followed by instrumental breaks and inevitably a searing solo.  'Electric Gypsy' warms the band up, the crowd are boogying, this is pop dance metal at its best. 'Over the Edge' intros slow and moody, a big single bass note booms around the small venue.  It’s at this point the singer Phil Lewis introduces himself to the crowd, Lewis the tall, slender vocalist for L.A. Guns on and off for nearly thirty years has a rangy voice. 'Over the edge' is a stripped back power ballad, it would expose a lesser voice.  With a slight nod to Cinderella’s Tom Keifer but with a subtler chorus, 'Over the Edge' pulses through the crowd and everyone his nodding along to the rhythm. Tracii's Solo is melodic and precise. I might add, at some point I did see a violin bow!

They tear through 'Sex Addiction' and the crowd is bouncing. It isn’t packed, but for a thirty year old band it’s an impressive turn out in such a remote venue.   'The Flood's the Fault of the Rain' is as much a homage to house of the rising sun as you are likely to hear from a band.  It’s almost identical in some parts and the only low point of the set for me. It has an essence of early Aerosmith. The quality is still high but the derivation is also there. It’s after this song that Guns changes from the 59 Reissue to his Chubtone custom. A single pickup, eighties, Frankenstein shred machine.  With it’s racing green single stripe from neck to back, it is glorious.  The sound from it, is similar to a Charvel San Dimas.  He rips into the intro to 'Speed' an hot cheese toastie of eighties pomp. L.A. Guns has a heavy Ramones influence with plenty of shouted call and response choruses. The solo is mixture of exotic and chromatic scales and is a good showcase of Guns writing. 

More than half the set is taken from L.A. Guns most successful album 'Cocked and Loaded'. They have written and produced new material for not only themselves but various projects over the years. They invite Jared James Nichols and Andy Andrews up on stage to jam out a solo track. The slick, delayed high gain soloing I grew up, listening to Randy Rhoads and Van Halen pours out of the Guns Chubtone custom.  It’s Grandiose and almost drowns Nichols Les Paul, A P90 vs what looks like a Seymour Duncan 59.  There can only be one!  The Jam is long and give the crowd a chance to get settled for the last few songs. The last two songs are L.A. Guns biggest commercial successes.  'The Ballad of Jayne' and 'Rip and Tear'.  The Ballad of Jayne is a Americana Rock style acoustic power ballad.  Think 'I remember you', 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' but with a style more akin to The Black Crowes.  Again there are hints of punk and country in the band. Rip and Tear is almost as straight ahead rock as your likely to hear, it has an AC/DC vibe.  A classic eighties rock band verse with a goodtime blues 12 bar feel. The Chorus is another Ramonesesque call and response.  The crowd are fist pumping.  We have done a lot of nostalgia this year and L.A. Guns are one of the most fun bands we have seen. Tracii Guns looks in great shape and the band sound as tight as ever.  Phil Lewis was the standout performer on the night, the crowd warmed to him right away. L.A. Guns continue their European tour in the Netherlands on Monday night.                 

The Tivoli was a surprise and the best venue I have had the pleasure of reviewing for a while.  The beer was at a great price and they have a full calendar of rock and metal bands that would put it’s big city neighbours to shame.  It’s definitely worth the trip to Buckley.  See Rockflesh.com for upcoming gigs/dates.