Live Review : Midnite City + Saints Of Sin + King Voodoo @ Nigthrain, Bradford on November 23rd 2019

It’s a grim day today. The weather is dreadful, and low cloud hangs like a pall over the city of Bradford. So what better way to get past it than getting my glitter on and heading out for a night of party rock?

First band King Voodoo didn’t appear to get the memo. They are good, but in more of a broody, bluesy, dark kind of way. Their songs have an edge to them, and although I enjoy them they are not exactly party animals. There are a couple of standout songs, one which I think was called ‘Shine Down’ and did actually sound a bit like erm Shinedown, and a semi-acoustic ballad ‘Left Alone’ that was really nice. They chuck in a rocked-out cover of Queen’s “Tie Your Mother Down” which is fun, and follow it with another ballad that will feature on their forthcoming EP. The vocals are good, the musicianship is good, it’s just that they are more of a sedate coffee morning than an all-night rave.

If King Voodoo are a coffee morning then Saints of Sin are more of a mad hatters tea party. They bounce onto the stage like a handful of Duracell bunnies, and basically don’t stop bouncing til the end of the set. It’s only a few weeks since I last saw them, and I’m happy to report that they were just as good. The vocals are still their strongest point, both lead and harmonies are absolutely spot-on and give them a really special sound. I was too busy bouncing along to take much notice of the song titles, but they did mention once or twice that they are Saints of Sin, they have an album called “Saints of Sin” and there was even a song called ‘Saints Of Sin’. Did I say once or twice? OK I lied, they kind of hammered it home a little, but with a twinkle of irrepressible good humour. The choruses are catchy, the hooks are hooky and the whole thing is just happy happy joy joy. Melodic rock in spades. And buckets. We could build a songcastle. We na-na-na along, we clap and chant and it’s all good. There are some minor technical issues, but nothing that can’t be fixed whilst they remind us that their album is called “Saints Of Sin”, and they are also called called Saints of Sin. Is happy rock a proper genre? Well it is now, because it’s what this band do best. Spread happiness. And they are called Saints Of Sin, and so is their album!

Going back to the party theme, it’s time for Midnite City. What kind of party are they? Hmmm. They are, to quote a certain American band who also had good hair, nothing but a good time. Hitch up the dancing trousers because it’s going to be a hell of a ride. This band really do have it all, and give us their all. Rob Wylde is a perfect frontman with his teased hair, guyliner and banter, and just to add some icing to the cake he can sing too. The rest of the band also have the looks and the sound. The musicianship is brilliant, the vocals are great but the best thing of all about Midnite City is the songs. You could catch Jaws with the hooks that these guys write. The setlist is the same as the one they have just finished touring Japan with, and it’s a mix of songs from both their albums. They’ve also just released an acoustic CD to take out on tour with them, it’s called “Open Invite” and as this was the last date of the current tour if you want to grab a copy you’ll need to get in touch with the band via their website or facebook page. There ae some technical issues with the drums, but there are also flashing LED lights on the kit so all is forgiven! From the opening bars of ‘We Belong’ to the closing notes of ‘Can’t Wait For The Nights’, Midnite City own the stage. They dance and prance, they pose and pout. Yes it’s cheesy, yes it’s a bit cliched but they do it so well that none of that matters. All that matters is a good time, and they make sure that a good time is had. I do like to see a band enjoying what they do and feeding off the energy of the crowd like little glam-rock vampires, and Midnite City give me all of that.

One day, ROCKFLESH are going to send me to review a band that I don’t like so I can garner controversy and piss off their fans but tonight is not that night. I love Midnite City, and I’m not ashamed to say so. Party on dudes!