Live Review : Midnite City + StOp,sToP! @ Eleven, Stoke on July 6th 2021

Have I mentioned before how much I hate the M6? Picture the scene. The dancing shoes are on. The rum is poured. I’ve got both bands’ new albums on the car stereo to listen to on the way. I even managed to get away from work a bit earlier than usual. Only to come to a total standstill on the M6 for no apparent reason, aaargh. The reason I am telling you this is because tonight’s bill advertised 3 bands, the first being an outfit called The Event, but the motorway gods ensured that I got to the venue at 8pm just as StOp,sToP! hit the stage. I have no idea if this band played, or even if they exist. Sigh. So whoever they are, you’ll have to wait for another time to find out if I liked them or not!

No question about whether I like StOp,sToP! though. I absolutely love them! They play a happy blend of good-time party rock and they play it well. They are one of the few bands at this level that I know of who do this full-time, no day jobs for these boys. They play and rehearse and record and the result is a polished gem of a performance, where the chaos is very carefully choreographed and the professionalism is stunning. The set tonight included quite a few new songs from their most recent album ‘Low Cost Life’ and I note that the songwriting (in terms of both structure and sound) continues to improve. The songs are simple but effective and get the StOp,sToP! ethos of “let’s party” over nicely. Of course, old favourites are still thrown in the mix too, because after all everyone needs to go to a ‘Toilet Party’ occasionally! The final song of the set is the self-titled ‘Stop Stop’ and features a bridge that segues into ‘Knockin On Heaven’s Door’ whilst the band –still playing and singing –go for a bit of a stroll about the place. Yes, even the drummer! This draws a fantastic response and as they return to the stage and all fall over on the final note I have a smile on my face as big as bassist and singer Jacob’s joker-esque facepaint. Party on, StOp,sToP!

Headliners Midnite City are also a fab party band, but they are a little more serious and they have the look, sound, feel of 80’s hair metal absolutely spot-on. Seriously, watching this band is like seeing a stadium performance in a small club. The band engage with each other and the crowd, and they smile a lot. You can just tell that they are enjoying this as much as we are. All their songs are self-penned, with a good few of tonight’s set coming from their own latest album “Itch You Can’t Scratch” and they totally get the power-pop rock vibe. Each song is a perfectly-carved slice of melodic rock, catchy as a fleet of French fishing boats, powerful as a jet engine and satisfying as your first orgasm. Frontman Rob Wylde is a proper showman, prowling the stage like a caged panther but always having just a little twinkle in his eye that says he is taking this seriously without actually taking it too seriously. The sound is kind of cheesy, but in a good way. There are scarves, and guyliner, and big fans to blow flowing hair around. The sound is note-perfect, as are the harmony vocals. You wouldn’t think that it’s over 18 months since this band were last on a stage together –this is the first gig of the current tour and they have immediately just gelled with each other again. Midnite City are commercial and lightweight, but let’s face it that never did my beloved Def Leppard any harm, did it? Some may say they are out of time, out of step with current musical thinking but I would have to disagree. It was heartening to see that a good proportion of the crowd were younger people tonight. For us old enough to remember the 80’s this band is a walk down memory lane, but for some it will be the start of a musical journey that will lead them to embrace both old and new bands of this genre. Midnight City are another band that have the knack of feeding off the audience so the better the reception the better they play. Tonight the reception was warm and full of love, and the band obligingly played a blinder. There are a couple of solos (because with this style of music of course there are) including a beautiful classical piece from Shawn Charvette on the keyboards and a blistering technical guitar solo from Miles Meakin. There’s a bit of virtuoso bass from Josh Williams and even Pete Newdeck gets a share of the spotlight with a neat drum solo that didn’t seem to last a lifetime like most drum solos are often do. Although Rob has the charisma to keep all eyes on him for most of the show, Midnite City are very much a band and not just the latest in along line of The Rob Wylde Show. Their love for each other and the music they play shines though every note. After the dreary slog of numerous lockdowns and Covid regulations a night of uplifting, cheerful, fun rock music is just what we all needed.Rob thanks Paul, June and all the staff at Eleven.

This has been a hard time for them but they have hung in there and the venue continues to be a great place to see a band. I’d still like the stage to be a little higher (shortarse problems ha!) but overall the sound, lights and attitude are spot on and despite the (bloody) motorway journey it’s a place I love to go to gig at. If you’ve not been yet, do go because you are assured of a warm welcome and a great night no matter who is playing. Speaking of which, Midnite City finish with what is probably the closest they have come to a hit single so far, the seminal ‘Give Me Love’. So we did. Lots of love. Because they’re worth it.