Back in the Middle Ages, a Troubadour was someone who turned up in town, told stories, played music, instigated singalongs and entertained the people. Fast forward a few hundred years and things haven’t really changed that much, as tonight, in Preston’s Vinyl Tap, Spike proves he is probably the closest thing to a modern-day Troubadour that the 21st century has to offer. 

The next ninety minutes or so, is a loose, freewheeling ramble through Spike’s back catalogue, alongside a number of well-chosen covers.  Telling us from the off “I’ve no idea what I’m going to play” you immediately know it’s going to be one of those nights, where normal rules of gigs are suspended and anything could, and quite possibly will, happen. Ably backed by long-time friend and accomplished guitarist Christian Heilmann, it’s just their two acoustic guitars and Spike’s voice, but carried along by Spike’s considerable charisma, it’s all that’s needed to deliver a winning performance. 

It's ROCKFLESH’s first visit to Vinyl Tap and the venue suits this kind of intimate gig perfectly.  With racks of vinyl along the walls and a turntable behind the bar on which those albums can be played, it’s a little haven for rock fans just outside the city centre. It’s mission?  To support the music scene and, wherever possible bring legends old and new to Preston and keep the flag flying for the best in live music.  Although having said that Spike, as he tells us in one of his many anecdotes, can’t be a legend, as he was informed on his 28th Birthday in a phone call from Tyla, that he’d survived too long to qualify for the infamous “27 Club” and thus failed to make legend status! And talking of Tyla the first song of the evening is the Dogs d’Amour number, ‘How Come It Never Rains’, both unexpected and wonderful in equal measure. 

This sets the tone for the evening; Spike launches into a story which somehow leads to the next number, albeit quite often in a circuitous and meandering way, with diversions aplenty.  And it’s these unexpected conversational left turns which oftentimes share a fascinating and very honest insight into the life of a professional musician. He’s certainly crammed a lot of living into his years in the spotlight and it’s fascinating – often times hilarious, occasionally tinged with melancholy and sadness – as he regales the crowd with tales of a life spent in the maelstrom of rock n roll for well over three decades now. One of the great constants over the years, Spike has never seemed to change and has never been anything other than true to himself. 

With the Vinyl Tap stage being barely a foot or so high and no barrier, the usual boundary between audience and artist is blurred to the point of non-existence, further leaning into the informal nature of the show.  Whether handing out his trademark red carnation to an audience member or bantering with individuals in the crowd, Spike seems relaxed and happy, a natural and gifted storyteller with a devilish glint in his eye, that roguish smile and an effortlessly louche and fearless style. No topic is off limits; it’s almost a stream of consciousness with stories ranging from drinking too much Courvoisier on a flight to Dublin, to Jon Inman and all points in between. 

The first Quireboys song of the night /Roses and Rings/ is greeted with an overwhelming roar of approval; raising a glass and dedicating the song to the sadly missed Guy Bailey, in this stripped back version, it’s a thing of wistful beauty.  In fact, hearing much-loved classics such as ‘Roses and Rings’ and the later ‘I Don’t Love You Anymore’ in this acoustic form, reveals a delicacy and elegant simplicity that demonstrates how beautifully crafted those songs truly are. The idea of these shows apparently was to tell stories about his life in music and the bands he’d played with over the decades.  And what a roll call it is, with everyone from Whitesnake and Bonnie Tyler, to Thunder and The Animals mentioned, to name just a few of the luminaries with whom Spike has shared a stage. 

And so it is that we also get rousing covers in the shape of ‘Here I Go Again’ and ‘House of the Rising Sun’ amongst a host of others.  Naturally this is crowd pleasing stuff and everyone joins in with gusto, a communal singalong engendering an almost familial atmosphere that connects all present in a shared experience, Spike the mischievous conductor of the revelry. 

The final song of the night is a stirring heartfelt, ‘Streets of London’, with the location changed on a couple of verses to reflect the city we’re in. And as we tumble out onto those self-same streets of Preston, hoarse but happy, we can reflect that we have been truly entertained in the unique and inimitable style of a genuine rock n roll original, a troubadour in the grandest tradition. 

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Spike of The Quireboys