Live Review : The Lazys + Junkyard Drive @ The Tivoli, Buckley on AUgust 31st 2024

Have you ever been to a gig which you suspected was going to be good, but when you got there it exceeded all your expectations? Well if you managed to catch The Lazys and Junkyard Drive on their current run of UK dates you may very well have. Both are not regular visitors to these shores, with The Lazys hailing all the way from Australia and Junkyard Drive hopping over the North Sea from Denmark, and both absolutely brought their A-game to the Tivoli on this occasion. Technically this tour was The Lazys supported by Junkyard Drive, but tonight there was barely a fag paper’s width between their performances and they were closer to co-headliners than band plus support. 

Some of the other dates they have played so far have had other bands on the bill, cutting into Junkyard Drive’s set time, but tonight they got a full hour and they filled every moment of it with hard-driving, slightly sleazy rock. From the opener ‘Pauline’ to anthemic set closer ‘Mr Rock And Roll’ they barely paused for a breath, and the appreciative crowd lapped it up. 12 songs worth of pure class covering their 10 year, 3 albums career were thrown out to the mercy of the crowd, and the people batted them back bigger, stronger and louder than ever.

The twin guitars were equally at home doing big riffs or screaming solos, and there was a fine line in guitar-face throughout from the chap who seems to take great inspiration in both hairstyle and clothing choice from Justin Hawkins. The bass player seems to have a penis tattooed on his chest, much to the merriment of the ladies on the front row! Vocals are spot on, both main and harmonies being pinpoint sharp and very much in tune. They slide up and down the genres, throwing out here a power ballad, there an instrumental bit that verges on prog, followed by a stonking bit of power metal, but always with big grins, big chords and all the energy and fun.

The crowd join in even though the band is new to most of them, and choruses are sung back with gusto. The fire in this band ignites a response in the crowd that is rarely seen, and by the end of the set everyone has crept closer, everyone is joining in and the response to a band many had not really heard of before was both heartwarming and deserved. 

The Lazys also brought their sunshine-infused Aussie rock sound to the Tivoli stage, despite some technical issues at the start that led to the in-ears being abandoned in favour of “just fucking rock n roll!” As is so often the case with bands from Australia there is a distinct flavour of AC/DC about the music, and there’s a lot of swearing. But there’s also a lot of joy, a lot of bounce, a lot of happiness.

Of course the guitarist leaves the stage to run around the room, of course he climbs up to pose and solo on top of the speaker stack, of course the singer is a powerhouse of energy who never stops moving, of course the bass player comes down to the barrier and sticks his tongue out at every opportunity. All these things are a given, but happily they are accompanied by a soundtrack of pounding, uplifting rock music that brings a smile to the dourest of faces. The song titles are what you would expect; ‘Rattle Them Bones’, ‘Little Miss Crazy’ (where they got a Tivoli regular up on stage to celebrate her birthday and shake her stuff) ‘Ripper Of A Night’.

But a touch of predictability does nothing to mar the enjoyment, the sheer joy that this band exude up there. It’s a party, a blast, and the songs reflect this. It’s beer drinking and hell raising at its finest, and The Lazys excel at it. At the end of the main set the singer declares “Let’s do some shots!” and shots are duly done – this is my kind of band. They then ask if anyone knows the words to ‘If You Want Blood’, and pick several people from the crowd to come up and sing it. Of course, despite looking it up on google nobody actually does know the words, but a riotous karaoke-style version ensues complete with tour manager adding a bit of extra guitar oomph, and the night ends on a slightly shambolic high.

So there you go. Two bands, one night, fantastic party atmosphere. For my money The Lazys were good but Junkyard Drive just edged it. Both bands gave it their all though – either would have been a great headliner but together they gave us a night of sublime rock and happy memories. 

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
The Lazys + Junkyard Drive