What do you call a supergroup made up of members of other supergroups? Well it turns out that the answer is The Winery Dogs. For the uninitiated, this is what Ritchie Kotzen, Mike Portnoy and the legend that is Billy Sheehan do when they are not noodling around with other projects. It is very much a muso's project, pitched at those who like their rock complex, luscious and full of virtuoso flourishes. 

Whilst there are plenty of Dream Theater T-shirts to be seen, it is blindingly obvious that the audience isn't here because of loyalty to a particular member of the trio. They have turned out in their droves because of the cumulative pull of what they are creating together. The draw isn't what they have done before, the draw is what they are doing now.

To the detriment of openers Scarlet Rebels, the audience don't seem particularly interested in listening to anything that isn't The Winery Dogs. Now Scarlet Rebels have already been, even at their young age, around the block numerous times so they know how to deal with a disinterested audience. That is to internally say "fuck them” and go out and have a good time despite of rather than because of the reaction they afford. Even with the muted response drummer Gary Doyle looks like he’s having the time of his life and lead guitarist Chris Jones (sporting compulsory snakeskin boots) pulls all the solo poses you can shake a stick at. 

They have a nice classic southern (maybe not Wales) rock sound to them, and I get whiffs of latter-day Black Stone Cherry. As the set trundles on the majority of the crowd continue to stand stock still with the odd nod of the head, though every now and again you do see an odd geezer committing themselves to look like they are enjoying it. Scarlet Rebels go for the sweet spot by throwing a segment of AC/DC’s It's a long way to the top If you want to rock and roll and there is definitely a thawing of hostilities as numerous voices join.

However, it is telling that the biggest cheer they get is when they announce they only have two songs left. It's not easy winning over an audience that essentially just want to chat with their mates until the main event. Scarlet Rebels work hard despite of the lack of interest. They probably don't win that many new devotees but they certainly don't do themselves any level of injustice.

As The Winery Dogs stage time approaches you can feel the excitement sizzles in the air. This is the first time that they have played this city and this country for seven years and the cheer from the crowd as they take to the stage is deafening. Initially, the barrier is a wall of mobile phones with people trying to get footage of the legends in action. The crowd are mostly standing still but it’s clear they’re in awe of the musical talent on the stage in front of them. Being that there is only three of them not one member gets a chance to outshine the other and within each song, we get bass solos, guitar solos and many of Portnoy’s trademark technical fills.

What is also clear is that this is a labour of love for all three of them. It is obvious that there is no financial incentive for them to be dragging themselves around the highways and byways of Europe at their collective ages. Instead, they are doing this because they love the music and they love performing with each other. All the way through this evening they constantly riff off each other and the emotional warmth bellowing off the stage is highly infectious.

The reaction from the crowd is thunderous. The conclusion of each and every song is met with a tempestuous maelstrom of whoops and cheers. This is an audience in rapture to what they are witnessing on the stage and the spiralling reverence just ratchets up as the night unfolds. They may wish to call this heavy rock, but it is an intelligent and highly technical version of the genre. Every track rocks hard (even the ballads) but there is also so much rich texture at play. Basically, you don't do this for as long as these three have without becoming darn good at it.

With three albums worth of material now on offer, it all feels much less of a vanity project and much more like a fully formed rock band and there is now no need for cover versions to pad the whole thing out. Interestingly whilst the tour is there to promote this year's, rather lazily titled “III”, it is their now a decade-old self-titled debut that we get the most material from and the audience greet ‘Damaged’ and ‘I'm No Angel’ like old friends. And that's the biggest takeaway. As I said, whilst Sheehan, Portnoy and Kotzen are all megastars in their own right, it is the magic that they concoct together that drives the crowd wild rather than who is making it. 

There is an encore because to be honest they would have probably gotten lynched if there wasn't. ‘Regret’ and ‘Elevate’ are rolled out with both panache and style. And then with customary bows and regards they once more take their leave of us. This could have easily been an evening of extraordinary musicians showing off just how extraordinary they are. But it wasn't. The Winery Dogs are a real rock 'n' roll band playing real rock 'n' roll, it just so happens that they consist of three of rock 'n' roll's most pedigree talents.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
The Winery Dogs, Scarlet Rebels