Little Caesar vocalist, Ron Young, certainly looks fit and well for someone who was sent crashing through a bar room window by Arnie in Terminator 2. So well in fact that he’s back in the saddle and out on the road with his band promoting their new album, Eight.
Little Caesar were always a band out of place. Too much leather and tattoos to fit in with the late 80s/early 90s Hair Metal brigade and too up-tempo and lively to fit in with the dirge-like Grunge movement. Little Caesar occupied their own heavy Blues, Biker Rock’n’Roll universe and were all the better for it. No frills, no gimmicks just raw in your face, kick ass Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Fast forward to 2018 and there may be less hair and what there is, is a distinguished grey as Little Caesar head into their midlife with a degree of dignity missing from some of their washed up Glam Rock peers.
Drive It Home and Rock ‘n’ Roll State of Mind symbolise Little Caesar perfectly. Young’s powerful gravel edged voice tells a thousand stories while the hard hitting, sleazy riffs of fellow founder member Loren Molinare and new boy Mark Tremalgia bit down hard.
Hard Rock Hell’s catchy chorus showed they can’t half pen a tune or two while new song 21 Again proves that they haven’t lost that knack. With Young’s voice and forceful personality providing the focal point you’d be hard pressed to realise he’s been battling bronchitis for 2 months. It certainly takes a lot more that a small bug to keep him down.
The Hoe Down Blues of Dirty Water and the scatter gun rattle and shake of the contagious Rum and Coke had the Cluny bouncing while a truly spirited and highly original cover of Aretha Franklin’s Chain of Fools showed what an impressive set of pipes Young possessed.
Little Caesar may not have shone quite so brightly in the spotlight as some of their more lipstick caked compatriots but you’d be hard pushed to find a more thrilling live band amongst them and in 2018 they still Rock as hard and lively as ever.
Review and Photos By Mick Burgess
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