The name Blue Coupe may be an unfamiliar one to most at present but with this new alliance forged between Albert and Joe Bouchard, the founding rhythm section of New York’s legendary Blue Oyster Cult and Dennis Dunaway, original bassist in the Alice Cooper band, that is destined to change.
Between them they have written and performed some of Rock most defining moments selling over 15 million albums and garnering a clutch of gold and platinum albums along the way. With Dunaway an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside his Alice Cooper band mates and a Grammy nomination for Blue Coupes first release, the pedigree of the band is without question.
Those that braved the biting winter evening and battled through the snow were treated to a master class of Classic Rock. With Joe Bouchard taking the majority of vocals and switching from bass to lead guitar they delivered hit after hit culminating in the double whammy of “School’s Out” and “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”.
For the die-hard fans however the real highlights were when the band dug deep into their vintage past with “Fallen Angel” and a rare performance of “Nosferatu” from BOC’s Spectres album being show stopping moments. Metallica may have covered “Astronomy” in years gone by but hearing the original songwriters performing the song how it should be was worth the price of admission alone.
Joe Bouchard may take much of the spotlight with some fine guitar work but brother Albert is one of a kind on the drums and vocals with a big personality that shines through on stage whether it’s donning the monster mask during “Godzilla” or with the glorious clanking of the cowbell during “Fever (More Cowbell)” from their forthcoming album and as for his rib rattling bass drumming during “Cities on Flame” you could literally feel the foundations of the Marton Country club shake.
Dunaway’s battle with the flu didn’t dampen his performance throwing all the shapes in the book during the Alice Cooper classics that have become so ingrained in Rock culture including “I’m Eighteen” and “Under My Wheels”.
As the show closed with a turbocharged romp through MC5’s “Kick Out The Jams” which saw Joe Bouchard right out into the crowd, the only disappointment was curfew time. With so many songs to play they could have played for another two hours and still only scratched the surface.
With twelve shows in twelve days and a set list that changes from night to night this will be one tour where seeing the band on multiple nights will be well worth the effort. 2013 could well be the year that the name Blue Coupe is the one on everybody’s lips.
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