Scoring a Number One album, knocking U2 off the top of the charts in the process, is cause for celebration in anyone’s book. Back in 1984 Big Country’s second album Steeltown did just that and 35 years on it was time to mark that momentous occasion.
It’s a popular concept these days to celebrate landmark albums but while most tend to play an album in full, in original running order, Big Country approached the night in a slightly different way. Sure, the vast majority of Steeltown was played but the songs instead of being played in one large block were dispersed throughout the set, mixing with hits and classics in a way that ran in a more coherent, well-paced way.
1000 Stars from their very first album opened the night before the first two from Steeltown, Flame Of The West and East Of Eden hit home followed by a couple of stone-cold classics Look Away and Lost Patrol and the evening progressed in a similar fashion.
Original guitarist Bruce Watson, flanked by his son Jamie also on guitar, was a buzz of energy, never still for a moment while fellow original Mark Brzezicki, was inspired on the drums. It’s no wonder he has been so in demand over the years occupying the drum stool in The Cult, Procul Harum as well as playing with Roger Daltrey and Fish amongst many others. A whole night could be spent just watching Brzezicki play.
Simon Hough had the hardest task of the night, singing the songs made so famous by Stuart Adamson and like Ricky Warwick in Thin Lizzy, he stepped into those shoes and did Adamson proud.
One of the advantages of celebrating a particular album is that often long-lost nuggets are unearthed, that have rarely if ever been played live. It’s certainly been an age since Big Country performed Come Back To Me and Tall Ships Go, so they were a welcome inclusion for longstanding fans of the band.
Of course, the big hitters Chance, Wonderland, In A Big Country and Fields Of Fire elicited the biggest, loudest response and so they should as the Celtic guitars, military drumming and rousing choruses are handcrafted for shows like this. With the crowd bouncing and singing along to these rabble rousing anthems it was job done by Big Country.
Review and Photos By Mick Burgess
Be the first to comment