SKID ROW + ENUFF Z’NUFF + COLLATERAL – CHALK, BRIGHTON 20.10.22
Visiting the UK for the first time since 2019 Skid Row made a triumphant return to a packed Chalk. Entering to an air raid siren backing tape the band launched into perennial favourite ‘Slave To The Grind’, the title track to their second album released in 1991. It was clear from the opening chords that they meant business and the already overheating audience were up for it from the off. This was a band who could clearly do no wrong with every track being greeted with fervent and rapturous reactions.
This was also the first UK tour with new vocalist Erik Grönwall who had previously fronted Swedish band H.E.A.T. and it be would be interesting to see how he would win over the die-hard fans. After eighty minutes of non stop rock’n’roll bombardment it was clear that he had not only won them over but had completely ingratiated himself into their ranks and was already now part of the folklore of the band.
The band ripped through their set with drive and devotion. Erik tirelessly worked the audience from the first note, coming out of the blocks as though supercharged. ‘The Threat’ came next, followed by ‘Big Guns’ before the band slowed down the pace a little with big time power ballad ‘18 And Life’ from their first album, which saw the audience, hands in the air yelling out the lyrics along with the band.
‘Piece Of Me’ picked up the reins and saw greater audience participation as the fans swayed and headbanged away, fists pumping in unison along with the dirty riffs being drawn out by the twin guitarists, Dave Sabo and Scotti Hill. This was a serious party tune and got the reception it deserved from the audience who had clearly decided that the weekend had already started.
‘Livin’ On A Chain Gang’ followed and then the band embraced their punkier side with a frantic 100 mph run through of the Ramones classic ‘Psycho Therapy’ which also saw Erik picking up guitar to produce a triple guitar thrust and even saw some of the audience pogoing along with the band.
At this juncture the band slowed up a fraction with the brooding ‘In A Darkened Room’ which saw Erik’s vocals rise to the fore and show what a fantastically powerful voice and range he has. This gave the guitarists a chance to tone down the solo’s and wring a more melodious feel out of their instruments.
The breather was short, however, as they roared back into a full throttle rock ‘n’ roll powerhouse driving through ‘Makin’ A Mess’ with more fist pumping and frantic action in the mosh pit. Without hardly drawing breath the band introduced the title track of their new album ‘The Gang’s All Here’, with its growling bass introduction and had the feel of a 1970’s glam rock singalong which saw Erik become even more active whipping the audience into a good natured frenzy.
With a cry of “get your hands up” the ferocious punk metal of ‘Riot Act’ piled forth, followed rapidly by another new number, ‘Tear It Down’ and before we knew an hour had passed and we had reached the last song of the main set, with another firm fan favourite, ‘Monkey Business’. The audience were now well and truly loosened up and the familiar repetitive “hey yeah” chant was feverishly launched at the band.
After a few minutes in which both Skid Row and the audience were able to gather some breath, and no doubt a cold beer, they were back for the encore. With flashing lights and taped thunder the band returned. If the main set had set a standard the encore sent the barrier even higher. Starting with hit power ballad ‘I Remember You’, the night lit up as hundreds of mobile phone torches and cameras were raised in the air in a sea of hands, waving from side to side. Gone are the days of burned fingers whilst holding your lighter for too long, high tech has now hit the mosh pit floor. With a comment of “That’s Beautiful” the band reached out to the audience thanking them for waiting for this moment and making it so special for them all.
Then they introduced the third and final new song of the night which was their forthcoming single ‘Time Bomb’, beginning with a guitar driven wall of sound before descending into an anthemic chorus line. On the couple of tracks aired, the new album shows promise with both numbers likely to become staples of the set in the future. To finish the set there could only be one contender and unsurprisingly ‘Youth Gone Wild’ their megahit wowed the fans building to an insane sing-along. Whether the sight of a mainly middle-aged audience yelling “we are the youth gone wild” is at all telling, it was clear that many years had been rolled back tonight and many old memories reignited and new ones made.
This was a set drawn from their first two albums with a taster of the latest album, but from a fans perspective this was what we came to hear, hearkening back to the early days of the band when they exploded onto the music scene. It was great then, it is equally as great now.
Skid Row:
Bass: Rachel Bolan
Guitar: Dave Sabo
Guitar: Scotti Hill
Drums: Rob Hammersmith
Vocals: Erik Grönwall
Skid Row setlist:
‘Slave To The Grind’ (from ‘Slave To The Grind’)
‘The Threat’ (from ‘Slave To The Grind’)
‘Big Guns’ (from S/T ‘Skid Row’)
‘18 And Life’ (from S/T ‘Skid Row’)
‘Piece Of Me’ (from S/T ‘Skid Row’)
‘Livin’ On A Chain Gang’ (from ‘Slave To The Grind’)
‘Psycho Therapy’ (Ramones cover) (from’ B-Sides Ourselves’ E.P.)
‘In A Darkened Room’ (from ‘Slave To The Grind’)
‘Makin’ A Mess’ (from S/T ‘Skid Row’)
‘The Gang’s All Here’ (from ‘The Gang’s All Here’)
‘Riot Act’ (from ‘Slave To The Grind’)
‘Tear It Down’ (from ‘The Gang’s All Here’)
‘Monkey Business’ (from ‘Slave To The Grind’)
(encore)
‘I Remember You’ (from S/T ‘Skid Row’)
‘Time Bomb’ (from ‘The Gang’s All Here’)
‘Youth Gone Wild’ (from S/T ‘Skid Row’)
Enuff ‘Z’Nuff
This was a band that I was particularly looking forward to seeing, having loved their music since the start, way back in 1989. Sitting between openers Collateral and headliners Skid Row, Enuff ‘Z’Nuff stepped out to an already warmed up audience, thanks to the storming stint put in by the openers, Collateral.
They started with a tune familiar to us all, The Beatles ‘Magical Mystery Tour’, taken from their latest album ‘Hard Rock Night’, a play on words featuring the rocked-up versions of a number of Beatles and McCartney solo tunes. This was followed by ‘Kiss The Clown’, a fan favourite from the first self-titled album and one of three from this album that they would play in this set. This was full of catchy hooks and was reminiscent of band friends Cheap Trick in its radio friendly pop glam-rock feel. Despite the years Chip Z’Nuff’s vocals still stand out strongly and he still delivers well. Though the band with him have changed over the years, they are still clearly consummate musicians who know how to rock a venue.
They moved back up to date with another Beatles cover, or should that be stepped back in time, delivering the ever popular ‘Eleanor Rigby’.
Fan favourite, ‘Baby Loves You’ from the ‘Strength’ album followed with the first singalong of the show. This is another melodic masterpiece which showcases the strong song writing that this band have drawn on over the years.
As we reached the second half of the set we were treated to a further cover of Paul McCartney and Wings ‘Jet’. The tune was well received with all the usual woo-woo’s being sung strongly by the audience. Then we were back to the beginning and the two singles that started everything for the band. First up was ‘Fly High Michelle’ followed by the closer ‘New Thing’. These are both well known and strong songs that clearly show the ability this band have and outline what they are capable of.
So a short half hour set encompassing seven songs, three from their new covers album, three from their self titled first album and one from their second album ‘Strength’. As a band they went down well with an appreciative audience although perhaps they did not win over as many new fans as Collateral. For me it was a little disappointing with nearly half the set being taken up by cover versions, albeit I recognise that this was done as a means of highlighting their latest album.
As a support band, and with sixteen albums under their belt, I personally felt they had plenty of great tunes of their own that would have shown the band off in a better light, and would have had a chance of showing how good they really are. When they hit the highlights of their own material it was clear to all that this was what the fans who had come out to see them wanted and they were received with the due regard they deserved. Perhaps it is a case of ‘another time, another place’. But in my mind they did not set the venue alight in the way that the other bands on the night did.
Enuff ‘Z’Nuff:
Chip Z’nuff: Singer/ Electric bass guitar
Tony Fennell: Guitar
Tory Stoffregen: Guitar
Dan Hill: Drums
Enuff ‘Z’Nuff setlist:
‘Magical Mystery Tour’ (The Beatles cover) (from ‘Hard Rock Night’ (2022))
‘Kiss The Clown’ (from S/T ‘Enuff ‘Z’Nuff’ (1989))
‘Eleanor Rigby’ (The Beatles cover) (from ‘Hard Rock Night’ (2022))
‘Baby Loves You’ (from ‘Strength’ (1991))
‘Jet’ (Wings cover) (from ‘Hard Rock Night’ (2022))
‘Fly High Michelle’ (from S/T ‘Enuff ‘Z’Nuff’ (1989))
‘New Thing’ (from S/T ‘Enuff ‘Z’Nuff’ (1989))
Collateral
This was a tough start for this up and coming six piece band, opening a triple band show as support to Enuff ’Z’Nuff and Skid Row. Collateral have only been recording for four years and so far have an E.P., ‘4 Shots’, and their self-titled debut album to their name.
They only had thirty minutes to showcase their abilities and being first on started early, whilst many fans were still arriving. However, this did not phase them and they kicked off as they meant to go on putting on an absolutely storming set. This is a band who are not hanging around and clearly intend to make a name for themselves.
First number up was ‘Lullaby’, though there was nothing soft and soothing about this tune, with the band firing off venomous guitar licks, an anthemic chorus and harmonies that dripped with the sunset strip. This was followed by ‘Mr Big Shot,’ another slice of heads down radio friendly rock ‘n’ roll. From their sound and looks this could be a band drawn from 1980’s L.A. rather than Kent. Crowd favourite ‘Midnight Queen’ followed, taking the tempo up a further level. The venue was now rapidly filling with fans heading to the stage rather than the bar to catch what was developing into a masterclass of good time rock ‘n’ roll showmanship.
The band then introduced ‘No Place For Love’, a new number from an as yet untitled album. This was the only ballad of the night, but despite being the first time many had heard it was received as warmly as all the other tunes. I’m sure the band won’t mind the comparison, but there was a feel of Bon Jovi at their mid 80’s best to this number.
This was followed by another new number, ‘Sin In The City’, which is an additional number on the re-released first album, now titled ‘Rewired.’ By now the audience were getting fired up with each number being received with pumping fists and flailing hair.
The set finished with another storming good time party track from the first album ‘Merry Go Round’ This is a band that have an eighties sound clearly and have unashamedly taken their influences from the rock bands of that time yet have succeeded in putting their own stamp on their songs and creating a mix of their own. The songs are all well crafted and definitely Collateral. If you like songs with big hooks, big choruses and dripping with singalong melodies then Collateral are for you. Quite simply a great start to the night.
Collateral:
Angelo Tristan – Vocals & Guitar
Todd Winger – Guitar
Jack Bentley Smith – Bass
Ben Atkinson – Drums
Louis Malagodi – Guitar
Robert Richard James Fenning – keyboards
Collateral setlist:
‘Lullaby’ (from ‘S/T ‘Collateral’ (2020))
‘Mr. Big Shot’ (from S/T ‘Collateral’ (2020))
‘Midnight Queen’ (from S/T ‘Collateral’ (2020))
‘No Place For Love’ (New Song)
‘Sin In The City’ (from ‘Rewired’ (2022))
‘Merry Go Round’ (from S/T ‘Collateral’ (2020))
