Well Xmas certainly came early to the punters who turned up for Black Rose’s final gig of 2012. We were treated to over 2hrs of Thin Lizzy classics with a few obscure album tracks thrown in for the diehards. The evening was split into 2 sets giving the band a chance to take a breather and rightly so as it was like a sauna in the venue! The Bolton based tribute band only formed in July 2010 but are definitely the best Lizzy tribute i have seen over many years.
They are more of a sound alike band than a look alike which personally i prefer as the music is more important than the look and Black Rose have certainly spent a lot of time with these songs as the band gel together with no individual member taking the spotlight. Bassist/vocalist Roger Dyson has Phil Lynott’s voice to a tee and it is a far cry from his between song accent. Guitarists Robert Redfern and Scott Broadhurst certainly enjoy their time onstage, forever smiling as they peel off every riff and solo. Of course Thin Lizzy’s drummer Brian Downey is one of the greats and Black Rose drummer Patrick Noone does a sterling job emulating his style and special mention must be made for the solo he played during Sha La La on such a small kit.
This was Black Rose’s 2nd appearance in 4 months at this venue. In August they kicked off with Angel Of Death but this evening the set opener was Chinatown with Scott Broadhurst playing the main riff over and over as the rest of the band joined him onstage. At the end of the song, without a pause for breath they went straight into Killer On The Loose, another track from the Chinatown album. Next up was one of the rarities of the night, a storming rendition of Wild One from the Fighting album.
As the classics came and went so did the other obscurities as in Johnny from the Johnny The Fox album, Hollywood (Down On Your Luck) from Renegade and Soldier Of Fortune from Bad Reputation. Personal highlight for me was Still In Love With You which was made even more intense by the inclusion of Parisienne Walkways in the middle of the song. The 2nd set of the evening was brought to a close by crowd pleasers The Cowboy Song and The Boys Are Back In Town whereupon the band left the stage, returning after a few minutes to play the track they were named after, Black Rose with Scott and Robert trading solos for all their worth!
Black Rose will be touring extensively throughout 2013. If you get chance to see them at a venue near you,dont miss them! Special thanks to Richard Jones from Crewe who gave permission to use these photos he took during the gig.
Black Rose band :-
Roger Dyson – Bass/lead vocals.
Patrick Noone – Drums/percussion.
Scott Broadhurst – Lead guitar/backing vocals.
Robert Redfern – Lead guitar/backing vocals.
Intro
Chinatown.
Killer On The Loose.
Wild One.
Do Anything You Want To.
Don’t Believe A Word.
Waiting For An Alibi.
Johnny.
Dancing In The Moonlight.
Hollywood.
The Rocker.
Emerald.
Got To Give It Up.
The Holy War.
Cold Sweat.
Suicide.
Soldier Of Fortune.
Jailbreak.
Sha La La with drum solo.
Still In Love With You/Parisienne Walkways.
Warrior.
The Cowboy Song.
The Boys Are Back In Town.
Black Rose.