PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Delays in getting to the venue after work meant that I missed the opening act, and only caught part of the second act. The second act was Fred Abbott, who was formerly lead guitarist and keyboard player in Noah And The Whale. His set was excellent – great rock and roll, and was based heavily around his solo album, “Serious poke”. I may have only caught part of the set but what I heard was good enough for me to buy the album at the merch stand.
Next it was American guitarist JD Simo. He came on stage limping slowly and sat down having injured his leg the day before. His bass player also sat for the set which made things look more natural, but the downside is that fans further back could see at best, the tops of their heads. Never mind the poor view though, what matters is the music and that is where SIMO deliver. As you’d expect, the set is based around the new album, “Let Love Show The Way” (which is a great album), and the songs are typically extended versions – a SIMO concert is like listening to the 12inch version of singles as instead of the 3 minute version you get the long solos and jams that take it up to 8 or 9 minutes. Sometimes extended jams and solos can feel self-indulgent, but with SIMO you don’t get that feeling as it’s so well done and has so much passion that you can’t help but be drawn into the music. The night ended with a great cover of the Beatles classic, “With a Little Help From My Friends”. A great end to a great night.
