On Friday last week, I went to yet another rock concert. However, this wasn’t just any rock concert; it was a party celebrating the first birthday of Rock Radio, Manchester’s very own classic rock radio station.I’ve been moaning for years about the lack of decent radio in the UK. Most of the radio stations play meaningless, featureless, bland pap. You can imagine how delighted I was to discover that a new station was being created, playing decent music and in my very own city.
I have actually started to listen to the radio again because of Rock Radio, something I am delighted about.
The web site is here:
http://www.rockradio.co.uk/
Anyway, a mate of mine suggested we go to their first birthday party at a night club in Manchester called “The Ritz”, a place I used to go to occasionally in my youth (I may spill some stories about the place one day). The event was cleverly called “The Monsters Of Mock” because the organisers had chosen to book four tribute acts. I was a little sceptical to be honest – I prefer to see the real thing – but I thought, what the hell, it might be fun.
And it was.
The acts were:
(1) Fink Ployd (Pink Floyd)
(2) Rattle and Hum (U2)
(3) The Rolling Clones (The Rolling Stones)
(4) Limehouse Lizzy (Thin Lizzy)
We arrived at 0700 just in time to see Fink Ployd, come onto the stage. I didn’t really know what to expect to be honest but when I heard the opening notes of “In The Flesh” from “The Wall”, I knew we were in for a good time. The band belted out several classics in their set including “Money”, “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” and “Comfortably Numb”. They were superb.
Next up was Rattle and Hum. I’m not a huge fan of U2 but the band went down very well, playing songs like “Vertigo”, “Beautiful Day”, “With Or Without You” and “Pride (In The Name Of Love”.
The third band was the brilliantly named the Rolling Clones and they were very entertaining. The lead singer was particularly amusing, strutting about the stage just like Mick Jagger. I was delighted when they performed my favourite song by the Stones, “Sympathy For The Devil” and I whooped along with everybody else.
Before the final band came on, I went to the toilet and broke an unwritten man’s law – I spoke to a bloke. He asked me if I’d ever seen Limehouse Lizzy before. I told him that I hadn’t.
“You’re in for a treat,” he said. “The lead singer IS Phil Lynott; he will have the crowd in the palm of his hand”.
And he wasn’t wrong.
Limehouse Lizzy opened with “Jailbreak” and the singer sounded eerily like Phil Lynott; it was uncanny. The band belted through timeless classics like “Chinatown”, “Waiting For An Alibi”, “The Boys Are Back In Town”, “Dancing In The Moonlight”, “Emerald” and, my favourite “Killer On The Loose”.
It was the first time I had ever seen a tribute band and I really enjoyed it. Of course, I will never get the chance to see Pink Floyd or Thin Lizzy, and I doubt I will ever see the Stones or U2 so in that respect it was definitely worth it.
There are photos of the event on Rock Radio’s web site – I haven’t scrutinized the photos so there is a slight chance I may be lurking in the crowd scenes somewhere.
Thanks to Rock Radio for a surprisingly good night and here’s to many more years of decent radio.
