Inglorious Stage Basingstoke 03-06-16

New venue for this which had a poor start with us standing outside for an hour due to the curfew changing just a shame we all didn't know this!!

Good venue with a high stage,good lighting and a large hall.The sound was ok in the end but for the 2 supports the bass drum was set to the loudest thing I have ever heard with every note shaking the floor and every bone in your body.Why?

First up and their debut performance was 4 piece Gypsy Heart featuring Heather on vocals and Ali Clinton on guitar who has played with Uli Jon Roth.
Heather's first night nerves didn't help but she soon settled and her rich powerful vocals were very good and saw enough in the songs with some great riffing and soloing from Ali that they should be kept an eye on as they develop.


Next up was a new one for me but a friend had said that their debut album released in early 2016 was a cracker and with the late arrival of Gypsy Heart they ended up with a near hour set.
I was told a combination of Alter Bridge,Nickelback and Black Stone Cherry.
Well he wasn't wrong with a heavy dose of Nickelback and Theory Of A Deadman too. 
Huge pummeling riffs from Chris Davies on guitar and Rich Moss who is also lead vocalist.A pounding rhythm section of Kieron Conroy on bass and Robyn Haycock on drums round out the four piece.
I have to say very impressed with the band playing with a real confidence that belied their age but with a total conviction in the songs.
The whole debut album was played with a Backstreet Boys cover thrown in too and every song had heads banging and fists punching the air.
Quality songs like Not Your Enemy,Better and Fall Back Down all have huge heavy riffs with big choruses but with plenty of melodic intent with the band having a total ball on stage.

We bought the album on the way out and a quick chat with the band found out they are from the West Midlands and will be gigging all over the country for the rest of the year.
Go see them.

We were fortunate to catch Inglorious on their dates with The Winery Dogs back in February and on their first live shows as the debut album was released.
Back on the road for the summer period which includes headlining shows plus Festival dates that include Download and Ramblin Man Fair too Inglorious are on a roll and their momentum shows no sign of slowing.

Playing all of their debut album with some well chosen covers too this is a band on the way to the top and everyone present tonight knows it.
For 75 minutes we are treated to a performance that few can match at this early stage in their career.
Here is what they played.

Until I Die
Breakaway
I Surrender (Rainbow cover)
High Flying Gypsy
No Good For You (new tune due on second album in 2017)
Bleed For You
Wake(acoustic)
Burn (Deep Purple cover)(acoustic)
Warning
Your Mine
Unaware
Holy Water
Lay Down Stay Down(Deep Purple cover)
Inglorious
Crying(Aerosmith cover)
Girl Got A Gun

In the couple of months since we last saw them their stage craft and confidence has grown even higher and they hit the stage like an express train.
No keyboard player this tour but they don't need one.The guitars of Will Taylor and Andreas Eriksson hit hard and Andreas adds lots of guitar melodies and soloing even adding to the cd mix that is impressive enough.
Colin Parkinson on bass and Phil Beaver on drums are superb with plenty of fills added and up front Nathan James is a one man dynamo.He is a wonderful front man with a voice to match.His vocal gymnastics soar ever higher and just when you think he can't go higher he finds yet another level.

The songs have been rightly all over Planet Rock with riffs and vocal hooks the size of a Blue Whale and the band are on fire from the word go.
Opener Until I Die builds up like the start to Deep Purple's Highway Star before kicking off and Nathan is on the edge of the stage from the word go always on the move.

Their cover of Rainbow's I Surrender is spot on with the vocal melodies from Nathan as good or better than the original.Our luck really that Nathan didn't go for the Rainbow vocalist guest spot because with his range he is a far better for it than what they chose.Rainbow's loss.

A surprise inclusion was No Good For You which the band will include on album number 2 due out next year.Possessing a huge hook and some wonderful guitar melodies from Andreas this shows that this is only the beginning.

The band then convened front of stage on stools with Phil on acoustic guitar too.Wake which was the only song not played from the debut cd earlier in the year was stunning in this stripped back guise.Following it with Deep Purple's Burn again done acoustically was a refreshing change and Nathan's vocal was quite incredible showing his lower register off perfectly.

Unaware was moved from set closer and for me has the best chorus I have heard in a long time and matching it with Holy Water that builds from an acoustic start to a slow burning rock stomper was sublime.

Purple's Lay Down Stay Down was blitzed before Nathan again amazed on a cover of Aerosmith's Crying again showing off all of his vocal register.

Girl Got A Gun ended a fantastic set with the band impressing even more than the shows earlier in the year.

The band can be the future of British rock so make sure you get see them at one of their show's and to Festival's early to see them in the coming month's and support a band we should all be very proud of.