Thin Lizzy W/Clutch
Apollo
28th January
4.5 stars
Given the names following them tonight, you’d be forgiven for expecting Belgian openers Triggerfinger to play a safe set and just get the job done. You would also be wrong. Storming, and in frontman Ruben Block’s case dancing, through a sometimes groove laden, sometimes erratic set, Triggerfinger’s infectious hooks pull you in one moment and, with a quick flourish, toss you aside the next. An impressive, but perhaps cocky set.
Clutch, however, are no nonsense. Bursting right into a long support slot brimming with Neil Fallon’s casual yet commanding swagger, it doesn’t take long to get the crowd going. Opting for a song choice more rooted in the band’s later, bluesy style, clearly trying to win over new fans. It works. With early unconvinced head-bobbing evolving into foot-stomping and then into a frenzy to rival any headlining band anywhere. With a closing punch including ‘The Mob Goes Wild’, ‘Cypress Grove’ and ‘Electric Worry’, they leave Thin Lizzy with one hell of a warmed up crowd, but also one hell of a performance to beat.
Before the band even appears, I hear numerous rumblings of, “No Phil Lynott, no Thin Lizzy.” Despite paying for a ticket, it’s clear that many are unconvinced with this incarnation of the band, featuring drummer Brian Downey as the only original member. This is an opinion the band refuses to let stand. After bursting through a set of Lizzy classics with some of the most technically able players in the world, nobody in The Apollo could be left with any doubt of the members respect to the legacy of the band. People can argue all they like about whether they’re really Thin Lizzy or just a glorified cover band. The fact of the matter is, they still absolutely smash it.
Jean-Paul Gaster Interview
