The Dead Daisies Storm Edinburgh

Date: 12 June
Venue: The Liquidroom, Edinburgh
Support: The Amorettes

The Dead Daisies rolled into Edinburgh on the latest leg of their Live & Louder World Tour last Monday night. And even though it’s only been around seven months since we last saw them live, we are firmly of the belief that you can never have too much of a good thing. Especially when it comes to watching bands as good as these guys. And beer. Preferably both! So we grabbed a camera, some beer money and headed to the capital.

Since it would be the band’s only headline show in the UK this time around, there was an exclusiveness about Monday’s gig which ensured the 800 capacity venue was packed to the rafters. And such is the demand to see The Daisies in action these days, that it wasn’t just local fans who turned up. Many had travelled hundreds of miles to be there. It’s been quite something to see the way the band’s fanbase and it’s loyalty has grown in the last couple of years in particular. The first time I saw them play live they seemed like rock’s best kept secret. Well, it’s safe to say the secret is now out! This is obviously credit to the band themselves and their relentless work ethic. The Daisies have toured constantly since they released Revolución back in 2015 and there’s no sign of them slowing down any time soon. How many roofs of how many venues have they blown off in that time? God only knows. Yet despite all the energy they put into their live performances and the gruelling nature of their touring schedule, the band have always remained accessible to their fans and take time out to meet them after most shows. And they would do so once again here.

This tour follows the release of the band’s first live album Live & Louder. So Monday’s set was broadly similar to that of the last gig we reviewed back in November. But that was absolutely fine by me because that particular gig was blisteringly good. And as I said earlier, you can never have too much of a good thing!

By the time The Daisies took to the stage, the heat and sweat levels had already been turned up a few notches by a storming performance by The Amorettes. But from the moment The Daisies launched into first song Long Way To Go, everything just exploded to another level. It was abundantly clear that The Daisies are not the kind of band who need a couple of songs to get into their groove.  Hell no! They started as they meant to continue – at full throttle.

One of the things that bond these musicians together is a shared love of Classic Rock. And this shone through in their setlist which contained a sprinkling of classic covers in amongst their own original songs. I’m kinda loathed to pick out highlights from their original songs, because each one they performed here was just so strong. Although I have to say that With You And I was thunderously epic, and it shook the venue all the way to it’s foundations. Likewise, the anthemic Make Some Noise, which saw John Corabi leading the audience in a raucous, punch the air singalong during the choruses.

I loved the way The Daisies breathed new life into old classics. They struck that perfect balance between stamping their own style and personality on a song, yet stayed true to the vibe of the original. The Beatles’ Helter Skelter and Alex Harvey’s Midnight Moses were perfect examples. Although I love the original versions, The Daisies grabbed the songs by the scruff of the neck, dialled everything up to eleven and blew the bloody roof off. Subtle? Not really. Brilliantly executed? Definitely.

There is an obvious joy that these guys take in their work. From a music perspective, this was an absolutely stellar performance from one of the hottest tickets in rock at the moment. But there was also that rockstar swagger, the guitar hero posing, the playing to the crowd, that sense of fun which helped make the performance so good and the band so likeable. I think David Lowy and the guys know that given the chance, each and every member of the audience would love to be onstage doing exactly what they were doing.

This was one of those really special nights of music which will take a lot to top. It was arena-sized rock music in a packed, sweat-soaked club. What’s not to love about that? Hopefully it won’t be too long before The Daisies head back to the UK for a more extensive tour. And that they come back to Scotland. Obviously! The Live & Louder tour rolls onwards into Europe, then to Japan and South America before heading back over to Poland for Woodstock. Finally they head back across the Atlantic to tour the US before they presumably pause to draw breath!

If they’re heading your way, do yourself a favour and grab yourself a ticket while you still can. Because live rock music really doesn’t get much better than this.

Setlist

Long Way To Go
Mexico
Make Some Noise
Song And a Prayer
Fortunate Son
We All Fall Down
Lock N Load
Last Time I Saw The Sun
Join Together
With You And I
Mainline
Helter Skelter
American Band
Midnight Moses

Lineup

John Corabi (vocals)
Marco Mendoza (bass)
David Lowy (guitar)
Doug Aldrich (guitar)
Brian Tichy (drums, thunder, chaos)

 

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