Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Trieste (Trst) / Teatro Miela (Dom pristaniških delavcev) / Italy
Concert date: 05.11.2013
Attendance: 350
The Quireboys (the name was gradually evolved from the original The Choirboys) – the infamous London sextet of hardcore rock ‘n’ roll contours, who thoroughly rattled the British Isles in 1990 with the success of their debut »A Bit Of What You Fancy«, is today considered one of the best-kept hard rock secrets on the planet. This seasoned outfit is incredibly convincing on stage, because their shows are always generously slathered in a thick layer of organic sonic density, created by noisy, dirty guitar phrases drawing on blues and boogie rock ‘n’ roll. These are backed by the warmth of »Hammond-like« keyboard sounds and mostly laced with teasing »honky tonk« piano licks. Flirty rhythmic figures deepen the musical, aesthetic sex appeal of The Quireboys’ music, but the main carrier of all that unique charisma of the sextet is still the vocal stamp of Jonathan Gray, known by the simple nickname »Spike«. Spike is the first and elementary trademark of The Quireboys. Without him, The Quireboys would surely no longer be on the map of active rock bands today. Just as there would be no hard rock gigs anywhere near Slovenia if the by now famous Max, a true rock icon, didn’t live in Trieste, on the side of our western neighbor. With his boundless enthusiasm over many years, he makes sure the flame of rock burns with undiminished intensity in our borderlands too, which of course gives us a sweet excuse to visit Trieste often.
And that’s how the evening began too. In the spirit of Trieste. Bonafide – the support act that was supposed to accompany The Quireboys across the whole tour – pulled out. So the warm-up for the enviably packed Dom pristaniških delavcev (Teatro Miela) was handled by locals – Trieste’s Gonzales. If we were looking for a Slovenian approximation, the closest would be Deck Janiels, but that comparison doesn’t hold up, since compared to our Slovenian rock ‘n’ roll youngsters, Gonzales have far more practice and experience from concert stages, and from the studio too. The quintet won us over instantly. Especially with the masterful way they used the stage, given the noisy, neighing rock ‘n’ roll flavor on which they build their own expression. That goes hand in hand with the obligatory stage wardrobe, which in Gonzales’ case is a pleasing one, slyly mixing hooligan swagger and dandyish flash. Excellent tightness, excellent communication on stage between the band members. A raw sound, which in the mix was a bit »piercing« – right up front the guitars occasionally went a little »haywire«, but that didn’t spoil the overall picture of Gonzales’ set. Their use of English was very confident too, and the vocalist also killed time with gymnastic tambourine moves, an inherited symbol of The Cult. So picture a scorching mix of rock ‘n’ roll, electrified by hints of punk on one side and blues on the other. The two guitars in the lineup are often deliberately steered into harmonized thirds, and the inspiration for that is of course well known. Thin Lizzy.
At exactly half past ten in the evening The Quireboys stepped on stage. The opening unfolded under the sign of a fantastic turn of events. First the surprise of Black Mariah from »Well Oiled« (2004), then a rush with the new Too Much Of A Good Thing, which immediately announced that the new album »Beautiful Curse« keeps the band’s recognizable musical character in every respect, then a blast back to the studio debut with Misled. One after another they made it clear that the hall was full of die-hard Quireboys fans who hadn’t forgotten the band, and who by no means skimped on support for Spike as he fought his way through the verses.
Spike took a bit more time for a speech before the new Homewreckers And Heartbreakers. It also quickly became clear that his shoes were honestly leaded tonight, thanks to a hefty dose of alcoholic derivatives. Spike pretty much did half of The Quireboys’ show. The static figures of the remaining five were broken up by his charming swagger, flirty glances and theatrical spinning of the mic stand, which is an already familiar staple of his energetic performances. Although Spike, who always has a glass of red wine on him during shows, carefully watched over that very glass all along so it wouldn’t break, bad luck struck right in the final part of the concert, when the poor glass of »delicious red« shattered into its elementary particles on a firm landing. Spike for president, then! His swagger takes up half the stage, while the other five members get »squeezed« onto the other half. So that’s a tenth of the stage for each of them! It’s incredible, though, how alcohol doesn’t touch Spike. The guy probably doesn’t step on stage at all without the proper daily dose under his hat. At every moment he knows exactly what’s going on around him on stage. What his buddies are doing and where the band’s head stage tech is, so he can hand him the glass when he doesn’t need it. Spike remains a endlessly entertaining stage statue, let’s say the central pillar of The Quireboys story, whose tongue gets endearingly tangled in his speeches, but with all those silly little remarks he wins you over with exceptional energy, flexible swagger and the fantastic color-shifting vocals that roar with passion.
The Quireboys delivered an excellent sound. Exceptional tightness, exceptional authenticity, exceptional chemistry that binds them in a feeling of stage invincibility, into a raw and one-of-a-kind rock ‘n’ roll attraction. Invasive. Contagious. They buy you instantly with their conviction. And the songs from the new album »Beautiful Curse« fit superbly alongside the band’s famous songs from the past. That was confirmed by the encore with the new ballad Mother Mary , where Spike again took the full spotlight, dosing out his vocals specially for this number with the biggest measure of »gravelly throatiness«. It generated an endearing mix of Angry Anderson (Rose Tattoo), Nicky Moore (Samson) and for a moment even Dan McCafferty (Nazareth). Hey You didn’t go missing, and at the close of the regular set the expected and, for The Quireboys’ catalog, huge 7 O’Clock rang out. The crackle of sparks didn’t let up for a second during the show.
A bomb full of rock ‘n’ roll swagger in an hour and a half of absolute magic, the kind only a band of great charisma can create. The hall filled up properly before the show, and toward the end the crowd was carrying the band on their hands in sheer delight. The Quireboys, or really Spike himself, urged the audience to join the band »outside« after the show for a drink or two. Spike had teasingly hinted a few times already during the concert that keyboardist Keith Weir would be paying for the drinks after the gig.
In short, a Quireboys show is a one-of-a-kind adrenaline carousel of real rock ‘n’ roll bitterness, stuffed with first-rate imagination, boogie style and bluesy eroticism, dosed out with a punchy »macho swagger«. When it comes to the craft of delivering the material live, with excellent musicians, any other scenario is simply impossible. Concert brilliance, delivered. New concert fairy tales. In Trieste, of course.
Setlist
THE QUIREBOYS:
1. Black Mariah
2. Too Much of a Good Thing
3. Misled
4. There She Goes Again
5. Homewreckers and Heartbreakers
6. This Is Rock ‘N’ Roll
7. Mona Lisa Smiled
8. Diamonds and Dirty Stones
9. 27 Years
10. I Don’t Love You Anymore
11. Tramps and Thieves
12. Hey You
13. Beautiful Curse
14. I Love This Dirty Town
15. Chain Smokin’
16. 7 O’Clock
—encore—
17. For Crying Out Loud
18. Mother Mary
19. Sweet Mary An
GONZALES:
1. Checkmate
2. Like Your Love Climbs
3. Weird Addiction
4. Liars
5. Xtatic Failure
6. Don’t Believe A Word (orig. Thin Lizzy)
7. Spellbound
8. Kind Of Future
9. Wrathchild (orig. Iron Maiden)
10. No Lose
11. Growing Pains
12. Fallen
13. Waves Of Lust
Photo Gallery
