North East band “Shanghai” played the Bebside Inn at Blyth on 25th February and I took the chance to go and see what all the fuss is about, having heard that they have an ever growing faithful band of followers. Now I understand why!

The Bebside Inn (just a few hundred yards from Asda in Blyth) has a reputation as one of the best venues for live music, particularly if you like it to rock. I’d never been before but will certainly be going back. Its’ layout is excellent as a stage for live gigs, having an ‘L’ shaped bar area which allows the audience to see the stage area in the corner of the ‘L’ from every angle. The natural acoustics at the venue allow for volume without the sound ‘mashing’ the ears. The beer is excellent and surprisingly well priced compared to many others in the area. We managed to squeeze in one extra round from the savings made on the other rounds. Can’t complain at that!

I invited my colleague from Leeds to come to the gig and she was keen to hear Shanghai, having heard the odd ‘rumble’ about them already. We both agreed afterward that we’d just seen the best live act either of us had seen for years. (She is professionally involved in the music industry).

I had booked a taxi to pick us up at 11.20. Unfortunately the band was still doing their encores when it arrived and I couldn’t get her out of the Bebside because she insisted on seeing every last minute. A quick bung to the driver bought us the ten minutes we needed to soak up the climax of the incredible performance we had just witnessed. Shanghai play covers of established heavy metal and rock tracks, though to define them simply as a ‘metal cover band’ would be a misnomer.

At 9.00pm the band took to the stage. I may be wrong, but I think the musical theme accompanying their entrance was “Ave Satani”, better known as the Theme from the Omen movie. If it wasn’t that theme it was very similar and it immediately developed an atmosphere of intensity. Addo was sat behind his drum kit whilst Russ, Nick and KC turned their backs to the audience in a haze of dry ice. Cliché? Never! This was rock theatre. It was clear that this was not going to be your average rock cover band.

The audience were already drawn in and captivated. Turning to the audience, the band timed the start of the first track in a perfect segue with the menacing intro theme and the set began with a well crafted medley including Deep Purple’s “Hush Hush” and UFO’s “Pushed to the Limit”. This was followed by an awesome interpretation of the Yardbirds “Shapes of Things”. I’ve heard many interpretations of this particular track before, but this one was brilliant and it was a good example of how Shanghai take the songs and make them their own.

Next came “Rebel Yell” and “White Wedding”, two Billy Idol songs which are good songs to start with, but, once they’d been ‘Shanghaied’, they were even better. (I wonder if they call themselves “Shanghai” because of their ability to take classic songs and make them sound like their own creations or if this is just a happy coincidence? Either way, I think the point is made.)

Mags (my friend) had been headbangin’ subtly from the start but when the lads tore into Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer” and “You give Love a Bad Name”, she couldn’t resist joining the rest of the audience with their ‘air guitars’ too. They were all at it, from the ‘twenty something’s to the ‘forty something’s. A good sign.
 
The set continued with classics such as “Wishing Well”, Neil Young’s “Rocking in the Free World”, Def Leppard “Animal”, Kinks “You Really Got Me”, Whitesnake “Here I go again” and Kenny Loggins “Highway to the danger zone”. I have to say that “Highway” was notable because the audience started putting their arms out and ‘flying’. It dawned on me after a few seconds that this was a song from the “Top Gun” movie. This segued to “Born to be Wild” and other classics followed.

If you want to know the whole set list, go and see them. I’d prefer to move on and relate what really made this a special night, other than the fact that the full set list was extensive and, it seems, well crafted for maximum impact. I’m referring to the sheer showmanship of the band.

Any band of this type may be in danger of taking themselves too seriously and indulging in Spinal Tap type clichés. Shanghai never even approached this. Yes, they took some of the rock clichés and worked the audience with them, but their great humour and audience ‘patter’ made this work in a way I have rarely seen.

For example, Nick Jennison (Lead Guitarist) would work in his perfectly crafted guitar solos and extend some of them to the point where others might fail and lose their audience interest. Not Nick! Other than the fact that he is a young, tall, well built and (I’m told) good looking hunk, he handles his rare Ibanez RG8570 and heavily modified RG550 with great skill. This next comment may well be edited, but Mags did describe one of his solos as “Guitar W**king Heaven!” I have to agree. Nick also uses the Roland GR33 Guitar Synth and had a few people dazzled when he played strings, voices and even a rather complex piano line, all triggered by his strings. At one point he launched into a track, only to, apparently, get it wrong. Russ stops him and demands he ‘rewinds’, which Nick duly does by manipulating his strings to sound like he is literally ‘re-winding’ the track. He lets go and starts again. Russ stops him again because this is not the beginning of the track yet. So Nick obliges further and ‘rewinds’ some more. Then the song bursts into life and the well staged comic piece has the audience in raptures. Nick then proceeds to ‘fellate’ his guitar. Ok, a cliché, but set in the light hearted framework the lads had established from the outset with their audience banter and on stage mutual taunting, this really worked.

Kent (known as KC) plays Bass and is the ‘quiet one’, but boy, can he play! Flawless and emphatic in every track (and with an image that reminds me of the great Trevor Bolder) he drives the tracks along admirably and plays with Russ as they put their heads together and arch their backs in ‘good ole’ stage buddy’ fashion. This is how to work your audience! These guys should offer advice to others on a consultancy basis!

At the back of the stage sits Addo on drums. There is a tired old joke about a drummer who auditions for a band. “Can you count to four?” he is asked. “If so you’ve got the job!” Well, Addo dispels any such ignorance. I’ve seen loads of drummers and always have respect for the fact that, without a good one, a band lacks one of its main ‘engines’. If engines are the analogy, Addo is a ‘V8 Turbo Injection’. In a nutshell, he can play! Apparently Shanghai don’t usually indulge in drum solos but tonight they did. And the audience were grateful! Cheering and clapping the spectacle as Addo stood up and started his solo. Ok, nothing new there…until it became spectacular! Riffs, grooves and rhythms to knock yer’ teeth out! Mags’ head was surely going to come off soon. Addo moved from his kit and started walking away across the back of the stage, STILL PLAYING…. the wall, the shelf, the top of the amps, the glasses on the shelf, Nicks’ Brown Ale Bottle… still in his hand, the floor and just about anything that he came across! And the solo didn’t falter. Arriving in front of his kit he continued to play from the audience side, slid round to the seat, continued, climaxed and…the band join in again, drowned by the appreciation of the audience. I thought I’d seen it all, but I was wrong. This was no cliché! This sets a new challenge for others who dare to experiment with true stage showmanship. I just have to mention that Mags fell in ‘lust’ with Addo, and she wasn’t the only one, judging by some of the comments I picked up on in the audience.

Last but by no means least, Russ Boyack, lead singer. (All the band provide BVs by the way) I left him ‘til last just to defy convention. With a stage persona to rival any front man I’ve ever seen, Russ charms and includes the audience in every way, drawing them into the show and rewarding them with powerful vocals which make every song his own. He reminds me in some ways of Bob Catley from Magnum, and that must only be seen as a compliment. In the same way as Catley does, he demands your attention and then shares it with the rest of the band, making them one piece. A team whose only aim is to entertain the audience with solid performances and a ‘vibe’ that captivates all within earshot. (Andy, the sound man, makes sure that ‘earshot’ extends a long way, and with clarity.) Russ is a talented showman, singer and guitarist. Grasping his Jackson RR3 on his thigh, he ‘machine guns’ the audience with riffs and makes them want more. And he delivers it! In a band where every member is a ‘front man’ in their own right, Russ has to be extra special because he has a ‘lot of band to front’. A task he fulfils brilliantly.

I was busy trying to convince the taxi to wait whilst Mags mashed her brains up a bit more to the encores. The crowd don’t want them to stop and neither did I. But we had all been “Shanghaied” for a night and, trite though it may sound, I want more. I’m certainly going to catch this band whenever I can because they are skilled practitioners of heavy rock with the added dimension of being a truly entertaining outfit. I’m a fan!

If you own a venue, you really need to check this band out and book them! They’ll bring the people in.

If you want a great and memorable night out watching a finely honed and incredibly ‘tight’ and ‘heavy’ live band (which, I’m reliably informed, includes some ‘top male totty’), find out which venues have taken my advice and booked them, then get yourself and your friends along to see them. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Mags will come up from Leeds again just to see them and that, boys, is an achievement!

They have their own website. Check it out for more pics, gig dates and venues. Get ‘Shanghaied’ for a night! It’s an experience. www.shanghairock.com