EUROPE
Highbury Garage, London, UK - 1st November 2009
Line-up: Europe + New Device
Review by Jon Wilde, all pics © Christie Goodwin
Europe were one of those bands I had to "see before I die". I've never had the pleasure before so it was a proper treat to get my bad self over to the 'Relentless' Highbury Garage on a blustery Sunday evening.
Last time I was at the Garage was for Brainstorm and Primal Fear. It's a cool (small to medium sized) venue with a great atmosphere and pucka acoustics. I had a good walk round whilst the bands were playing and the sound came across just as well across the board. Maybe it's the fact the place is shaped like a WW2 bomb shelter. Not sure, but it certainly makes for a good warm, LOUD sound.
By the time first band New Device came on, the place was already bustling in a big way. During the last gig there was so much space everyone could have laid down and watched from a horizontal position. This time it was a struggle to breathe in and out, a factor not helped by the world's most unenthusiastic air conditioning system which seemed to take great pleasure in keeping the room at a constant 47°C. Possibly.
Anyway...New Device are a, er, new band with a new album out. they play a vaguely heavy, punkish, modern take on stadium hard rock. They come across like any number of modern chart-orientated rock acts and, whilst they are without doubt talented guys, the songs were a bit, dare I say, safe. There were few if any really big choruses, and most of the tracks seemed to operate at one speed. I suspect in a smaller, more intimate venue they'd be great. At this level they simply didn't tickle my taste buds.
'Make My Day' and 'Pedal To The Metal' were arguably the best of the bunch, and they did a good job of showing off be-muscled vocalist Daniel Leigh's splendid pipes. He has a vast range on him, maybe not a unique tone, but he's up there with the best new singers around at present. He also came across as a gracious, warm guy who was genuinely thankful for his chance to be sharing the stage with a bona fide bunch of legends.
The rest of New Device - Phil Kinman on lead guitar, Robb Wybrow on rhythm guitar, Andy Saxton on bass and Rozzy Ison drums - are above average too. there's little doubt they could end up being big. In fact, listening to their music on MySpace, they come across better on record than they do live. But, and it's a firm peachy but, they still have work to do before they get there.
After what seemed like an age, a few false starts, and the venue getting even more ridiculously full, Europe finally made it onto the stage. The first track was the title number off their latest album, Last Look At Eden...and what a splendid track it is. It's perhaps a little darker and moodier than we are used to from the Swedish rockers, but there are few better ways to get a crowd going than by playing a song this good, and playing it this well.
The new album had a good showing during the evening. I wasn't sure beforehand how many tracks they would play, or indeed how well they would go down. 'No Stone Unturned' was an absolute smash, 'Gonna Get Ready' was fine too. 'New Love In Town' wasn't bad either, although there are better ballads in the Europe back catalogue.
And that leads me onto my only gripe - Europe's back catalogue...
Europe is an amazing band chocked full of amazing musicians. Joey Tempest is one of the best singers there is any genre, period. John Norum is an utterly brilliant guitarist. You can tell he's brilliant because he spends most of the time looking like he really isn't trying. John Levén is a superb, again understated bass player. Mic Michaeli is possibly the best keyboard player I've ever seen live. Even Ian Haugland, hidden away at the back on drums was kicking out some rhythms that would leave most skin-smashers, er, dead.
...And the problem with all that talent is the number of truly phenomenal songs they have in the bank. Whatever they choose to play, they are never going to please everybody. So it was with me tonight. It was an absolutely top performance, and songs like 'Rock The Night', the obligatory 'Final Countdown', and the totally off-the-scale 'Superstitious' were fantastic. But where was 'Carrie', 'Seven Doors Hotel', 'Open Your Heart', 'Cherokee', and...the list goes on?
It's not their fault of course. They played a couple of tracks from their other newer albums - Start From The Dark and Secret Society - which didn't do a lot for me but still got the crowd going, and they certainly gave it their all. The problem was I went like an excited schoolboy with pre-conceived ideas of what I wanted to hear. When I didn't hear those 'dream tracks', I was always going to be a tiny bit disappointed. It's the same result you always get seeing bands with astonishing back catalogues, be it Metallica, Whitesnake, Def Leppard or whoever.
The important thing, and the reason the gig was so bloody good anyway, was the fact Europe gave it their all. they put on an amazing show, played every track beautifully, and made the crowd go so bonkers I thought the building was going to collapse. I have never seen a crowd react like they did when 'Final Countdown' started. It's the most fun riot I've ever been involved in!
Would I see Europe again? God yes!!! Will I enjoy them again? Hell yes!!! Will I still moan that they didn't play all the songs I wanted to hear? Bloody right I will! :)
Europe setlist:
1). Last Look At Eden
2). Gonna Get Ready
3). Superstitious
4). Love Is Not The Enemy
5). Sign Of The Times
6). Always The Pretender
7). No Stone Unturned
8). New Love In Town
9). Scream Of Anger
10). Optimist (John Norum Instrumental Interlude)
11). Seventh Sign
12). Good Times
13). Start From The Dark
14). Rock The Night
Encore:
15). Only You Can Rock Me (UFO Cover Version)
16). The Final Countdown
See Europe on tour in the UK during February 2010. Very special guest is Diamond Head.
Leeds 02 Academy (Feb 18),
Birmingham O2 Academy (Feb 19),
02 London Shepherd’s Bush Empire (Feb 20),
Oxford O2 Academy (Feb 22),
Bournemouth O2 Academy (Feb 23),
Bristol O2 Academy (Feb 24),
Manchester Academy 2 (Feb 26),
Newcastle O2 Academy (Feb 27)
Glasgow O2 ABC (Feb 28).
Ticket Hotline: Ticket Hotline: 0844 477 2000, http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/. The album ‘Last Look At Eden’ is out now. More info: http://www.europetheband.com/
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