‘Wow Bristol you’ve really grown’ frontman and guitarist
Ally Dickaty observes on raucous power-trio The Virgin Mary’s return to the
Louisiana. No longer a handy warm up act
to the likes of Ash, We Are Scientists and Eagles of Death Metal, the
Macclesfield group bring their homage to classic 70’s rock to a packed
sausage-fest crowd in celebration of recent release and well-received full
length debut ‘King Of Conflict.’
In a time when guitar bands are about as popular as a Lib
Dem party political broadcast, tonight’s headliner appear to be resolutely ploughing
their own furrow fusing grunge (Mudhoney, Screaming Trees, Nirvana) and ‘good
old fashioned’ 70’s rock with a healthy dose of northern grit and twist of
punk. Furious opener ‘Just A Ride’ sees
madcap drummer Danny Dolan stood upright bludgeoning his kit like he’s chopping
logs as black mop wielding Dickaty’s vocals work their way towards a feverish
boiling point. It all goes down well
with the lager guzzling crowd who earnestly nod along, the band an unapologetic
throwback to a glorious age of pre-prog rock.
The band are a tight unit on stage, all eyes fixed on
Dickaty on the left hand-side as he opens the stomping ‘Out Of Mind’ with a riff
reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac hit “Rhiannon.”
There’s no shimmering guitars and silky harmonies here though, instead
we’re treated to a vintage Led Zep/Stones piledriver complete with an
outrageous Slash endorsed guitar solo and chorus of; “The world spins out of
time and everybody’s out of their fooking mind.” Matt Rose provides the cheeky strut basslines
that create the ideal platform for Dickaty’s Page-esque twiddling as the band
delight the baying audience with their raw energy.
Moving onto Aerosmith-like “Portrait Of Red” the sand-paper
throated singer shrieks “Baby treat my body like a compass” in truth sounding
more Nic Cester (Jet) than Steve Tyler.
No matter, it’s both committed and powerful as those who saw last year’s
breakthrough Isle of Wight set can
testify. “Dressed To Kill” is a real
highlight which has the crowd whooping; crashing drums, brooding vocals and the
kind of convincing melodic hook that indie bed-wetters Feeder would fantasise
about. Vintage 70’s bluesy rock is given
a new lick of paint for the night’s best track “Dead Man’s Shoes” –which sees
three chord fuzzy pomp at its finest.
OK so it might be trying to re-invent the wheel a touch but
when its done with the kind of passion and power tonight it proves to be well
short of being brainlessly loutish. The
Virgin Mary’s show that there’s more in the locker than just the ability to eat
up the same market that eagerly await the latest Foo Fighters release. In truth it’s the kind of macho riff-heavy driving rock perfect
for frustrated Kasabian and pining Oasis fans; live they’re an incendiary riot
and shot in the arm to a flailing genre.
They’re sure to be a hit this summer on the festival circuit and
tonight’s belter of a set points towards a bright if not luminary future.
Kindly published by Venue:
http://www.venue.co.uk/music-live-reviews-v/20278-the-virginmarys
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