Like with the Frank Turner article earlier this month, allow me to begin by taking you back to 2005. A date in Manchester on the Viking Skull tour was the first live review we brought you of McQueen, an article that concluded with reviewer Andy Latham saying: “McQueen continue to win people over and there's a small but enthusiastic group of fans down at the front that jump and dance (for want of a better word) throughout. Having seen them live a few times now I'm convinced that these girls have what it takes, they are yet to disappoint; consummate musicians, great performers and with an already impressive repetoire wider success should be just around the corner.”
It took a while for them to make it “round the corner” and there’s still a way to go, but 2007 finally saw the release of the debut album, supported by a hectic twelve months of touring that included European festivals Sweden Rocks, Rock AM Ring in Germany, Rosrock in Holland and UK appearances at Hard Rock hell and the Aerosmith day of Hyde Park Calling.
Reflecting on their year, singer Leah describes 2007 as: “pretty fucking full on! We've played in 13 different countries this year from Vietnam, USA and all over Europe, plus we've done two headline tours this year to coincide with the release and then re-release of our album. One of my highlights was playing Vietnam at the Ho Chi Minh City stadium; being the first ever UK rock band to play Vietnam was a fucking honour! It was our first ever stadium gig and I think we all had shivers running down our spines when we walked out onstage to the collective roar of 20,000 Vietnamese rock junkies! Fuck knows what we ate out there, we didn't like to ask!
“I can't say there have been any lowlights this year as this summer has seen us play some fucking awesome festivals and have been some of the best moments of our lives.”
‘Break The Silence’, reviewed
here, was released in January, with the band giving us a
track by track guide, talking us through the inspirations behind the songs and giving us an insight into the kind of personalities that make up the band.
Leah: “Another highlight for me was holding ‘Break The Silence’ in my hands for the very first time and feeling insanely fucking proud! For McQueen our album is a physical manifestation of our collective strength, focus and creative intention - and also a nice little 'fuck you' to all those who doubted us!”
The McQueen UK gigs we reviewed include
Manchester Roadhouse in January, a support slot on the
Wednesday 13 tour in March at the Manchester Academy 2, their “Halloween Home Coming Tour” in October at the
Nottingham Rock City and their set at
Hardrock Hell, which took place at the Minehead Butlins. Although they’ve played a lot in this country during 2007, they seem to be taking off quicker in mainland Europe. Reviewer Andy Latham spent a week in February on tour with them in Germany. Get his tour diary
here.
In the autumn news broke that McQueen had lost their third bass player in as many years as Gina Collins left the band.
Gina, who herself was a replacement for Sophie Taylor, joined the band in January and quickly made an impact with her commanding stage presence. The split is amicable and Gina had the following to say on her Myspace blog:
"There's been some awesome times had with the band and really glad to have met some fantastic people and great bands. I wish the band the best of luck and hope the new bassist has a great time with the girls. Thanks to the people who came to the shows, hung out and partied! I have some great memories"
She is replaced by new member Cat, previously of Sound of the Furies who made her debut on the first date of the October UK tour in Manchester.
The band are currently on the road in Finland, and have further European shows lined up the other side of New Year. Keep an eye on their
Myspace for UK dates, or the R13 news section.
See who else we’ve featured in our band of the day feature
here.