Amen to that
Formed in 1974 by the Troy brothers, Praying Mantis are more usually associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) that came along in the early 80s. They only had one real studio album back in those days but resurrected the band in the early 90s and have been working the circuits ever since. They get a pretty good crowd on the 2nd stage here and benefit greatly from what is probably the best sound I’ve heard on this stage so far.
They might be starting to look as old as they are but I’m surprised at how good they sound and at how much fun they seem to be having! From the first verses of ‘Panic In The Street’ it’s clear that they still have it. This really is classic rock, it has all the elements you’d want, the big riffs, the good chorus, the rock & roll vocals and oodles of guitar solos. The vocal harmonies are well worked, the lead guitar work is excellent and justifiably they go down well. You could argue that there’s not much variation in style but with more newer material than old they do sound more contemporary than some of the other older bands we’ve seen this weekend. ‘Turn the Tables’ and ‘Rise Up Again’ are delivered with real enthusiasm and you can’t help but get carried along with it.
Praying Mantis clearly have plenty left to offer and having just recorded a new album it seems there’s plenty to come from them yet. A thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining performance today.