Hammer and er...vibrator?
The rejuvenated Anvil get a good crowd on the main stage and although it might have taken their recent biographical film to bring them back into the limelight, it’s clear that plenty here have delved into the back catalogue or bought the new record.
We’ve seen Anvil before but you still have to be impressed by the musicianship, huge guitar solos are backed with thumping double bass drum rhythms as they work through ‘666’ and ‘School Love’. The reception is warm and lots of the crowd obviously have a deep affection for them but it’s not misplaced loyalty or sympathy for all the tough times, they genuinely are a fine band and for a three piece they make a hell of a noise!
They mix in some interesting time signatures (most notably in ‘Winged Assassins’) and the newer material fits comfortably alongside the older songs. You could argue that this makes them sound dated and I suppose they do a little but at events like this with a fiercely old school crowd that hardly matters. I’m really not sure what to think when singer/guitarist Steve Kudlow produces a vibrator but thankfully he only uses it to play his guitar with in a bizarre display of slide and er… buzz effects?! It’s genius and the funniest thing we see all day.
Vibrators aside, some of the stage show is a bit Spinal Tap but it’s great entertainment and with the strength in depth of material they have it balances out nicely. It’s been a long time coming but Anvil are finally getting the kind of recognition they’ve worked so hard for and it would be a hard man indeed that would say they didn’t deserve it.