Glam rock is alive and kicking!
80’s sleaze rock band The Quireboys to me has always been one of those bands that I recognise the name and associate it with something special, but ask me to sing one of their songs and I’m clueless. On that basis, along with the fact that Hard Rock Hell made up part of their tour to celebrate the band’s 20th anniversary, there was no way I was going to miss this opportunity to see the guys in action.
As they stepped onto the stage with their extravagant outfits: big hair, hats, bandanas, make-up, painfully tight jeans - the guys looked every inch the glam rock stars. Their primarily female audience were spellbound as they ran through a good mix of hits that spanned their lengthy career; I surprised myself as I recognised ‘Hey You’ and ‘Sex Party’! The crowd seemed to react better to the older tracks but it was refreshing to see a more mature group with fresh ideas.
The Quireboys’ performance was everything I hoped it would be; the theatrics, the arrogance, the glamour - it was everything I expected and much more! Front-man Spike Gray’s arrogant swagger could have given the likes of Axl Rose and Vince Neil a run for their money. Oozing confidence, his exciting performance thrilled the enormous crowd; swinging the mic stand around as he danced, the adoring fans forgave the showman when he misjudged one particular swing and sent the stand flying across the stage. Although he recovered well, the embarrassed glances exchanged between his band mates were priceless!
The band interacted brilliantly with the audience who were lapping it all up; from the cringeworthy Welsh clichés (is Tom Jones really the only famous Welshman worth mentioning?) to sexual innuendos, the guys couldn’t put a foot wrong. A woman in the front row practically fainted when Spike tossed her a flower (a chrysanthemum, I believe!)
Twenty years on, The Quireboys are still flying the flag for British sleaze rock and the best thing is, its timeless sound is as loved now as it was when Guns n’ Roses and Motley Crue ruled the world of rock. As The Quireboys continue to inspire the next generation of rock stars, I think it’s safe to say that sleaze rock will be alive and kicking for many more years to come!