God Of Hell Fire
Most people only associate Arthur Brown with his 1968 hit ‘Fire’ (which catapulted him to stardom) but he has had a long career of solo albums and collaborations, most recently supplying guest vocals on Hawkwind’s 2005 release ‘Take Me To Your Leader’.
Well known for his theatrical costumes it’s little surprise when he takes the stage clad in a long velvet cloak with face painted black, green and red. He is nothing if not a charismatic front man and he still has that distinctive sounding voice that soars over every song. Todays set centres largely around the more jazzy and lighter sounding songs from his back catalogue, including his cover of Screaming Jay Hawkins ‘I Put A Spell On You’. Let’s not forget that this is The Crazy World of Arthur Brown but apart from the man himself there’s not much crazy about the rest of the band, they do however keep it tight throughout.
Much of the set would fall under the category ‘easy listening’ and whilst it’s proficient and well presented there are some flat moments. Predictably ‘Fire’ gets the biggest crowd reaction and sees Brown at his most animated as he leaps around the stage but there's no flaming head gear. Overall it’s a little disappointing, some heavier moments from his Kingdom Come days or a guest spot from a Hawkwind member (headlining this stage later) would have provided welcome variety perhaps.