Motörhead + Michael Monroe

Glasgow O2 Academy, 9th November 2010

Michael Monroe and Ginger

Okay, so in between moving eight carloads of crap into our temporary flat and packing up a houseful of stuff to go into storage, I kinda failed to review the fabulous Michael Monroe at Glasgow's O2 Academy. So, better late than never, I'll make it snappy.

They rocked.

Actually I could leave it there – except that it would be a shame not to mention that this who's who of underground rock'n'roll superstars Michael has magiced up from his Google contacts (that'll be Ginger Wildheart, New York Dolls guitarist Steve Conte, legendary Dolls/Hanoi Rocks bassist Sami Yaffa and LA drummer Karl Rockfist) together make up the coolest band on the planet, ever; a lean, mean, leather-clad, music-making machine.

Surely the coolest band on the planet: the Michael Monroe band

Racing through a high octane mix of Hanoi Rocks classics ('Back to Mystery City' is a particular highlight), Michael Monroe solo tracks, punk covers and new material that's as effortlessly cool as the band itself, a set that starts by entrancing a few diehard punks and glams down the front finishes up inspiring a goodly number of grumpy old Motörhead fans to start motorvatin'.

Swigging red wine as they kick out the jams, the band exude a glorious blend of laidback gutter glamour and exuberant, kinetic aggression. And if anyone were at all unsure, this performance proves without a doubt that lovely, clumsy, boggle-eyed, string-sinewed, double-jointed, high-kicking Michael Monroe is a first class frontman with true star quality, up there with David Johansen and Mick Jagger.  I haven't felt this honoured to see a band live since the first time I saw the New York DolIs: this line up is something truly special, and can't I wait for the album – and hey guys, how about a headlining tour?

Follow that, Motörhead. Well of course they do. They're Motörhead, they play rock'n'roll. At ear-bleeding volumes that actually makes it quite hard to hear them. But, hey, Lemmy's a living legend and 'Flying to Brazil', 'Ace of Spades' and 'Killed By Death' are metal masterpieces and while, as far as I'm concerned, they may be closing for Michael Monroe, they sure as hell do it with style.

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