Colin Smoult's Review Oct 2002

It's been a while since we last had Black Rose appear here at The Office and not for lack of wanting them. Unfortunately we already have a Thin Lizzy tribute band play here twice a year. As Limehouse Lizzy play upstairs for ticket money then we couldn't have another Lizzy tribute playing too close to their dates in case it had an effect on the tickets sales. So I had Black Rose booked at the end of April this year in-between the Limehouse lads' January and July gigs. As bad luck would have it the band had to pull out of that booking and I couldn't rearrange another slot for them until early October. So in reflection I ended  realising that I hadn't put Black Rose on at The Office for close to a year. This was definitely time for them to return here to play especially when some of the members live in the South Tyneside area. At last the date came around and I was curious to find out what the band was like (and who was now in them) these days.

     Another pleasant surprise as I walked through the doors of The Office to see a lovely big Mackie P.A. system. New guitarist Ken brought this system with him and what an awesome piece of equipment it was. 2 sets of bass bins and 2 sets of mid/high range cabs. A lot of gear and a lot of cash invested there as well. Straight away I was well impressed as the band, regardless of the fact that they were a tribute to a legendary heavy rock band, were probably one of the quietest pubs that have ever played at the venue. Even though they always brought a substantial P.A. rig with them, it was never pushed up very high and on their last 2 visits people were talking quite easily above the volume of the band. This fact was always the thorn in my foot whenever I thought about the group and I wished that they could for once blast the music through the building like the act they were paying homage to. This night my prayers were answered and finally Black Rose came across with enough power and majesty to do themselves justice in this relatively large room.

     The intro tape rolled and the sound of sirens blasted forth from the speakers and it was easy to guess that the opening number would be the same as that from Thin Lizzy's live double album, and of course it was Jailbreak. As the final chords of the song were thundering across the room then it was straight into Waiting for an Alibi. As with any tribute band you can't just pick and choose any songs you want to. It basically has to be like a greatest hits package with a selection of the stand-out numbers from the live album included as well. That's exactly what the punters at the Office got, one memorable classic after another. The choice of material was pretty predictable, but hey this is a Thin Lizzy covers band so they can hardly stray far from the beaten (and well established) track.

     Any Lizzy fan knows exactly what numbers should be played and it was nice to see the band slip in something different in the form of the slow version of Don't Believe a Word. This was the way that Phil Lynott originally wrote the song and it was eventually played in that fashion on one of Gary Moore's solo albums. The band recreated the feel of the song by playing it the slow way to start with and then kicking off in full frenzy and playing the whole song over again in the better known rock version. I think that Thin Lizzy played the song that way on the last ever tour together back in 1984 when they had John Sykes in the line-up on guitar. A lot of the music played tonight sounded a lot more modern than the famous Live and Dangerous album and in fact resembled the band that played on the 'Live/Life' record from that final tour. Less bluesy, and far more going for the jugular.
     All of the members of Black Rose played fantastically this evening. Ben on lead guitar and lead vocals played some stunning solos as well as showing his maturity as a vocalist. Ben was never the original singer in this band but rose to the occasion when the slot became vacant. Now he's turned in to a fine singer and handles the Phil Lynott phrasing marvelously. George on drums is as reliable as ever and although he never seems to break in to much of a sweat, he's about as solid as they come. Barry the bassist is a very good musician who'll be greatly missed by this band when he leaves at the back end of the year. He handed his notice in a couple of months ago and is off as soon as they find a replacement. No bad feelings whatsoever, simply that he feels it's time to move on now. Lastly is Ken the 'new-boy' in the band and what a fabulous catch. Not only does he bring his own monstrous P.A. system, but he also happens to be an excellent guitarist too and a perfect partner for Ben to play off against.

     Moment of the night went to Ken during his solo at the end of Still in Love With You when he was having some serious problems with his guitar strap. Earlier during the song his strap came away from his guitar and he managed to struggle and get it fastened back on with out missing out on playing much of the tune. He (and the audience) thought that it was all sorted out, but it wasn't. Ben played the main (Brian Robertson) solo in the middle and then when the final (Scott Gorham) solo kicked off, this was to be Ken's piece. Just as he was about to hit the opening notes his guitar came away again. He hammered his fingers on the neck to keep the sound going while he fussed around trying desperately to get his strap fastened again and quickly succeeded. Off he went once more playing away and the guitar came adrift for the third time. This time Ken just gave up and rested the guitar on his knee while he still managed to play a superb guitar solo. The show must go on and even though he's still got the tag as the new lad, his professionalism shone through in abundance. At the end of that track he received an enormous round of applause from a crowd that appreciated his tricky situation and how well he managed to save the song.

     This was without doubt the best time I'd ever seen Black Rose play. The line-up they have at the moment is fantastic, they play the songs better than ever before, and AT LAST the sound was big and huge the way it always should have been. The band came across as a brilliant rock outfit who are currently playing at 'the top of their game'. After 6 years or more they have finally reached a level of professionalism that puts them in the very top division of the band league. From their tentative beginnings a 5-piece band that had a separate vocalist/keyboardist through to the version of the group that I witnessed this night. They have become a force to be reckoned with and no longer can be regarded as a 'cheapo' alternative to the nationally recognised Limehouse Lizzy. Black Rose are a superb Thin Lizzy tribute band in their own right, and it is in fact the lads from Limehouse who should now be watching their backs!