Here we are back at Bannermans, Edinburgh, again for a band I’ve been following from the beginning. Led from the front by the fabulous Blaze Bayley they are the one and only Wolfsbane, but first up are local Hard Rock Fife boys Bastyon.
They open with the 2021 single “Wrong Inside” from their forthcoming new album. The bass and drums kick in before the twin guitars of Andy and Tony let loose. Andy has one of those classic old school style voices. The drums are getting a real pounding from Garrie along with Jamie killing it on the bass, a real fast paced proper rock song which the packed crowd are obviously loving already. A great start from the boys.
The band play “Ghost and the Darkness” next, the first of four from their excellent 2020 self titled debut album. Guitar hints of Van Halen along with Andy’s Bruce Dickinson-influence voice make this one of my favourites of the night and it gets a great response from the crowd. We also get “What Used To Live” with its classic style balled vibe, the stunning Megadeth infused “Vesuvius” and the self-titled rocker “Bastyon” which ended a fabulous rocking set. They also aired another three songs from the forthcoming new album The End of Reason including the opening track “Wrong Inside”, along with “Nostromo”, the fabulous “End of Reason” and “The Jungle”.
If you like your classic rock style bands with a true rock guitar sound, great vocals and a band that can really play and win the crowd then Bastyon are for you.
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Up next are those Tamworth men Wolfsbane. They have a fabulous new album out entitled Genius, but first up we visit Kathy Wilson’s place for a touch of “Steel”, with Jeff Hateley on bass bouncing about. Steve Danger resplendent in a Danger t-shirt, shades and a big white cowboy hat is behind him pounding away on the drums grinning like a man, while Jason “Jase” Edwards is firing on all cylinders on the guitar sitting down due to an actual broken back (yes you read that correctly). The man himself is also clearly enjoying tonight, the one and only Blaze Bayley.
The setlist is a pure fan’s delight with the likes of singalong favourites “Ezy”, “I Like it Hot” and the mental “Manhunt” with its killer tongue twister chorus. We have “Money to Burn” and get “Totally Nude”, we even visit “Kathy Wilson”. This is a band with nothing to prove and a stunning new album which is just pure Wolfsbane at its best. They are thoroughly enjoying themselves up on stage, still playing and sounding fantastic after all these years. The packed crowd is singing and laughing along with everything, and Blaze is feeding off the energy like a man possessed.
This is a fans’ band who time and again get together to put out an album and tour it, much to the delight of all who attend these fast paced shows. As much as Wolfsbane put out on stage, the audience gives it back with equal gusto. I mentioned the new album Genius earlier and we get the first three tracks off it. The fabulous fast-paced “Spit It Out” with the packed crowd singing the chorus back with great enthusiasm, the slower but no less enjoyable “Zombies”, a real hook laden winner of a song, and “Impossible Love”.
We are also treated to “Seen How it’s Done”, we worship at the “Temple of Rock” and at the end of the set we “Paint the Town Red”… by which time my voice was almost gone with singing along the whole night.
The boys never stopped bouncing about (apart from Jase, obviously, but he made up for it with some stunning guitar work). This a band who put their heart and soul into making these nights like catching up with your best friends and having a big party. When you leave a Wolfsbane gig you are grinning like a loon and still singing the likes of “Ezy” several days later, such is the feel good factor of their gigs.
If they play near you, go see them. Buy the new album and just enjoy the howling mad nutters that are the one and only Wolfsbane.
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Photos by Gary Cooper
