Altsounds - Black Stone Cherry - London Hammersmith Apollo, October 15 2009

The future, the past and the present of rock’n’roll: if you are at Hammersmith Apollo tonight, you’re going to get it all for the price of one. Not even Tesco could beat that! Black Stone Cherry, a music reality of our days, recently consecrated by their second acclaimed album “Folklore and Superstition,” have chosen their on-the-road companions very wisely, picking hot Roadrunner newcomers The Parlor Mob and never forgotten Duff McKagan, of Guns’n’Roses glory, with his dirty and loud outfit Loaded.

I had the luck to stumble into The Parlor Mob’s rehearsal session this afternoon, and after such a punchy taster I can only lick my lips in anticipation. Man, these guys know how to play! How many bands can you name that can afford to open a show of this calibre with an instrumental track and still keep all the audience attention well switched on? No insults, eggs or vegetables of any kind, this opener attracts plenty of loud cheering instead. And it doesn’t end there: once we find out the extent of Mark Melicia’s vocal capabilities, we know that the instrumental choice wasn’t surely dictated by a questionable singer. The Parlor Mob can afford to choose and excel in everything. I’m still not very familiar with their work, but I can see where Nick comes from when defining their sound as a cross between metal and soul music, where that soul side seems to give more depth to their powerful metal pieces. Their Roadrunner debut “And You Were a Crow” deserves to be heard, several times and more. ‘When I Was an Orphan’ is a rock gem that you can’t just dismiss as another good rock piece.

Time for Duff McKagan Loaded, which I remember reviewing in 2002 at the Viper Room in Hollywood just after launching first album “Dark Days.” Back then, I really liked his rough punk rock sound, sleazy and dirty as it’s meant to be, although I didn’t think any song stood out particularly on “Hard Days.” Then Velvet Revolver took over, and I thought it was a shame killing Loaded off, they had potential... Luckily, they had only been put on a shelf, ready to be resumed when the time was right, and new full length “Sick” seems to tick all the boxes. The set list is a well selected sequence of straight forward but never dull rock’n’roll pieces, plus two awesomely interpreted classic punk covers, Misfits ‘Attitude’ and the Damned ‘New Rose,’ and a ballad, but not just any ballad: it’s ‘So Fine,’ from Guns’n’Roses “Use your Illusion II,” originally penned and sung by McKagan himself and written as a tribute to deceased punk icon Johnny Thunders. Come to think of it since Duff is not new to lead vocals and surely not bad at it, why all the drama in Velvet Revolver to find a singer?

Yes, obviously there’s going to be a proper Guns’n’Roses cover, one big hit to take the oldest part of the audience back in time, and show the youngest what rock’n’roll really means. The choice falls on classic anthem ‘It’s so easy,’ but there’s a treat for the London audience tonight: a special guest. Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield “magically” appears on stage, and joins Loaded for the last chapter of this brilliant performance! So there, we had two rock legends to bless this gig. Can headliners Black Stone Cherry measure up to the occasion? Can they follow up two pieces of music history and keep their heads high?

You bet they can! Fast and furious opener ‘Rain Wizard’ takes the Apollo by storm. From Chris Robertson vocal chords to Ben Wells guitar strings, all vibrations seem to magically interweave with each other, creating an amazingly powerful texture, a perfect blend of all the colours you could possibly fit into a rock song.

Giving Black Stone Cherry a label is virtually impossible. Their music is vast like their influences, not afraid of sounding too old or too new, too tough or too gentle. It comes from the heart, and you can feel they’re taking that heart on stage with them and throwing it out to the crowd. ‘Backwoods Gold’ and ‘Shooting Star’ complete Black Stone Cherry’s introduction, then a taste of “Folklore and Superstition” with ‘Yeah Man’ and ‘Blind Man,’ cheered by the audience. Bluesy hit ‘Hell and High Water’ attracts the biggest sing along so far.

Robertson has some simple rules to help us enjoy the next hour or two: first, forget everything you left outside, it’s just us and the music now; second, sing your ass off; third, ladies, shake your ass off! And now, ‘Please come in.’ Can a ballad really be this rocking good?!? Time to shake it again with ‘Soulcreek,’ before John Fred Young’s drum solo. Everybody, lighters out and surely you know the words for this one: ‘Peace is Free.’ The atmosphere is magic.

Ben stops his constant head-banging and takes the microphone to say a few words, totally at ease on that big stage; there are Krispy Kreme donuts for everyone, Happy Halloween! Blues, blues, blues and more blues, ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ and ‘Maybe Someday,’ and when it’s time to say goodbye the choice falls on masterpiece ‘Things My Father Said,’ passionate, old fashioned, yet timeless and unforgettable. There’s obviously an encore and it’s obviously a powerful and fast rock anthem to leave us all on a high; it’s called ‘We are the Kings’ and it’s a bonus track from “Folklore and Superstition” bonus edition... Did I hear someone saying they’d gone soft?!?!? A heartfelt thanks to the fans and Black Stone Cherry leave the stage, sweaty and visibly happy.

Black Stone Cherry: all the honesty and the colours of a rainbow in a clear blue sky. They have two killer albums out on Roadrunner, “Black Stone Cherry” and “Folklore and Superstition,” that you owe to yourself to buy, and don’t miss their show next time they play at a venue near you. You won’t be disappointed.