For those of you 150 or so lucky punters to catch British rockers Thunder at The Capitol in Perth on 11th March 2017 would know the boys know how to put on a live show. The band have never exactly been overjoyed with studio rehearsals, so the Australian Tour was a perfect warm-up to practice the new material from latest offering “Rip It Up” and blow out the cobwebs for the much anticipated UK & European tour. And this has now been followed by a live double album (and Blu-ray) entitled Stage, recorded a mere 13 days after the Perth show, at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena, in front of a crowd of 5000, highlighting the bands excellent back catalogue of tunes.
The thing with Thunder is that they remind me of a damn good wine…they just get better with age, with new tracks standing side by side with old classics and this is evident from the opening tracks No-One Gets Out Alive and The Enemy Inside, both from the latest album. You see, Thunder have a “sound” that has followed them throughout their 29 year span, not only due to lead guitarist & songwriter Luke Morley, but also because the new stuff always still sounds refreshingly, well…new! Vocalist Danny Bowes bounces around as if he’s still on that Donington stage back in 1990 and his voice still is as good now, as it was back then. In Bowes they have a classic front man, working the crowd at every opportunity. Fan favourite River of Pain is followed by Resurrection Day written to celebrate guitarist Ben Matthews’ all clear after his brush with cancer back in 2014.
Bowes chills the mood slightly with RIP’s Right From The Start but we’re soon back up and running again with a visit to the 1990 debut album with title track Back Street Symphony and Higher Ground, lifting the crowd back to their feet with Bowes telling them “how fantastic they all look tonight”.
Drummer Harry James & bass player Chris Childs relentlessly keep point with punching beats & thumping rhythm, as Thunder show throughout this live recording why they never disappoint or show signs of easing up. In Another Life once again showcases Bowes’ vocal range and Morley’s writing prowess. 2015’s album Wonder Years gets plundered next with The Thing I Want getting the crowd bouncing once more. BSS’s Don’t Wait For Me enables Bowes to show he can still hit the high notes effortlessly – this was the song that day back in 1990 at the Monsters of Rock Festival, Castle Donington, that won me over for life, and it never tires. Rip It Up is followed by live favourites Love Walked In and I Love You More Than Rock n Roll (featuring Chuck Bell) as Thunder bid their loyal choir a fond farewell.
But encores are always the order of the night at a Thunder gig, with Wonder Years and She Likes The Cocaine (with a guest appearance from Lynne Jackman) leading the crowd to the end of the evening with a rousing rendition of Dirty Love.
If there is one (slight) complaint, it’s the fact that the band now has so many cracking tracks that they have to leave some absolute belters out of the set list. But that’s the price of great songs – can’t please everyone. Stage is just another chapter for this good old fashioned, honest and hardworking rock band and well worth a watch or listen. I, for one, am eagerly looking forward to their next visit to the studio (and hopefully one more Australian Tour).
Track Listing
No One Gets Out Alive
The Enemy Inside
River Of Pain
Resurrection Day
Right From The Start
Backstreet Symphony
Higher Ground
In Another Life
The Thing I Want
Don’t Wait For Me
Rip It Up
Love Walked In
I Love You More Than Rock ‘n’ Roll
Wonder Days
She Likes The Cocaine
Dirty Love