Duff McKagan's Loaded at the Garage

Okay, I'd promised this review to a friend of mine last week and never got around to writing it until now. People who know me or have read any of my previous blogs raving about this band will probably see me as quite biased. So to begin with I'll say that whereas I've never seen this band play badly, I have seen them play shows that I don't think live up to what they are capable of.

The most recent of those was earlier this year at Donington Park's Download Festival. Once again, they didn't play badly, but there was a problem... they were on the main stage. Absolutely amazing to see a band like that on the main stage, and it was a great opportunity for them, but it made it clear to me that they are not a band that thrives on a larger stage. Along with the actual music being played, the quality of Loaded shows relies on the energy that the band and audience feed to each other. On a large stage, that's not possible. You could say that about any bands I suppose, but I think there is a big difference between a band that is meant to play large stages, and a band that is best viewed in a small sweaty club on a stage too small to contain all of the personality's playing. Later in the day, I saw Korn who are one of the former. For Loaded small, raw and sweaty is where they belong.

The very definition of that was the second time I saw the band play back on their UK tour in support of the 'Wasted Heart' E.P. back in 2008. The show was at Nottingham's Rock City, in a room that can't have more than a 200 capacity, with a stage only just big enough to fit all four band members. I was lucky enough to be on the barrier to witness Duff McKagan, Mike Squire, Jeff Rouse and Geoff Reading play one of the greatest shows I've ever been to in my life, if not the best.

I specifically mention that one, because it's so hard to top that show that it is a truly impressive feat that last week's show at The Garage came such a close second. Playing a well-balanced set between material from their albums, as well as a few choice covers that delve into Duff's back-catalogue, Duff, Mike, Jeff and Burke Thomas (filling in for Geoff Reading's replacement, Isaac Carpenter) played 90 minutes of non-stop raw rock n' roll, starting with three tracks from the bands most recent album, 'The Taking'.

Other than the tracks from 'The Taking', and the previous album, 'Sick', the real treat was hearing songs from the band's debut album 'Dark Days' that haven't been given a live airing in some time (most notably the title track, and 'Wrap My Arms'), as well as a couple of impromptu tracks not originally on the setlist. At one point, just before the acoustic section of the evening when Squires had just set up his acoustic guitar and getting ready to play 'You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory', Duff suddenly enquired, "is she really goin' out with him?".... yep... next came three quarters of the band playing The Damned's punk classic 'New Rose' whilst Mike had to quickly change back to his electric guitar. It's nice to see that there's still room for spontonaeity in rock n' roll sometimes. Not quite as amusing, but apparently 'Wasted Heart' wasn't originally meant to be played either.

As great as it was, though (and it was great), it's about time Loaded play more of their own material instead of falling back on old GN'R/punk covers. Not that I don't like hearing those songs, and I'm all for having a couple of them in the set, but 7 of 19 songs is a bit much.

Executioners Song (from Wasted Heart E.P./The Taking)
We Win (from The Taking)
Dead Skin (from The Taking)
Sleaze Factory (from Sick)
Dark Days (from Dark Days)
Seattle Head (from Duff's Beautiful Disease/Dark Days)
So Fine (Guns N' Roses track from Use Your Illusion II)
Wrap My Arms (from Dark Days)
Sick (from Sick)
Good News (Neurotic Outsiders song)
Cocaine (from The Taking)
Your Name (from The Taking)
Lords of Abbadon (from The Taking)
New Rose (The Damned cover/from the Guns N' Roses album, The Spaghetti Incident?)
You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory (acoustic) (Johnny Thunders cover/from the Guns N' Roses album, The Spaghetti Incident?) - ends with a singalong of GN'R's Patience
Wasted Heart (acoustic) (from Wasted Heart E.P./Sick)
Attitude (Misfits cover/from the Guns N' Roses album, The Spaghetti Incident?)
Dust N' Bones (Guns N' Roses song from Use Your Illusion I)
It's So Easy (Guns N' Roses song from Appetite For Destruction)

Loaded were supported by Riot:Noise and Dear Superstar. I've known Martin, Riot:Noise's singer for years thanks to the Velvet Revolver forum, and until last week every time they've somewhere I could get to I've always had something else that needs doing, or know money for travel/tickets. I was beginning to think I'd never see them, and when I finally did, I was not disappointed. They played a strong set including the one song that I knew well - 'Never Wrong' - and ending on a fantastic rendition of a song called 'Fight The People'.

Dear Superstar is another story. Their singer obviously thinks that he is a rock star already from that swagger he obviously thinks makes him look cool. A note for everyone it may involve... it takes a certain type of person to walk around a stage like that and look cool. If you're not that kind of a person, you just look like a twat. Dear Superstar's singer looks like a twat. An incredibly creepy twat who likes looking directly into people's eyes with a murderous kind of look that I can't help but think he believes is a sexy look. This could all be forgivable if the songs were good, but... well. "Damn your damn religion", is the most hilariously awful attempt to be controversial I've ever heard in song lyrics. Maybe if it was the 1950's it wouldn't be so funny, but this is a world which has Marilyn Manson and Trent Reznor in it. Hell, even Lady Gaga does a better job of controversy. All of this combined left me struggling (and failing) to keep a straight face throughout their set.