Alice CooperGig reviewsGlen MatlockThe Meffs

Nightmares, Pythons, and Rock Legends: Alice Cooper Brings Down the House in London

The original shock-rocker was back in London as part of his huge Too Close For Comfort tour and we were excited to see what he had in store for the Hammersmith crowd.

Unusually, this was an all-seated event which meant that us photographers were hemmed in by security to the far corners of the stage. To say that shooting conditions were tricky is an understatement and it’s really something that should have been considered by the organisers.

Despite this, we had a great time watching three brilliant acts, culminating in a masterclass from Alice and his band.

The Meffs

First up were the superb Meffs. We first saw vocalist / guitarist Lily perform at this year’s Vive le Rock Awards and were captivated by her raw energy, so we were excited to see her perform with drummer Lewis. For a guitar / drums duo they make an incredible noise and their “frantic Britpunk” went down well with the already sizeable crowd. Coming on to Iggy Pop’s ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’, their name in bright lights above them, they launched straight into ‘Stamp it Out’. Lily running around the huge stage and interacting brilliantly with the audience.

Punk attitude and a healthy dose of politics is nothing, though, if you don’t have the tunes, and fortunately The proudly Essex duo have them in spades. ‘Broken Britain, Broken Brains’, ‘Clowns’ and their anthem of zero tolerance for hatred ‘Wasted on Women’ are set to become modern-day classics of the genre.

What a start to the evening. We can’t wait to catch Lily and Lewis back in London in January. You can also see them across the UK starting on the 22nd.


Glen Matlock

Original Pistol, Rich Kid, and all-round good guy Glen Matlock arrived on stage with his band (Jim Lowe, Chris Musty and the awesome Neil X) to a warm welcome. Looking extremely dapper they gave us a great set of straight-ahead rock and roll. We last saw them at The Roundhouse in March supporting Stiff Little Fingers and loved their set, so we were really looking forward to this.

Matlock is a huge fan (and one-time member of) The Faces, and he wears his influences on his sleeve, all the while adding something of his own. The set drew from his long solo career, and included some from last year’s superb ‘Consequences Coming’ album, with ‘Head on a Stick’ being a standout number. This, and ‘Whose Side are You On’ from 2004s ‘On Something’ shows that politics and social justice are dear to his heart. Musically, this band are a force to be reckoned with, and we were in awe of the guitar playing of Neil X who was given space to shine by the solid rhythm section of Lowe and Musty.

Matlock kept the talking between songs to a minimum, briefly introducing each one, but there was one song that needed no introduction. As Neil X played the familiar opening bars of ‘Pretty Vacant’ the crowd erupted. Matlock encouraged them to join in with the chorus, and the Hammersmith Apollo obliged.


Alice Cooper

The stage had been set (behind a secretive black curtain), everyone was in their seats and as the lights dimmed and sound effects filled the Apollo, the cheers went up in anticipation of Alice Cooper. He’s been doing this a long time, and expectation was high for what he promised would be a show to bring his fans closer to the performance than ever.

Two plague-mask wearing hooded figures crossed each other in front of the curtain ringing handbells before the curtain dropped to reveal a stage set like no other. Four giant video screens served as an ever-changing backdrop that merged live performance with video footage. Staircases and bannisters framed the stage and moved around to accommodate Cooper and his band depending on the song.

The band appeared first – guitarists Nita Strauss, Tommy Hendrickson and Ryan Roxie, bassist Chuck Garric and drummer Glen Sobel got the party started with a little bit of ‘Lock Me Up’ before Alice himself appeared from behind a giant newspaper that proclaimed “BANNED IN ENGLAND: ALICE COOPER”. Dressed in trademark top hat and brandishing a sword, the band quickly went into ‘Welcome to the Show’, the only cut from last year’s ‘Road’. It was the perfect opener and it was a treat to watch Alice conduct band members to step forward and solo. All three guitarists are spectacular players, but it was Nita Strauss who stole the show, running around the stage and playing some incredible guitar. We could see why she’s called “The Hurricane”. The theatrics continued with ‘No More Mr Nice Guy’ and ‘I’m Eighteen’ which saw Alice hobble around the stage using his cane, and playing air guitar with a crutch respectively.

The epic set was a celebration of his greatest moments, as they played hit after hit. Alice was in fantastic voice, having a great time and was at his theatrical best. He appeared for ‘Snakebite’ with a huge python around his neck and there was a gruesome “murder” on stage during ‘He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)’ from the excellent ‘Constrictor’ album, mirroring scenes in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, for which this was the theme song.

A brilliant drum solo from Glen Sobel gave way to ‘Welcome to my Nightmare’ which saw Alice on the balcony with a gruesome life-size doll. She didn’t fare well, as he threw and dragged her around.

Massive hit single ‘Poison’ went down a storm before more theatrics during ‘Feed My Frankenstein’. Nita Strauss got to flex her chops during her solo, and amazed everyone with her guitar virtuosity.

No Alice Cooper show would be complete without a beheading – something he has been doing since 1973! For ‘I Love the Dead’, Alice was dressed in a straitjacket and the infamous guillotine was there! He was lead to the block by the executioners and as the music stopped and the audience cheered the blade dropped. Alice’s wife Sheryl, dressed like she was from the French Revolution, then danced around the stage with his head as the band finished the song.

‘Elected’ brought the main part of the show to a close, and as the screens displayed “Alice for President” posters, he appeared again and climbed the staircase that was now centre stage to sing. As the song drew to a close the audience were showered with red, white and blue ticker tape.

There was only one way to finish the show. An epic version of ‘Schools Out’ was the encore. Alice, now dressed in white top hat and tails and again swirling his cane commanded the stage and the band belted out this classic, which morphed into Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall’. As giant balloons were launched from the stage, Alice swapped his cane for a sword which he used to pop them, raining confetti down on the front rows.

His parting words to the cheering crowd were “May all of your nightmares be……horrendous!”

What a gig! Alice Cooper and his band put on a thoroughly entertaining, slick and musically brilliant show. It’s hard not to grin from ear to ear witnessing it. Let’s hope they’re back soon!

Nightmares, Pythons, and Rock Legends: Alice Cooper Brings Down the House in London @ RockNews

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