14/9/2019 The Quireboys @ The Forum

Well, another year rolls round - so it must be time for another Quireboys show in London. At The Forum. As usual. So everybody meets up in the Bull & Gate like they always do, although this great old pub has had the guts ripped out of it to refurb and convert into a restaurant while ditching it's past as a well known live music venue. This place used to be packed when there was a show at The Forum next door, but they don't appear to be doing much trade today...

This is starting to get predictable. And how many times can they play their classic 'A Bit Of What You Fancy' album in full? It is a great album - it contains nearly all their best songs and it sounds terrific. Not that they haven't done some great rock 'n' roll songs since then, but they haven't come close to matching that first album. I can't get into their more country rock stuff at all - I can appreciate there is some excellent songwriting there, but those songs just don't float my boat. The Quireboys are are terrific rock 'n' roll band - maybe the best we have in the UK these days, and I much prefer them when they stick to what they are best at.

"What time is it?"

Yes, it's Seven O'clock!

The Quireboys are the ultimate party band! And Spike is still one of the best frontmen around. Probably 'well oiled', but funny and charistmatic - he has the moves, and that voice. And he has the crowd in the palm of his hand.

With a great band behind him, and a rich back catalogue of songs to choose from (even if nearly all the best ones come from the first album) you can't help but be really well entertained. If you go to a Quireboys show you can't fail to have a good night. With their good-time rough 'n' ready Rolling Stones and Faces style bar-room boogie they will always get your feet moving and everybody singing along with classics like 'Seven O'Clock', 'Misled', 'There She Goes Again', 'Sex Party', Don't Bite The Hand', 'This Is Rock 'N' Roll', Good To See Ya', 'I Love This Dirty Town', and of course their great ballad (and possibly finest song) 'I Don't Love You Anymore'. The Quireboys have always been a great sing-a-long band who create a terrific atmosphere. The only other band I know who have that effect on their fans are The Wildhearts, and Ginger from that band played guitar for the Quireboys in their early days - before their first album.

So a bunch of great songs are played and a good time is had by all. I think I ran out of new things to say about Quireboys shows years ago, and it seems a bit boring having to write the same things about every gig. See you all again next year? Same venue, same songs, same crowd. I guess as long as people are still buying tickets the band will keep coming back - and I expect I will be there too. It has become quite a social event after all.