Magnum, Gwyn Ashton – Holmfirth Picturedrome 22 April 2011
The evening started with a fine pint in The Nook, a pub that had been recommended to us and well worth a visit if you are in the area.
This was the second time I’ve seen Gwyn Ashton’s Two Man Blues Army and I really enjoyed his set again. There seemed to be a really great vibe between Gwyn and drummer Kevin Hickman who gave the set a driving rhythm. Thankfully Gwyn Ashton had plenty of spare guitars because I counted at least two string breaks throughout the set. (You just can’t get quality materials today). The Two Man Blues Army is well worth checking out.
Having seen two blistering sets from Saxon earlier in the week Magnum had a lot to live up to. I had been listening to the latest CD offering, The Visitation, and to be honest it is okay but some of the track lack a bit of something for me. So could they deliver live? Well any doubts I had were soon removed and even the new material had a new dimension in a live setting. There was plenty of crowd participation in the form of swaying, clapping singing etc. with Bob Catley conducting us throughout the whole show. The set list was the same as at Oxford review below covered by the fellow scribe (ME). Some great song in that set, but one that really surprised me was The Moonking, It wasn’t one I would have put down as a favorite of mine, but I really enjoyed this live version.
As a result of this show I’m going to now give The Visitation CD another few spins.
In just under a week I’ve been lucky enough to attend three great concerts and see five excellent bands. There is some fantastic music (and beer) out there, go and discover it.
NH
This was the second time I’ve seen Gwyn Ashton’s Two Man Blues Army and I really enjoyed his set again. There seemed to be a really great vibe between Gwyn and drummer Kevin Hickman who gave the set a driving rhythm. Thankfully Gwyn Ashton had plenty of spare guitars because I counted at least two string breaks throughout the set. (You just can’t get quality materials today). The Two Man Blues Army is well worth checking out.
Having seen two blistering sets from Saxon earlier in the week Magnum had a lot to live up to. I had been listening to the latest CD offering, The Visitation, and to be honest it is okay but some of the track lack a bit of something for me. So could they deliver live? Well any doubts I had were soon removed and even the new material had a new dimension in a live setting. There was plenty of crowd participation in the form of swaying, clapping singing etc. with Bob Catley conducting us throughout the whole show. The set list was the same as at Oxford review below covered by the fellow scribe (ME). Some great song in that set, but one that really surprised me was The Moonking, It wasn’t one I would have put down as a favorite of mine, but I really enjoyed this live version.
As a result of this show I’m going to now give The Visitation CD another few spins.
In just under a week I’ve been lucky enough to attend three great concerts and see five excellent bands. There is some fantastic music (and beer) out there, go and discover it.
NH
