Review: Anvil at the Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton
After American rockers Ratt were forced to pull out of last night's planned Civic Hall gig, support act Anvil were promoted to headliners, but at the smaller Slade Rooms.
Anvil
The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton
Concert review and photo by Ian Harvey
After American rockers Ratt were forced to pull out of last night's planned Civic Hall gig, support act Anvil were promoted to headliners, but at the smaller Slade Rooms.
The Canadian band, known as heavy metal's biggest losers-made-good, won the love and support of metal fans around the world after the success of the 2008 film Anvil: The Story of Anvil, which chronicled their story of a group who could have been as big as Metallica . . . but ended up playing to venues like, er, the Slade Rooms.
Still, Anvil treated a diehard and vociferous couple of hundred fans to their brand of meat and potatoes metal last night.
Singer and lead guitarist Steve 'Lips' Kudlow, wore a permanent grin throughout the 60-minute performance, as the three-piece band pummelled the venue with songs including Forged In Fire, 666 and their anthem Metal on Metal.
There is no great finesse about an Anvil performance and Robb Reiner's drum solo was technically superb but quite unnecessary.
But you can't knock a band whose never-say-die attitude has got them through the leanest of years to appearances on some of the biggest stages at festivals around the world
