Review: Smith/Kotzen and Kris Barras Band deliver a night of unapologetic hard rock

It was the Kris Barras Band who struck first, and with intent. Opening with the punchy Unbreakable, Barras wasted little time whipping the early crowd into shape. Dead Horses and These Voices followed, both delivered with muscular precision and the kind of radio-ready hooks that have steadily broadened the band’s audience.

Ignite (Light It Up) and All Falls Down leaned into darker, heavier textures, the twin-guitar attack with Josiah J. Manning underpinned by a thunderous rhythm section of Frazer Kerslake – Bass and Billy Hammett - Drums. By the time Monsters We Made rang out across the Steel Mill floor, the venue was fully engaged.

A rousing Hail Mary and the anthemic My Parade closed a set that was tight, confident and purpose-built for rooms exactly like this — big enough to breathe, intimate enough to feel every riff.

Setlist:

• Unbreakable

• Dead Horses 

• These Voices 

• Ignite (Light It Up)

• All Falls Down 

• Monsters We Made

• Hail Mary

• My Parade

When Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen took the stage, the temperature shifted from fiery to molten. Life Unchained and Black Light established the evening’s blueprint: twin guitars in fluid conversation, shared vocal duties and grooves that nodded as much to classic blues-rock as to modern hard rock.

Wraith and Glory Road highlighted the pair’s contrasting strengths — Smith’s economical, melodic phrasing against Kotzen’s looser, soulful runs. Cuts from the Better Days EP, Hate and Love and Got a Hold on Me slotted seamlessly alongside favourites such as Blindsided and Outlaw.

The mid-set pairing of Darkside and White Noise delivered the heaviest blows of the night, while Scars, Running and Solar Fire showed a band comfortable shifting dynamics without losing momentum. 

There was little in the way of production flash. Instead, Smith/Kotzen relied on craft and chemistry — a wise choice in a venue where authenticity carries more weight than spectacle. The guys were ably backed up by Julia Lage – bass and Bruno Valverde – drums.

For the encore it started with Kotzen’s solo number You Can’t Save Me provided a final showcase of blues-inflected virtuosity before the night reached its inevitable crescendo. Wasted Years, Smith’s classic from Iron Maiden, transformed the Steel Mill into a full-voiced choir. Stripped of arena bombast yet retaining its emotional pull, it was a fitting close to a night rooted in musicianship.

Two acts, two different shades of contemporary British rock. The Kris Barras Band supplied urgency and punch; Smith/Kotzen delivered finesse and firepower. Together, they turned a February Tuesday in Wolverhampton into something far more memorable. 

Setlist:

• Life Unchained

• Black Light

• Wraith

• Glory Road

• Hate and Love

• Blindsided

• Taking My Chances

• Outlaw

• Darkside 

• Got a Hold on Me

• White Noise

• Scars

• Running

• Solar Fire 

• Encore:

• You Can't Save Me (Richie Kotzen song)

• Wasted Years (Iron Maiden cover)

By Andy Shaw