Buckcherry and Michael Monroe ignite Steel Mill crowd

Finnish frontman Monroe, former spearhead of Hanoi Rocks, wasted no time establishing authority. Opening with “Dead, Jail or Rock ’n’ Roll,” he tore into a set that balanced solo material with fan favourites from his celebrated back catalogue.

“Motorvatin’” and “Underwater World” carried the ragged glam-punk snarl that made Hanoi Rocks cult heroes, while “Hammersmith Palais” (from his Demolition 23. project) added streetwise bite. Monroe, ever the kinetic showman, switched between microphone, harmonica and saxophone with restless energy, rarely standing still long enough for the crowd to catch its breath.

“Ballad of the Lower East Side” and “Malibu Beach Nightmare” drew some of the loudest responses of the set, before a spirited cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Up Around the Bend” closed proceedings on a raucous, singalong high.

It was less a support slot, more a statement of enduring vitality.

Michael Monroe set list:

• Dead, Jail or Rock ’n’ Roll

• Motorvatin’ (Hanoi Rocks)

• Old King’s Road

• Rockin’ Horse

• Last Train to Tokyo

• Underwater World (Hanoi Rocks)

• Shinola

• Hammersmith Palais (Demolition 23.)

• Disconnected

• Don’t You Ever Leave Me (Hanoi Rocks)

• Tragedy (Hanoi Rocks)

• Ballad of the Lower East Side

• Malibu Beach Nightmare (Hanoi Rocks)

• Up Around the Bend (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)

By the time Buckcherry stormed onstage with “Lit Up,” the Steel Mill crowd was primed. The Los Angeles outfit delivered a tightly drilled, high-octane set built on crunching riffs and punch-the-air choruses.

Frontman Josh Todd cut a wiry figure at centre stage, prowling through “Roar Like Thunder,” “So Hott” and “Ridin’” with snarling conviction. “Let It Burn” and “Gluttony” leaned heavier, while “Sorry” provided the night’s brief emotional interlude, phone screens raised across the hall.

There was little let-up. “Good Time” restored the party atmosphere before the inevitable closer, “Crazy Bitch,” detonated in a wall of noise and crowd participation that left the room ringing.

Buckcherry’s appeal has always rested on clarity of purpose: big riffs, sharp hooks, no frills. On Friday night, that formula proved more than enough.

There were no elaborate stage props or visual trickery — just two seasoned acts delivering what they do best. Monroe supplied flamboyant punk energy and heritage; Buckcherry countered with muscular, radio-ready hard rock.

For Wolverhampton’s faithful, it was a reminder that rock ’n’ roll, played loud and played live, still has the power to fill a room and shake its walls.

Buckcherry set list:

• Lit Up

• Roar Like Thunder

• So Hott

• Ridin’

• Let It Burn

• Come On

• Say **** It

• Gluttony

• Sorry

• Good Time

• Blackout

• Crazy Bitch

By Andy Shaw