Peter Dennis reflects on Eddie and the Hot Rods / The Yellow Dog Blues Band at Northampton Roadmender…
For the uninitiated tonight’s support band, The Yellow Dog Blues Band, are a rather tasty six-piece who play a high energy rhythm and blues. The band play some excellent originals, most notably ‘Howling’ and ‘Back in Line’ which rub shoulders effortlessly with some inspired covers of The Stones’ ‘Brown Sugar’ and a blistering version of The Feelgood’s ‘Back in the Night’. Some nice harmonica and keys supplement the guitars and drums and the band perform with a real joy and vigour. If you get a chance to see them live beg, buy, borrow or steal a ticket: you won’t regret it!
This is slated to be the Hot Rods last tour and it’s quite a sobering thought that there’s people who won’t get to see this fine band. Looking around the audience it’s evident that the band still remain relevant: in relation to the old guard the band are still attracting many younger fans. Opening with ‘Can you Feel It’ the band set the bar high and increase the tempo with turbo charged versions of ‘Teenage Depression’ and ‘Quit This Town’. Wasting little time between songs Barrie Masters is still as joyful and mischievous as ever. ‘Better Without You’ proves the band still pack a punch while their version of ‘Stepping Stone’ beats the Pistols and Minor Threat hands down.
Eddie and the Hot Rods initiate a fervour that many would be envious of as the crowd boogie and sing along with every word. A nice cover of The Who’s ‘The Kids are Alright’ is the perfect vehicle for Simon Bowley’s powerhouse drumming and the classics keep coming. ‘Hard Driving Man’ features some fine interplay between bassist Dipster and guitarist Chris Taylor while ‘The Power and the Glory’ (from the underrated Thriller album) shows why the band are still on top of their game. An energetic rendition of ‘Do Anything You Wanna Do’ shows why the band are admired by fans of punk and pub rock in equal measure. A well deserved encore of Them’s ‘Gloria’ caps a perfect set.
