Skid Row
London Astoria-2
13 November 2007
Words & pix by Alissa Ordabai
(SugarBuzz London)
SugarBuzz Magazine
Skid Row have finally made it back to the UK after a two-year break, just before their prolonged absence started to become slightly unsettling to their British fans. Astoria-2, the celebrated rock venue located bang in the centre of London, was on the night full to the brim with people of all ages – from die-hard fans in their 30s to teenage guitar students eager to get a masterclass in vintage American guitar craft.
Dave Sabo didn’t make it to Britain this time because of a legal issue, missing his second UK tour running. As a result, the focus once again was on Scotti Hill, who took responsibility for all the leads and became the visual spotlight of the evening, given that dramatic stage presentation isn’t really singer Johnny Solinger’s forte.
The band opened with “Thick is the Skin”, the best song they have written in this decade, and a compelling statement of these guys’ stoical resilience in the face of the tests of the last 18 years. Although it has been a while since their last big overseas tour, there was no rust. Solinger sounded practiced and on the ball, Dave Gara’s kept pounding out hefty and precise bass-heavy beats, and Scotti Hill’s parts erupted now and again with raw, volatile fuel. Sabo’s substitute Ryan Cook wasn’t given that much time to learn the songs before the UK dates, but still hit all the marks, delivering his parts with turbulent rock intensity.
Two big, space-rocking oldies, “Piece of Me” and “Sweet Little Sister” followed the opener, sealing the emotional bond between the audience and the band for the rest of the evening. With each succeeding tune the band played a little harder, grittier and tighter. Songs from the first two albums dominated the set, but every single one, old as well as new, was greeted by Londoners with genuine enthusiasm.
In an hour and a half that the band performed, the show never dragged. There were a lot of sing-along moments, a lot of saucy guitar action and plenty of stage panache. Scotti Hill is well-known for his energy, but after the band has gone through the cathartic transformations of this decade, his charisma and spontaneity have blossomed. On the night he fascinated the crowd stalking the perimeter of the stage with swagger and aplomb of an archetypal rock hero, every now and then pulling one of his trademark facial expressions at the admiring audience – a great sight and a compulsory viewing for any aspiring rock star.
Hill’s solos sound best when he works on the spontaneous situation, and on the night he played a lot on impulse, staying loose enough to enjoy himself but still keeping a firm grip on the grooves. The standout “Making a Mess” was a great guitar burner with a muscular solo confirming an open, intuitive musician who knows how to be flashy but who is also smart enough not to present any dogmas or empty demonstrations. More often than not it was purely his individuality that originated his leads, when he hit zero-ground beyond which there was no model or reference, just pure inspired feeling.
The Ramones classic “Psychotherapy” which in this band is always sung by Rachel Bolan (so is the tradition), was delivered with impressive vigour, Bolan toasting it fast and hard, the audience bursting into a wholehearted applause once the song was over.
“I Remember You”, a ballad which has now become a classic, and which Skid Row audiences have always had the softest spot for, was another signature Hill showpiece where he accented the melody with forlorn resonance, building the melody line in a surprisingly intimate, vivid way.
“Youth Gone Wild”, an all-time riotous banger, had the audience raising their fists and shouting along right off the bat, saluting the energy and the drama of this late 1980s anthem like they were hearing it for the first time. It would have been a show-stopper, but the show was over, leaving the crowd at a high spot which it had a tough time coming back down from.
If anything, Skid Row have confirmed again that they remain a fierce, aggressive act, and even though they are not interested anymore in exploring the frontiers of rock’n’roll, their focus on defining the classic rock sound makes them a meaningful, dignified act that excels in upholding the standards of the genre. They don’t bow to shifting fashions or tribal ethics but at the same time manage to stay in tune with the contemporary feeling. Sharing the sheer joy of American bona fide rock with their audiences is what these guys do best, be at home in the States, in Europe, or any other part of the world. The first time I saw Skid Row play live was in Moscow in 1989, but these days I enjoy their shows more than I ever did before. They remain compulsively enjoyable, honest musicians, and let us not undervalue the implications they have had on modern rock music, as well as their power for life.
Skid Row are currently on tour with dates across Europe in November and the U.S. in December.