ThunderWeb V1.0
Diamond Head - The Limelight Crewe 21st November 2001
Set list: It's Electric! / Lightning to the Nations / Such Was My Love / In The Heat Of The Night / Out of Phase / To The Devil His Due / Borrowed Time / Ishmael / Knight of the Swords / One More Night / The Stealer / Makin' Music / Home / Run // Forever 16
(NB: I Can't Help Myself was in there somewhere but I have no idea where. Well, if it wasn't how come I was reading Brian's cheat sheet of the chords for playing it then?)
Myself and my firstborn child, who also attended the gig, cannot agree on running order. OK, we should have written down the set as it was played. I had planned on nicking Sean's setlist, post gig, but the knees are not what they use to be and I was beaten to it...(Stop bitching and whining!...Ed) Anyway, I think it is reasonably close to what actually transpired. I was paying more attention to making so much noise, that I can barely speak today. It takes quite a lot of effort at my age, I'll have you know (making that amount of noise, not paying attention, that is.) What? Some say it is undignified, not to mention unseemly, but they can all bite my shiny metal arse!
(NB: I Can't Help Myself was in there somewhere but I have no idea where. Well, if it wasn't how come I was reading Brian's cheat sheet of the chords for playing it then?)
Myself and my firstborn child, who also attended the gig, cannot agree on running order. OK, we should have written down the set as it was played. I had planned on nicking Sean's setlist, post gig, but the knees are not what they use to be and I was beaten to it...(Stop bitching and whining!...Ed) Anyway, I think it is reasonably close to what actually transpired. I was paying more attention to making so much noise, that I can barely speak today. It takes quite a lot of effort at my age, I'll have you know (making that amount of noise, not paying attention, that is.) What? Some say it is undignified, not to mention unseemly, but they can all bite my shiny metal arse!
This is the third time I've seen Diamond Head this year. In fact, I've now seen them more times than I did the first time around. I'm not entirely sure what point I'm trying to prove there but I thought I'd just mention it. This gig, on a cold, wet, windy, Wednesday in Crewe was attended by a selection of die-hard fans, it is true to say. The Limelight is a good venue. Wet Wednesdays in Crewe are not going to set the river Trent on fire. Nevertheless, the audience was appreciative and disproportionately noisy. Yes, particularly in the area where I was.
Now, when you go to see a band, on multiple occasions, on the same tour, or over a period of time whilst they promote one recording, you face the danger of running out of new things to say about them. This is especially true when the review you write is available for people to read alongside your previous reviews. After all, the set is more or less the same as the last two occasions, nothing much has changed, how can it still be interesting? To a certain extent, Diamond Head's recrudescence has led me to this very stage. I reviewed the Crewe gig earlier this year, then their Rockshield performance, now their next Crewe appearance.
Nothing has changed.
Now, when you go to see a band, on multiple occasions, on the same tour, or over a period of time whilst they promote one recording, you face the danger of running out of new things to say about them. This is especially true when the review you write is available for people to read alongside your previous reviews. After all, the set is more or less the same as the last two occasions, nothing much has changed, how can it still be interesting? To a certain extent, Diamond Head's recrudescence has led me to this very stage. I reviewed the Crewe gig earlier this year, then their Rockshield performance, now their next Crewe appearance.
Nothing has changed.
No. Quite correct. Diamond Head is still an excellent band. Sean, Brian and Floyd deliver a fine, highly entertaining, ninety minutes of innovative, completely rearranged, back catalogue classics. Their performance is, as you would expect, of the highest professional standards. What makes it more special is the personal flavour injected into the proceedings with inter-song banter, especially by Sean. It is like having friends round to play a few tunes around the fire. The setting is informal; the atmosphere relaxed; the level of enjoyment as good as it gets. I'd be insane if I wanted to change that! In reality, I noticed last night, something has, indeed, changed. Whilst I'd be lying if I denied that I would love to see an electric Diamond Head gig, I'd also be sad to see the end of the acoustic shows too. Floyd is much more of an integral part of the group than I appreciated. Maybe he always has been. He certainly seems to have more presence now, than earlier in the year and is more visible in the group persona than he was.
This trio has more talent than you can shake a stick at and, whilst the reasons that you may want to shake a stick at them are entirely your own, I would urge anyone to go along and immerse themselves in the acoustic Diamond Head experience. I mean, how many other gigs have you been to where the lead singer comes back on stage for an encore, with a salver of sandwiches, which he hands out to the audience? Or shares chip butties with fans after the show? Come on, that has to be worth the price of admission alone.
Oh, and if you're not hungry, they're still Makin' Music!
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
22nd November 2001
This trio has more talent than you can shake a stick at and, whilst the reasons that you may want to shake a stick at them are entirely your own, I would urge anyone to go along and immerse themselves in the acoustic Diamond Head experience. I mean, how many other gigs have you been to where the lead singer comes back on stage for an encore, with a salver of sandwiches, which he hands out to the audience? Or shares chip butties with fans after the show? Come on, that has to be worth the price of admission alone.
Oh, and if you're not hungry, they're still Makin' Music!
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
22nd November 2001
About the photos...
Lauren with Sean Harris
On the whole, I wasn't particularly happy with this lot of pics. You know, some days you can just be there and the camera seems to take the finest pictures, no matter how much of a clumsy, butterfinger, luddite asshole you are. Then other days, you frame the shots carefully, wait patiently for the correct lighting, go through all manner of shit and corruption to get the best pics you can, only to find that Ray Charles could have taken better pictures.
Well, that is how I felt when I saw these. What started out with a determination ended up with some fuzzy, badly lit blurs. C'est la guerre! I shouldn't really complain too much. Even though 90% of the pictures are less than I hoped for, the remainder are more than I deserve, so it more or less balances itself out! My two favourites are the two close up ones of Sean and Brian. These came out really well and are quite expressive.
The ones I put an effect on are really quite pleasing to, I have to say. The originals didn't come up to scratch, so I put a filter on them and ended up with something that is a bit different but really quite effective.
Of course, there is the one of Angelwitch and Sean, which Herself is chuffed as a chocolate frog about!
Well, that is how I felt when I saw these. What started out with a determination ended up with some fuzzy, badly lit blurs. C'est la guerre! I shouldn't really complain too much. Even though 90% of the pictures are less than I hoped for, the remainder are more than I deserve, so it more or less balances itself out! My two favourites are the two close up ones of Sean and Brian. These came out really well and are quite expressive.
The ones I put an effect on are really quite pleasing to, I have to say. The originals didn't come up to scratch, so I put a filter on them and ended up with something that is a bit different but really quite effective.
Of course, there is the one of Angelwitch and Sean, which Herself is chuffed as a chocolate frog about!
