Diamond Head - Manchester Academy 1 February 7th 2005
Setlist: Its Electric / Mine All Mine / The Prince / Give It To Me / Truckin’ / Heat of the Night / Broken Pieces / Helpless / Am I Evil
A brief foreword
Seeing as how I wasn’t invited to their first live invitation-only performance of the post-Sean Harris line-up, this was my first opportunity to see the new-look Diamond Head.
As I have said on many occasions, I have been a fan of this band since the early days so, for me, a Diamond Head show without Sean is a big thing. This band had always been about two things: Brian Tatler’s guitar-playing and Sean Harris’s vocal. The latter, for whatever reasons, has now departed and Nick Tart has taken on the task of fronting the band. It would be very easy to write a review comparing Sean and Nick, but that would be pointless; Sean is not coming back and Nick is here to stay and, whatever my personal feelings about that situation, this is a review of how the band performed at Manchester, last Monday night.
A brief foreword
Seeing as how I wasn’t invited to their first live invitation-only performance of the post-Sean Harris line-up, this was my first opportunity to see the new-look Diamond Head.
As I have said on many occasions, I have been a fan of this band since the early days so, for me, a Diamond Head show without Sean is a big thing. This band had always been about two things: Brian Tatler’s guitar-playing and Sean Harris’s vocal. The latter, for whatever reasons, has now departed and Nick Tart has taken on the task of fronting the band. It would be very easy to write a review comparing Sean and Nick, but that would be pointless; Sean is not coming back and Nick is here to stay and, whatever my personal feelings about that situation, this is a review of how the band performed at Manchester, last Monday night.
The gig
The queue outside The Academy, for the Megadeth gig, stretched all the way along Oxford Road, we tagged on to the back end, somewhere in Salford Quays. Ah, maybe I do use a little poetic license, but it was a long queue and it was a chilly, February evening.
By the time we got inside The Academy, Diamond Head had just taken the stage and the intro to Am I Evil? pulsated through the hall. We quickly pushed our way through the crowd, staking ourselves a reasonable spot to the right hand side of the stage, albeit a little too close to the PA, in retrospect. I was surprised to find the audience so receptive (and numerous) for the support band, and they cheered loudly as the band ripped into It’s Electric.
It was undoubtedly a smart move for Diamond Head to use the intro to Am I Evil? for their leader tape, given that this audience would undoubtedly recognise it from the Metallica cover. It’s fair to say, I think, that most of the people watching would probably have not known any other Diamond Head songs, but this one distinctive piece of music guaranteed that everyone would pay attention, giving Diamond Head an advantage from the off, and providing an opportunity to educate a predominantly young, and therefore new, audience to some great songs and a fine band.
The queue outside The Academy, for the Megadeth gig, stretched all the way along Oxford Road, we tagged on to the back end, somewhere in Salford Quays. Ah, maybe I do use a little poetic license, but it was a long queue and it was a chilly, February evening.
By the time we got inside The Academy, Diamond Head had just taken the stage and the intro to Am I Evil? pulsated through the hall. We quickly pushed our way through the crowd, staking ourselves a reasonable spot to the right hand side of the stage, albeit a little too close to the PA, in retrospect. I was surprised to find the audience so receptive (and numerous) for the support band, and they cheered loudly as the band ripped into It’s Electric.
It was undoubtedly a smart move for Diamond Head to use the intro to Am I Evil? for their leader tape, given that this audience would undoubtedly recognise it from the Metallica cover. It’s fair to say, I think, that most of the people watching would probably have not known any other Diamond Head songs, but this one distinctive piece of music guaranteed that everyone would pay attention, giving Diamond Head an advantage from the off, and providing an opportunity to educate a predominantly young, and therefore new, audience to some great songs and a fine band.
Support slot on the Megadeth tour was a coup by any standards. Firstly, it enables Diamond Head to break in the new singer in front of a crowd that wasn’t going to be comparing the new with the old and, secondly, it gives them what any band needs, exposure and a profile. Most importantly, though, is that new group of punters standing out front, who’ve never heard of Diamond Head before. Still, that’s no guarantee that a Megadeth crowd would like them and it’s far from a sure thing that old fans will take to the new guy singing Sean songs.
This is a good band, no doubt about that, and more than a little heavier than the previous line-up. Brian Tatler is still an excellent guitarist, whilst Eddie and Karl are long-time members of the band and continue to do a fine job on the bass and drums, respectively. New guitarist, Mills, looks the part and is the key to the new, heavier sound. Musically, everything was as expected.
This is a good band, no doubt about that, and more than a little heavier than the previous line-up. Brian Tatler is still an excellent guitarist, whilst Eddie and Karl are long-time members of the band and continue to do a fine job on the bass and drums, respectively. New guitarist, Mills, looks the part and is the key to the new, heavier sound. Musically, everything was as expected.
On the vocals, Nick Tart, does have a good voice, reminding me of a young Paul Rodgers. However, he didn’t always look comfortable front and centre and, although not unpleasant on the eye, he is not fronting the band as he should. It is a role he may well grow into, and I hope he does. His voice is, at times, outstanding, especially on the new material.
I can only comment on what I saw and heard at the Manchester gig, but on It’s Electric, Tart was pretty bad and I would drop that song from the set, or at least try it later on. Maybe it was just at Manchester and the rest of the shows he sang it brilliantly, but I would have opened with something that wasn’t a Sean Harris signature song, or even the excellent Mine All Mine, from the new CD. The rest of the set was pretty much flawless and Nick sang the old stuff well, but it is on the new material that he shines.
I can only comment on what I saw and heard at the Manchester gig, but on It’s Electric, Tart was pretty bad and I would drop that song from the set, or at least try it later on. Maybe it was just at Manchester and the rest of the shows he sang it brilliantly, but I would have opened with something that wasn’t a Sean Harris signature song, or even the excellent Mine All Mine, from the new CD. The rest of the set was pretty much flawless and Nick sang the old stuff well, but it is on the new material that he shines.
Talking with the band after the show, it is going to be towards the end of the year before they bring the new line-up in front of the older fans, and into the smaller clubs. That is good. It will give Nick time to settle in and find his place in the band. At that point, his biggest problem is likely to be that ‘he is good, but he isn’t Sean’. A lot of how he is received will depend on the choice of old material that they play and how he sings it, which should be different and in his own style.
Then again, the Megadeth tour might turn so many new kids onto Diamond Head that it won’t matter what the hard-core fans think. In any case, go and see them, listen to them without any preconceptions and make up your own mind, based solely on their performance on the night. Leave the history books at home and enjoy the music.
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
February 11th 2005
Then again, the Megadeth tour might turn so many new kids onto Diamond Head that it won’t matter what the hard-core fans think. In any case, go and see them, listen to them without any preconceptions and make up your own mind, based solely on their performance on the night. Leave the history books at home and enjoy the music.
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
February 11th 2005