Michael Schenker at Indigo 02, London review and photographs by Dawn Osborne

Everyone is here to hear Michael Schenker’s fiftieth anniversary ‘My Years With UFO’ tour. While maintaining the core of the MSG band the band is fronted tonight by Eric Gronwall (HEAT, Skid Row) who appeared on that album (singing ‘Mother Mary’) and was clearly one of Schenker’s favourite singers on that opus.

But first we have Wytch Hazel, lads from Lancaster who I have never come across before as clearly they are on a different festival circuit to me. Apparently they have been going almost ten years, but to look at them they scream early seventies. White spandex, smocks, golden leggings and gold lame capes their look is part Pomp Rock/Rick Wakeman/ medieval wizard, but more metal, and, while their songs are vaguely Pagan, this is streaked through with Christianity/large wooden crucifixes with titles such as ‘The Devil Is Here’. However, while it all looks a bit Spinal Tap, they are clearly deadly serious and the singer packs a powerful punch when he hits his falsetto full on. They are also very nice to the crowd and the crowd is generous in their applause. And while the singer acknowledges that the audience are all there to see Schenker when thanking people for coming, there are in fact some Wytch Hazel t shirts in the audience and some people dancing in the crowd.

While they sit primarily in the Old Wave of British Heavy Metal, Black Sabbath et al, there is also at least one track which is very Thin Lizzy sounding for a lighter groove. They play tracks from across their roster including pre-Wytch Hazel songs and three new ones from their new album due out called ‘Lamentations’: ‘Elements, ‘Spirit and Fire’ and ‘Healing Power’. The singer tells the crowd that in their early days they used to play ‘Doctor Doctor’ and admits to being a fan boy, feeling very honoured and privileged to be supporting tonight.

He is not alone the building is full of people here to worship at the altar of Schenker. The set list has basically written itself and as Schenker has professed to prefer the live sound of UFO tracks on their ‘Strangers In The Night’ Live album it is not a surprise that the set is essentially modelled on it with a few changes in order and a few substitutions by way of an update.

And so they kick off with ‘Natural Thing’ and unless they had the live album in mind monsters like ‘Only You Can Rock Me’ and ‘Doctor Doctor’ might not have been in the first four. But it serves to get the party started guaranteeing audience participation from the off. Gronwall is making a good fist of it, being something of a whippersnapper compared to the rest of the band he is up for it, swinging the mike stand, dancing and gesticulating and generally looking like a Viking goading the other side in a battle throughout. He clearly has a world class voice and he can always be heard over the loudest guitar.

Schenker is taking everything in his stride. Apart from an elbow support he is largely still the Peter Pan figure enviously slim in black jeans and his trade mark furry hat with goggles and a new Rubik’s Cube t-shirt to add a look that strikes retro, humorous, and youthful notes all at once. When he gets into the zone he gets his trade mark rocking motion going paying only briefly to point his Flying V, reach his arm up or say “Thank you” to the crowd. After so many years of playing all this is of course very easy for him and everything flows.

There is, of course variety in his solos, a beautiful melodic one for ‘Doctor Doctor’, a slightly Jazzy one for ‘Mother Mary’, siren like searing playing in ‘I’m A Loser’ and, of course, the unbelievably fast. There is also light and shade in the performance from the straight ahead Rockers which were UFO’s stock in trade through to the Deep Purple like jamming in ‘This Kid’s’, to the melodic tenderness of ‘Love To Love’ taking it down a notch with Erik strumming on acoustic guitar to suit the mellowness of the song.

Eric soon takes the energy up again tho’ dumping his leather battle vest to get down to a black vest to show the crowd he means business. While Michael is busy doing his solo to ‘Let It Roll’ Erik gets the crowd to sweep from side to side and dances along to the tune. During ‘Reasons Love’ he literally jumps down to get the crowd amped up.

Because, of course, we are reaching the apex and people are up and clapping as soon as ‘Rock Bottom’ starts and Erik starts doing devil horns above his head. After the deep syncopated sounds of Michael’s solo he comes back wearing a Michael Schenker 50th Anniversary tour t shirt and Michael takes photos of the audience to deepen the connection with them. Michael introduces all of the band and “Ross Halfin taking photographs”! The whole band turn towards the drum riser keeping the visual interest for a long drum solo.

Michael asks if the audience wants one more to a resounding yeah, “two more” to an even louder “YEAH!” And we get a heavy version of ‘Shoot Shoot’  to start. The last song is ‘Too Hot To Handle’ dedicated by Michael to Pete Way and Paul Raymond. Erik’s doing high kicks while Michael gets on with his solo ending things on a high. A last bow for Ross Halfin and it is all over, no separate encore as is becoming the new normal these days.

This was an excellent taster, timed to promote the new album ‘My Years With UFO’. I still think there’s scope, perhaps once economic circumstances get better, to have an arena version of the show featuring all the singers on the album including Axl Rose. For now Erik did a manful job covering all bases and Michael sailed through it all looking serene and just being epic!

 

Dawn Osborne