Smith / Kotzen – The Assembly Hall, Islington 08/03/2022

Written by Paul Monkhouse

Photos by Dawn Osborne

Tonight the fans packed into the Islington Assembly Hall are in for a treat of a packed bill with a pair of guitar legends at the very top. With rather excellent opening sets from both Dave Bucket & The Rebel Hearts and The Dust Coda warming the crowd up nicely, the stage was set for a very special pairing to finally take the stage in London for the first time.

There was a perfect symmetry when Adrian Smith and Ritchie Kotzen got together, the Iron Maiden guitarist and Winery Dogs frontman seemingly forever destined to join forces. With a much-lauded self-titled album to their credit, the pair proved that musically they’d struck gold, their vocal and guitar playing styles seamlessly joined into one, heavy blues machine. Slick and melodic whilst retaining real grit, the release may have not had Maiden’s crushing firepower but it more than made up for it in its own soulful class and bite.

Whilst the debut won its fair share of plaudits, it was on the road that both men well and truly won their spurs and the final stop on this current tour hammered home that here was a force to be reckoned with. In front of an audience of peers and old friends amongst the eight hundred faithful, Smith and Kotzen, accompanied by bass player Julia Lage and drummer Bruno Valverde, deliver the goods in a fifteen-song set that is packed with drama, fire and one or two surprises.

Opening number ‘Taking My Chances’ is a breathless storm of propulsive and stinging guitar work mixed with a soaring chorus, both men setting the pattern for the evening as they share vocals and solos. Distinctly different in their vocal styles, whilst both have power and huskiness, Smith is the more smoothly melodic whilst Kotzen has a touch more smoke in his delivery and it’s the same with the fretwork, the latter eschewing the use of a plectrum to give his playing a more earthy style that his friend’s pin sharp attack. Irrespective of their differences, there is a core of blues within the material and this ranges from the down and dirty ‘Better Days’ through to the gentler, upbeat feel of ‘Glory Road’.

Given a heavier, more menacing treatment, ‘You Don’t Know Me’ comes across as a storm threatening to break, the chopping guitar work that underpins the melody juxtaposed with Kotzen’s stunning higher vocals, the extended solos breath-taking as they extend the song to almost double length. The quartet get funky on ‘Hate and Love’, Lage and Valverde giving things a real swing whilst the scorching guitarwork builds up the power, turning the track into an epic display of dynamics.

The cool breeze of ‘I Wanna Stay’ slows things down a little but holds as much energy as the previous number, the emotional energy fuelling what proves to be a highlight of the night.  ‘Til Tomorrow’ has a woozy, Led Zeppelin heaviness mixed with an instantly addictive chorus, the spiralling solos threading in and out of each other with quicksilver grace as Smith and Kotzen trade licks. Balancing light and shade perfectly, ‘Scars’ also had the feel of Jimmy Page’s outfit but brought with it the atmosphere of wide desert plains whilst ‘Get A Hold Of Me’ was a heads down rocker with its foot firmly to the floor.

From there on it was full steam to the end of the set, the spoken/sung verse elements of ‘Rise Again’ digging into the frantic whirling dervish of the rhythm section, Valverde a blur of kinetic energy whilst Lage ran around the stage, throwing shapes as she leant into Smith and Kotzen. The set closed with ‘Running’, its punishing yet nimble attack like going into the ring with Tyson Fury, the glorious chorus a triumphant call that brought things to a perfect high.

Returning to the stage, Kotzen’s tough as nails and defiant ‘You Can’t Save Me’ was a strutting statement loaded with authority and muscle, the song practically bristling in a welter of sparks. The place erupted further when Smith introduced old friend and fellow Maiden, Nicko McBrain and, with him having settled behind the kit, the familiar riff to ‘Wasted Years’ peeled out of the Londoner’s guitar, an eight hundred strong choir singing back every word.

The drummer stayed in place as the band tore into the heavy psychedelic blues of ‘Solar Fire’, a suitably incendiary conclusion to the evening before Valverde re-joined the band for one last group bow as they said goodnight to the audience, the tour and evening an unassailable success. Given both Smith and Kotzen’s heavy schedules, let’s hope its not too long before the duo is back together again, kicking up a storm and raising hell.