Thunder, Ugly Kid Joe and Kris Barras live at Wembley Arena

After almost two years of rescheduling dates, tonight Thunder’s headlining UK tour finally rolls into Wembley arena, along with an impressive supporting bill.

Words Kahmel Farahani

Photos Dawn Osborne

The proceedings are kicked off nice and early by British blues rock stalwart Kris Barras and his band. If you’ve been to most any British festival or even hard rock gig in the last 18 months, you will probably have seen Barras providing the support, whether its The Darkness or Black Stone Cherry.

Barras is nothing if not consistent and tonight he brings more of his tried and tested brand of straight ahead, no frills blues rock to the Wembley crowd. While Barras’ playing certainly can’t be faulted, it still feels like he is lacking that big hit or anthem needed to push him over the top. It might be a simple set but it leaves the crowd happy.

Next up are California hard rockers Ugly Kid Joe and good lord are they a breath of fresh air. Kicking off with Neighbour from their classic `America’s Least Wanted` album, the band sound fantastic. Frontman Whitfield Crane’s voice hasn’t changed even the smallest bit since the early 90s and he still belts out songs Panhandlin’ Prince and Funky Fresh Country Club with full power.

Ugly Kid Joe may be dressed like a bunch of Roadies, but they still sound like the glorious bastard child of Motorhead and L.A. skater punk bands – nothing could be more refreshing tonight. Leading the crowd singing with their cover of `Cats In The Cradle` before honouring Motorhead with an explosive run through of Ace Of Spades, Ugly Kid Joe end an all too brief set.

Coming on stage to AC/DC’s Thunderstruck, it’s so good to have Thunder back on stage. Kicking off with their newer songs `Last One Out Turn off the Lights` into `The Western Sky`, Thunder look and sound phenomenal. Frontman Danny Bowes is grinning from ear to ear and toying with the Wembley crowd from the get go. His voice at age 62 is not just impressive, it should be taken as a gold standard for every other singer from any generation – while many stadium bands are increasingly sounding like bad parodies of themselves, Danny and Thunder still sound spot on.

Playing no less than seven songs from their new album Dopamine, its hard to think of many other bands their age who are so willing to showcase new material. Its refreshing and impressive since their latest material, such as Dancing In the Sunshine, certainly holds up to their classic back catalogue. The classics are not neglected however, and `Higher Ground` still gets hands in the air. “This one is dedicated to the comeback kid, our Mr Ben Mathews – he’s beaten cancer twice` Danny says as the crowd gives a standing ovation to guitarist Ben Mathews before striking up `Resurrection Day`.

`Low Life In High Places` starts off a beautiful unplugged ballad before the amps fire back up and `Love Walked In` is still the timeless rocker that hasn’t been bettered. Guitarist Luke Morley strikes up the massive riff to `Dirty Love` as Wembley Arena rises to dance. Thunder proved, once again, why they are a truly loved and respected institution in British rock music – long may they run.