Thursday 13 June 2013

Newsted returns to the 100 Club

Newsted - 100 Club London, Wednesday 12th June 2013

So, 26 years after playing that legendary show at the 100 Club with a previous outfit, Jason Newsted returns with his new band. With just an EP to their name, Newsted have jumped on the european festival circuit just a couple of months after the band's first early shows at the Red House in April. Maybe this tiny club show brought to you courtesy of Live Nation is harking back to those heady late '80s days, or just a promoter's freaky coincidence?

The forthoming album has been import banned, so someone smells something big on the horizon . . . . the out-now Chophouse 4 track EP is old skool Metal just like it says on the tin. Full of riffs and growling vocals, so I guess the question we all wanted answering was could Jason still cut it live after Lars & friends.
They came . . . they saw . . . 

There was no support band, contrary to the ticket stub and at 8.30pm sharp the 300 of us in the sold out club found out pretty quick just what an angry bunch of rowdy motherf**kers Newsted really are.

Newsted are hot. Red hot. They have pretty much everything; the band, the songs, the attitude, the hunger, the energy, and an enormous live sound that had the place sweating from roof to ceiling. The rabid 300 lapped up almost 90 minutes of pure undiluted H.E.A.V.Y. M.E.T.A.L. Playing all the songs on the debut EP, and supplemented with new tracks including Nocturnus and the rip roaring Long Time Dead amongst others, Jason switched between bass and guitar throughout the evening and the snarling vocals echo a man that still has an awful lot to tell the metal masses about in his new world. Not content to be working bass man in the biggest band on the planet, his time is now, uncompromising and with so much in their locker, tonight showcased what looks destined to be a magnificent return for Jason & co. The band gave 110%, everything, no half measures, scorching through thirteen songs in just under 90 minutes. They wrapped things up with a neck-breaking Whiplash, encoring with Spiderbait, and 'Head covers Love me Like a Reptile and We are the Road Crew, and just before 10pm they were done.

On this performance, Newsted won't be playing the likes of the 100 Club again any time soon. There's also really no need to mention the M word either. Newsted have an entity living and breathing on their own, without the help of a San Francisco life support machine. If this is the future of Metal, then trust me, it's in safe hands.

Old skool metal, with attitude

Setlist
Heroic Dose
Soldierhead
Skyscraper
As the Crow Flies
Nocturnus
Long Time Dead
King of the Underdogs
Twisted Tale of the Comet
Godsnake
Whiplash (Metallica cover)
------------------------------------
Short bass solo
Spider Biter
Love me like a Reptile (Motorhead cover)
We are the Road Crew (Motorhead cover) 




Here's a review of Slayer performing Reign in Blood at the "I'll be your Mirror" Festival, London 2012




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