LIVE REVIEW: Buckcherry bring the rock and Screaming Eagles bring the roll to Belfast

THE last time Buckcherry played Belfast it was a rather lack lustre performance. But on October 12th in front of a sold out Limelight2 you would have thought it was a completely different band, such was the energy and verve from Josh Todd and his rock 'n' roll troubadours.

Before the packed venue got to catch Buckcherry local heroes Screaming Eagles laid down the gauntlet and picked up the bottle of Buckfast...

The hard work of touring is sometimes seen as an alien concept when allied to the phrase 'local' band, but Screaming Eagles have bagged experience and confidence and as always produce a consummate professional performance.

But being professional does not mean the show is without soul. This is hard rock that reaches down to the very core of what makes rock 'n' roll great. Chris is the joker with the voice of a lion, and Adrian has the moves and the licks to raise the rafters of any venues.

The song 'Rock 'n' Roll Soul' is the rousing closer, but the titular 'Screaming Eagles' is also a stand-out energising the crowd and drawing yells all round. World domination awaits.

World domination once seemed a cert for Buckcherry, and after break ups and some flailing around they have re-grouped and take to the stage in Belfast as if they have re-discovered their hunger.

This, and the Dublin show, may have been just warm-ups for their stadium tour with Steel Panther, but they approached it as if they had to prove to the crowd and themselves that they are still worthy of sell-out shows.

From opener 'Sunshine' to closing with '2Drunk' Josh leads the crowd on a merry rockin' dance.

The other founder from the early days, Keith Nelson and Stevie D are in synch throughout, trading licks and smiles.

Of course many were there for the 'hits', 'Crazy Bitch' and 'Lit Up' but Buckcherry can now stand up without reliance on a couple of tracks. That 'Crazy Bitch' can be relegated to mid-set and have 'Say Fuck It' from their 'Fuck' ep leading the encore is evidence that Buckcherry have established themselves as a more mature act.

Whatever elixir they have consumed to bring them back to this level should be shared amongst the many...

Review by Jonny
Photos by Darren McVeigh
Reproduction by written permission only

There is still hope - as the Screaming Eagles prove once again

ROCK 'n' feckin' roll - it's in all our veins; metal is in our hearts but one prominent festival just jumped the shark in announcing emo-supremos Fall Out Boy as part of a line-up that has crossover act Linkin Park and Avenged Sevenfold.

That festival - Download - has a venerable tradition in the hard rock and metal world, with luminaries such as Rainbow, Maiden, Metallica etc having headlined it and drawn a diverse crowd to see such acts.

With a further headliner to be announced, plus another 100 or so other acts there is hope that more 'metallic' elements from the periodic table of rock may be announced, with a liberal sprinkling of hard rockin'.

For many this may mean choosing to go to more continental festivals, or more 'boutique' festivals such as Bloodstock or Hard Rock Hell...

Now speaking of Hard Rock Hell, you may, or may not be aware that local act, the Screaming Eagles, have won a spot to play there. And they have recently launched their first video for the track 'Rock 'n' Soul'. It is massively cheesy and delightful fun to accompany this stonking song. Watch it here - right now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SORRIftsmFE

And speaking of videos the Screaming Eagles are the latest Northern Ireland band to prove that just because we live in the far north western part of Europe, on an island that only has Iceland between us and the Atlantic stretch to the US of A, we can still compete with the so-called big boys of rock and metal. And that's because, unlike Download 2014, we rock!

Check out videos in these links from Sinocence, Trucker Diablo, Million$Reload to name but three and see what we mean!