A
cold, steely grey Sunday night in Sheffield greeted the Vain faithful; it may
not have been such a long long long time ago since the glam San Fran
outfit had graced our shores with their presence, however, armed with the
knowledge that this time was going to be the last time that the UK would be
graced with the original line up, performing their classic tracks, Vain fans
were out in fierce force.
Entering on stage
to a sold out Corporation crowd, barefooted Frisco frontman phenomenon Davy Vain
kicked off their 20th Anniversary party by serving up, for starters,
their classic track, ‘Secrets’. Aided and abetted by Jamie Scott and Danny
West’s top-notch guitar playing, it was evident Vain were in the party mood
and were here to top up the crowd’s already high spirits. Davy was, as ever,
the perfect host, drenching the crowd with a cocktail of classics ‘Love
Drug’, ‘Down For The Third Time’ and ‘Icy.’ Vain were coasting on 100
% proof.
The stage may have been compact and confining but free-spirited Davy manipulated and worked it to his advantage, teasing the crowd by cavorting on the peripheral sound equipment. Unsurprisingly there were a few “You Tube” moments when Davy took head-banging to a new level; inadvertently banging his head – on more than one occasion- on the aptly named overhead speakers whilst prancing around either side of the stage! However, this didn’t dampen Davy’s spirits as he soldiered on in his true flamboyant fashion.
A memorable moment was indisputably the timeless track, ‘Who’s Watching You’. Through the smoke and shadows all eyes were transfixed on guitar maestro Jamie Scott playing the opening licks when Davy exclaimed, “We could use that for something!” and the fans all cheered in agreement. Davy suggestively posed the question, “Shall we do it now?” (I’m sure the roars of approval could have been heard across town at The Hallam Arena). This extended version showcased Davy’s eccentric, yet enigmatic, persona as he stepped off the stage and on to an adjacent, five foot high, floor speaker. This improvised stepping stone pedestal elevated Davy to almost Messiah-like status; running his fingers through his hair before rhetorically asking his adoring audience, “Who’s Watching You?”
Davy then seized this
opportunity, taking a theatrical aside, to highlight members of the crowd, not
only within touching distance of his solo stage, which included the lovely girls
right in front of his monitor (which Davy informed, “keep me inspired,”) but
to some within eye shot; including a dude propped up at the bar and a guy who Mr
Vain suspected to be eyeing him up! Ironically
proving you just don’t know who’s watching you!! Davy’s crowd
interaction was simply second to none. However, just as the band toned down to a
low drum beat Davy received a shock… he asked for the assistance of the pretty
lady, wearing a really short dress, standing near to the front. And when his
invitation was accepted… from a guy! Davy quickly took a step back on to the
stage and politely informed him, “maybe next tour brother!”
Vain continued to
raise the bar, decanting more classics into the mix with ‘Smoke and Shadows’
and ‘1,00 Degrees’. With their debut album dominating the set you could
sense a true classic brewing. So no prizes if, having mulled it over, you
guessed that it could only be the irrepressible, self-titled track ‘No
Respect.’ This track showcased the proverb that, just like a fine wine, the
band had matured with age; performing it note perfect and making ‘No
Respect’ sound as refreshingly iconic as it originally was some 20 years ago.
With the fans thirst for rock now
well and truly whetted, Vain were calling all the shots. So only one track could
follow on from such a high calibre performance and that was the anthemic track,
“Beat The Bullet.”
Shooting from the lip, Davy drew on 20 years of experience to stampede
the fans into a frenzy, taking to hanging from the overhead speakers and pausing
purposefully whilst the audience recited the lyrics back to him; it was a true
rock n roll moment.
