Michael Schenker and his pals have all the potential to be a glorified tribute act, mailing it in and trying to wring out every last penny from the legacy of his former bands.
His latest moniker, Temple Of Rock, also has a Spinal Tap feel to it, and it would be easy for the whole thing to become a parody of itself.
That it doesn’t is testament to a guitarist who looks as excited to be on stage as any fresh-faced band taking their first tentative steps into the limelight.
There are a few pissed-off punters here tonight who were at an aborted Rival Sons gig down the road last night, but the sight of the grinning Schenker bounding around like a lunatic quickly brings back the smiles – and the electric performance matches the enthusiasm.
Rock Bottom has a brilliant guitar solo that manages to avoid straying into the realms of self-indulgence, while Rock You Like A Hurricane provides the sing-along fodder. However, it’s the MSG songs – Armed And Ready and Victim Of Illusion – that rock the hardest, as does new song Vigilante Man.
With Doogie White demonstrating how his huge vocal range once caught the ear of Ritchie Blackmore, and the other members of the band seemingly having as much fun as Schenker, it’s hard to head home in anything other than a bloody good mood.
