The Boys Are Back In Town: Ricky Warwick
With an older crowd eagerly awaiting the latest reincarnation of Irish hard rock legends Thin Lizzy, The Supersuckers had quite a bit to prove. They wasted little time, performing a blistering punk-rock set that, whilst dragging ever so slightly near the end, showed how talented they are. With a bit of a Social Distortion vibe to them, they got the crowd going, although the reaction was lukewarm at times.
The Union carried themselves like a seasoned rock band, despite only being together for a year or so. Closer to the classic rock style of the headline act, they got a much better reaction, and their set had a bit more variety. Even the slower tracks, which would usually kill any interest in a support band, had everyone captivated, particularly the opening of “Black Monday”. The quality of the set shouldn’t have been a surprise, with the two official band members being ex-Thunder member Luke Morley, and former Winterville vocalist Peter Shoulder.
Eventually, it was time for the headline act, with the atmosphere already incredible. This wasn’t kept up all the way through, with most people rooted to their seats for the majority of the near two-hour set.
New front-man Ricky Warwick had told me earlier in the day to expect a great rock n’ roll show, and mentioned the lighting in particular. Well, he wasn’t wrong. The lights were just fantastic, the giant “Thin Lizzy” sign changing colours and flashing patterns throughout, matching well with the lights and screens on either side, ensuring everyone could see the band.
In terms of a stage show, it was surprising seeing something of this quality at the Apollo, which seemed smaller than I remembered. The crowd, and the “new” Thin Lizzy, were enjoying this as if it was the biggest show of their lives. The line-up itself is actually the most genuine it could be, with three original members (including returning founding member, drummer Brian Downey). This added some authenticity to the show, which also benefited from Ricky Warwick’s enthusiasm.
The set-list was near perfect, kicking off with ‘Are You Ready?’ and ‘Waiting For An Alibi‘. Although still seated, at least the crowd seemed to be singing along. From where I was sat in the upper tier, some people were trying to get everyone to stand, but without much success. Saying that, there were a few people dancing in the aisles, which was brilliant to see.
Regardless, Lizzy put on a fantastic show, even including some excellent, but lesser known, tracks in the set-list. ‘Wild One’, ‘Do Anything You Want To Do’ and 'Still In Love With You’ in particular were brilliant, the latter backed by a video tribute to Phil Lynott.
The hits, not surprisingly, were the best received, with a fantastic reaction for ‘Jailbreak’ early on in the set. The simple riffs are always the best, and the energy on stage was staggering. Ricky is the youngest in the band at 44, but they were performing with such flair, it would shame most younger bands on the live scene.
Ricky’s vocals were great, and this was the closest anyone could sound to Phil Lynott. He admitted himself that no-one could ever replace Phil, but with so many original members, and the effort Ricky put into the set, this is the closest we’ll ever get to the original Thin Lizzy.
The audience reacted well, and everyone was on their feet for a mass singalong of ‘Whiskey In The Jar’. It was the kind of live moment that sends chills down your spine, a truly special moment that you just have to experience in this environment.
The main set ended strongly, with ‘Cowboy Song’ leading right into ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’, which again got everyone standing. That would’ve been a great end to the show, but thankfully Lizzy came back on, launching into a great encore of ‘Rosaline’ and ‘Bad Reputation’, the former dedication to Lynott. The crowd faithfully sang to everyone word, staying on their feet as the band left, before returning once again.
‘Black Rose’ finally concluded the set, which still felt like it could’ve held another five songs. You can have no complaints, really, though because they managed to fit in all the hits, plus a few surprises. People may criticise the remaining members for continuing without Phil, but they wrote some of the songs too, and have a right to perform them.
Their legacy in the band and members of Whitesnake and Def Leppard helping round off a line-up completed by Ricky makes this a new, but authentic, Lizzy experience. It wasn’t the originals, but it’s as close as we’ll ever get, and at its heart, this was just a fantastic rock n’ roll show.
View the full Thin Lizzy Gallery here
Words: Alistair McGeorge/Photos: Ian Taylor
With an older crowd eagerly awaiting the latest reincarnation of Irish hard rock legends Thin Lizzy, The Supersuckers had quite a bit to prove. They wasted little time, performing a blistering punk-rock set that, whilst dragging ever so slightly near the end, showed how talented they are. With a bit of a Social Distortion vibe to them, they got the crowd going, although the reaction was lukewarm at times.
The Union carried themselves like a seasoned rock band, despite only being together for a year or so. Closer to the classic rock style of the headline act, they got a much better reaction, and their set had a bit more variety. Even the slower tracks, which would usually kill any interest in a support band, had everyone captivated, particularly the opening of “Black Monday”. The quality of the set shouldn’t have been a surprise, with the two official band members being ex-Thunder member Luke Morley, and former Winterville vocalist Peter Shoulder.
Eventually, it was time for the headline act, with the atmosphere already incredible. This wasn’t kept up all the way through, with most people rooted to their seats for the majority of the near two-hour set.
New front-man Ricky Warwick had told me earlier in the day to expect a great rock n’ roll show, and mentioned the lighting in particular. Well, he wasn’t wrong. The lights were just fantastic, the giant “Thin Lizzy” sign changing colours and flashing patterns throughout, matching well with the lights and screens on either side, ensuring everyone could see the band.
In terms of a stage show, it was surprising seeing something of this quality at the Apollo, which seemed smaller than I remembered. The crowd, and the “new” Thin Lizzy, were enjoying this as if it was the biggest show of their lives. The line-up itself is actually the most genuine it could be, with three original members (including returning founding member, drummer Brian Downey). This added some authenticity to the show, which also benefited from Ricky Warwick’s enthusiasm.
The set-list was near perfect, kicking off with ‘Are You Ready?’ and ‘Waiting For An Alibi‘. Although still seated, at least the crowd seemed to be singing along. From where I was sat in the upper tier, some people were trying to get everyone to stand, but without much success. Saying that, there were a few people dancing in the aisles, which was brilliant to see.
Regardless, Lizzy put on a fantastic show, even including some excellent, but lesser known, tracks in the set-list. ‘Wild One’, ‘Do Anything You Want To Do’ and 'Still In Love With You’ in particular were brilliant, the latter backed by a video tribute to Phil Lynott.
The hits, not surprisingly, were the best received, with a fantastic reaction for ‘Jailbreak’ early on in the set. The simple riffs are always the best, and the energy on stage was staggering. Ricky is the youngest in the band at 44, but they were performing with such flair, it would shame most younger bands on the live scene.
Ricky’s vocals were great, and this was the closest anyone could sound to Phil Lynott. He admitted himself that no-one could ever replace Phil, but with so many original members, and the effort Ricky put into the set, this is the closest we’ll ever get to the original Thin Lizzy.
Tagged in Thin Lizzy