Black Star Riders at The Academy | Review

Black Star Riders at The Academy, Dublin, 14th December 2013

This time last year the reformed line-up of Thin Lizzy played a farewell show in Dublin. They ended their nostalgia-fuelled touring run with the promise that they’d return in 2013 as a new band with a new album of tracks they wrote together on the road.

Black Star Riders are yet to deviate far from Lizzy’s hard rock template, as their live shows still feature a brace of Thin Lizzy numbers. But Black Star Riders manage to overcome the pitfall of sounding like cover act, or worse, a band riding on the coattails of somebody else’s legacy.

While remaining indebted Thin Lizzy, a change of name has given Black Star Riders just enough breathing space to come into their own. When Keyboardist Darren Wharton opted not to be a part of Black Star Riders the band left off finding a replacement, focussing on a more purely guitar-based hard rock sound.

The highlight of last year’s Olympia gig was already the heavier numbers in the set, and Black Star Riders represent another step in this direction, a natural progression in the partnership between Scott Gorham (the single remaining Thin Lizzy member), lead singer and guitarist Ricky Warwick and bassist Marco Mendoza.

Even when they drop the Thin Lizzy songs on the audience, there is less of an obvious reference to the inimitable mannerisms of Phil Lynott than there was a year ago. It’s a bit like seeing Slash or Duff McKagen doing Guns N’ Roses songs in their live shows. Freed of the weight of the name, there is a greater freedom to reinterpret the old favourites to reflect a changed band dynamic. The songs may be familiar, but it is clear that this is a new group. And the covers are just that: cover versions.

If the point was appealing to fans, the mission was completely accomplished.

As a hard rock gig it was tough to argue with the audience-pleasing display on show. Opening act Western Sand blasted through storming set of southern rock peppered with furiously duelling lead guitars, while recently formed supergroup The Dead Daises delivered a raucous and energetic set that bore the confidence of a headline act in its own right.

As frontman Jon Stevens (INXS) roared out a cover of the Beatles’ Helter Skelter in a mammoth voice and Dizzy Reed (Guns N’ Roses) backed this up with a ‘70s progressive keyboard medley it was almost possible to forget that there was another act to follow. Almost.

When the turn came for Black Star Riders to do their bit they kicked off with the explosive titular opening track of ‘Hell Breaks Loose’. The rousing rock anthem was immediate proof that the band didn’t need to rely on the nostalgia factor to get the crowd jumping. The new material may not break much new ground, but it sounds killer live.

Black Star Riders alternated seamlessly between new album material and Thin Lizzy classics. The sheer energy and brash stage presence that Warwick and Co brought to the show meant that nothing felt tokenistic. The classics tunes were kept fresh by the dose of life injected by the foot-tappingly catchy Bound for Glory and Kingdom of the Lost.

Thanks to this breath of fresh air provided by the new material, Gorham and Warwick seemed more interested in doing something fresh with the likes of Jailbreak and Emerald. Last year’s Thin Lizzy show had the feeling at times of a band going through the motions, but this is a problem that the Black Star Riders have completely avoided.

The latter end of the show tended inevitably towards Thin Lizzy favourites, ending on The Boys are Back in Town, Whiskey in the Jar and Rosalie. If they are serious about establishing themselves as a separate act the amount of Thin Lizzy songs in the set will soon need to be scaled back. But if they can do that and still put on a show like this, that’s a pretty interesting prospect.