Artists: Ten, White Skies
Venue: Barnsley, The Birdwell Venue
Date: 27th July 2024
"...taking a breath and waiting for the intro to ‘Welcome To The Freakshow’ to reach the critical part, the showman strode forward and began a sixteen-song set that showed there is still plenty of life in Ten and also in the genre of Melodic Rock."
On a hot and humid evening in Barnsley, White Skies and Ten ensured that the temperature inside the Birdwell Venue matched outside, as both put on sizzling performances that delighted the small but energetic crowd. Having never been to this venue, I was unsure what to expect. I’d heard good things about it, and it did not disappoint. Redesigned some years back, the owners have done a superb job and paid attention to what makes a venue perfect for live music. Clean, spacious and providing superior acoustics, any small venues looking to do it right should use the Birdwell as a template.
A great venue deserves quality music, and thankfully, the two bands delivered on that front. Fresh from their appearance at Tower Of Fire in Manchester, singer Mick White led White Skies onto the stage and started with their album opener ‘What Do You Know About Love’. Looking around the audience gathered around the front barrier, there were plenty of nodding heads, keeping time with the driving bass supplied by Rob Naylor. The soulful sounds from Ray Callcut’s guitar signalled the start of ‘A Love Unjustified’, and again, the audience responded by singing along, which is always a good sign!
It’s been a busy time for the guys who made their presence felt a couple of years ago when they burst onto the scene. Not only have they done Tower Of Fire recently, but following this run with Ten, they have announced dates with FM straight after this tour. If they perform as well as they did tonight, more audiences are in for a treat!
With just one album under their belts (but what an album it is), it was inevitable that the majority of their setlist comprised of songs from this, but there was an addition with the recent single ‘If This Is It’. Of course, it was no shock that the crowd’s energy surged with certain songs, and when the lead on to ‘Black Tide’ gave way to Callcut’s guitar and the beats of Daz Lamberton’s drums, it was a highlight of their eleven-song set, and the audience loved it.
White Skies are on the way up, and they will have certainly gained a few more fans during this tour. Having been lucky enough to witness them come off stage covered in sweat and unable to talk for several minutes, they had left everything on the stage, which is the signature of a quality band. See them while you can!
Set List
Gallery. All photos © Pete Arnett (used with kind permission)
Following a short break, the band that the fans had come to see walked onto the stage apart from Gary Hughes, taking a breath and waiting for the intro to ‘Welcome To The Freakshow’ to reach the critical part, the showman strode forward and began a sixteen song set that showed there is still plenty of life in Ten and also in the genre of Melodic Rock.
Having such a back catalogue of songs is both a blessing and a curse. As Hughes had pointed out backstage, there would be some not included that people would be annoyed about, but he hoped that some choices would surprise many. As ‘Spellbound’ finished and ‘Gunrunning’ started, things were not running smoothly for drummer Craig Walker in the technical sense. However, such is the level of professionalism that Ten have, keyboardist Darrell Treece-Birch and Hughes combined perfectly to entertain the crowd with some witty banter until normal service resumed and the band launched into ‘The Tidal Wave’, with Treece-Birch’s ethereal keys giving way to dominant drumming from Walker and bass from Steve McKenna.
Following a well-received version of ‘Travellers’, it was audience participation time as the crowd were asked to join in with a yell of “Shield Wall” when the song called for it. Asked to judge the practice, McKenna scored the opening effort as brilliant, which sent a wave of laughter and cheers through the audience and stopped Hughes in his tracks. The interaction may have only lasted thirty seconds, but it proved how comfortable the six members are with each other and how well they can entertain the crowd in the periods between songs, which only comes with experience.
The audience may not have been the largest that Ten has ever played in front of before, but there was a distinctive vibe and energy. When Hughes announced they would play their most streamed song, ‘Hourglass And The Landslide’, the crowd responded with a roar. On stage, the commitment to giving their audience the best that they could was also evident, with blistering performances from all and a barrage of solos and combinations from lead guitarists Steve Grocott and Dann Rosingana that showed, even with an absence from touring, they can play just as well live as they can in the studio.
With the second half underway, ‘Jekyll And Hyde’ from the ‘Gothica’ album allowed Hughes to show off his vocal range. By admission, he has looked after his voice: it showed as he blasted the lyrics out with menace, power and clarity! Something that I heard mentioned from behind me several times throughout the evening. Slowing proceedings down with ‘After The Love Has Gone’, the inclusion of ‘The Dragon And St. George’ got the audience joining in again and lifted the energy even higher.
A drum solo from Walker, which Hughes joked had lasted so long last time due to the drummer’s Progressive Metal background that several members of the band had stood on the side pointing to their watches in an attempt to get him to stop, showed that the new boy could both play and take a ribbing in good spirits!
Even a group that has been around as long as Ten has isn’t immune from technical issues, but what they do have is the experience to overcome them almost seamlessly, and as the saying goes, “the show must go on!” and it did with the minimum of disruption as the engineers did their work. As ‘Valentine’ faded into the final two songs, ‘Red’ and the ever-popular ‘The Name Of The Rose’, Ten had delivered another successful show that the crowd in this South Yorkshire town had lapped up.
With the band focusing hard on establishing themselves on the live circuit again, if they keep on with performances this tight and energetic, it shouldn’t be long before the crowd sizes increase again, and then, who knows, we may see one of the UK’s best Melodic Rock acts (and yes, I am biased!) finally start to hit those heights that we know they are more than capable of.
Gallery. All photos © Pete Arnett (used with kind permission)
Set List
Review & Photos: Pete Arnett
Location
Both bands were excellent. My first time seeing Ten live, and wow! They really rocked Barnsley. I was gutted that more people didn't turn up to the gig,but the few of us that were there, were very happy with the performances.
Brilliant review. I was lucky enough to see them in Manchester a few weeks back and they are definitely an outstanding live band. 10/10 for TEN <3