Artists: Romeo's Daughter
Venue: Blackpool, Waterloo Music Bar
Date: 16 September 2023
What was noticeable was that the basic guitar/bass/drums set-up meant the sound was a little tougher than it has been in the past. Despite this, the likes of ‘Velvet Tongue’ and ‘Colour You A Smile’ still caressed the senses with their dreamy arrangements.
The Waterloo Music Bar in Blackpool is attracting higher profile artists all the time and it has certainly become a favourite for Romeo’s Daughter, who were visiting for the third time in just four years. The recently released ‘Slipstream’ is the band’s fifth full-length release in just thirty-five years, but obviously, they were on an extended hiatus for a long period of time, returning rejuvenated for a Firefest appearance in October 2009. Lead-singer Leigh Matty, guitarist /songwriter Craig Joiner and drummer Andy Welsford still remain from the eighties line-up, with bassist Steve Drennan also now along for the ride.
‘Heaven In The Back Seat’ has been the live opener for a long time now and as soon as Craig cranked out the riff the tone was set for the next ninety minutes. ‘Attracted To The Animal’ followed without missing a beat and though there were one or two technical issues to be resolved between a couple of songs, for the most part it was high-quality business as usual. During a chat in the afternoon before the show Leigh and Craig were keen to promote the new material, though only two of the ten ‘Slipstream’ tracks were included in the show; namely ‘Over You’ and ‘Fake’. Both tracks are up-tempo and highly melodic hard-hitters, featuring the trademark Romeo’s Daughter ear-worm hooks. They both fit in seamlessly alongside the more well-established favourites and I’m sure as people become more familiar with ‘Slipstream’ more songs will be thrown into the set.
What was noticeable was that the basic guitar/bass/drums set-up meant the sound was a little tougher than it has been in the past. Despite this, the likes of ‘Velvet Tongue’ and ‘Colour You A Smile’ still caressed the senses with their dreamy arrangements. It was high energy for sure and everyone in the crowd and on stage seemed to be revelling in the atmosphere. Having songs such as ‘Radio’, ‘The Enemy’, ‘Inside Out’, ‘Bittersweet’, ‘Trippin’ and ‘Have Mercy’ to draw on meant that the momentum was never lost and I had to keep reminding myself to take photos, as I was constantly getting lost in the moment. ‘Cry Myself To Sleep’ and ‘Don’t Break My Heart’ started the ball rolling for the band all those years ago and it would not be a Romeo’s Daughter show if they were not included. ‘Stay With Me Tonight’ was the first encore and the first time it had been played for a number of years. ‘Wild Child’ brought things to a close in rousing fashion and following a brief complimentary goodbye to the band it was back out into the fresh sea air.
Romeo’s Daughter have a number of things planned for 2024 and as long as they keep releasing new music and touring, I’ll be there.
Review & Photos: Dave Bott
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