The Gypsy Pistoleros / The Musician / Leicester
A trip down the A46 to Leicester and to another brilliant East Midlands grass roots venue – the Musician in Leicester. Tucked away down a quiet side street in the city centre, it’s easy to miss, but its well worth a visit. A brilliant place, friendly atmosphere, and most importantly, a brilliant sound system.
Up first tonight are Nottingham rockers BlitZ who are Stuart Corden (bass and vocals), Kevin Simpson (guitar) and Mat Davis (drums).I’d not heard of BlitZ before tonight and wow, what a pleasant surprise they were, with their energetic classic British 80’s style rock. Opening with Damage is Done a high energy number which got the crowd rocking along to the infectious beat.
The short set was packed with absolute bangers, including Don’t Look Back, One in a Million, C.O.G. and Breakneck. The guitar work from Kevin was brilliant his riffs cutting through perfectly. Stuart is a brilliant frontman, effortlessly engaging with the crowd and pulling shapes for the cameras.
Half way through the set, Stuart talked to the crowd about growing up listening to the classic rock tracks and their love for metal / rock. What followed was a brilliantly entertaining mash up of a number of classic tracks form the likes of Dio, Guns and Roses etc and Stuart talked about the major influences on the band. A great section and brilliant fun as we all sang along with gusto !
The set ended with I Believe a great track that showcased their musical ability, and the wide range of rock influences featured earlier, whilst being uniquely BlitZ.
I was hooked, a brilliant fun and high octane set.
Setlist
Damage is Done
Don’t Look Back
One in a Million
C.O.G.
Breakneck
Shell Shocked
Freddie Said
Addicted to Corruption
I Believe
And it’s time now for the main event, The Gypsy Pistoleros from the rock capital that is Worcester ! Led by enigmatic frontman Gypsy Lee Pistolero (vocals) he’s joined by Kerry White (bass), Shane Sparkz (guitar) and Crag Shape (drums). Best known for their excellent and chart success cover of hit Living the Vida Loca and the release of their latest album “Duende a Go Go Loco!”. Known as the world’s best Flamenco Glam Rock band, they also describe themselves as “undefinable”. Very true, their songs are rich and diverse ! They are hard to describe in words. There is glam rock in there, some old school punk, US punk (think Ramones) with a dash of rock, heavy metal and a sprinkle of flamenco dust to top it all off !
Right from the off the energy levels are at max as they launch into Duende a GoGo the title track from their most recent album. Gypsy Lee is a brilliant frontman, and as much as it’s a gig, its also a spoken word performance, with his brilliantly entertaining talks with the audience between each song. A very experienced musician he regails us of tales of when he toured with Motorhead and The Ramones, and ‘look where I am now’ lol.
Next up is their cover of Living La Vida Loca which is just brilliant. Its fast, high tempo and fun. Kerry on bass doesn’t stop smiling all night and clearly just loves making music, and Shane…. Well has a brilliantly excentric and unhinged stage persona. It works so so well.
Totally at ease Lee introduces the next track, to be put right and told they’re not doing that one tonight and it’s Close instead. Everyone breaks into laughter especially Lee who reflects on his age.
What It’s Like to be a Girl and I Got It All show the range of influences, with a distinctly punk attitude and melody to it. Whereas the next tracks, Revolution and Una Para Toda Es Bandido have a heavier rebellious rock feel to them. One of the standout tracks is their brilliant single The Ballad of Tommy Shelby which adds a dramatic edge to the show.
The set ends with a cover of the Dexy’s Midnight Runners hit single Come on Eileen which they deliver brilliantly. Its such an infectious track anyway, but they add their own style and panache to it and you can’t help but stamp your feet, or clap along as you shout out the chorus lyrics.
It’s a brilliant set, showcasing their unusual mix of influences and styles, which they make work so so well. It was great to see the crowd as one applauding.
Genuinely nice folk, happy to stop and chat at length with anyone and everyone, and with the rockers BlitZ, you couldn’t ask for a better night out.
Currently working on their new album and more live shows, watch out for updates, The Gypsy Pistoleros are a band to tick off any ‘must see’ list.
Setlist
Duende a Go Go Loco
Livin’ The Vida Loca
Close
What It’s Like to be a Girl
I Got It All
Maybe Tomorrow
I’m in Love with Myself
Revolution
Una Para Toda Es Bandido
Like Tears in the Rain
The Ballad of Tommy Shelby
Wild
Come on Eileen
