New Model Army / Rock City / Nottingham

Nov 28

Nov 28 New Model Army / Rock City / Nottingham

The 40th Anniversary tour for any band is a huge achievement, but as Justin Sullivan (vocals and guitar) points out when he arrived on stage, welcome to our 41 and a half year anniversary tour !

This was actually a 6 hour concert, across two nights in four parts, as the band ran through their entire back catalogue from 1984’s debut release “Vengeance” to 2019’s excellent “From Here”

As the band arrive on the stage, its eerily dark, with just a haunting light through Michael Dean’s drumkit. The line up may changed over the years, but backed by Dean on drums alongside Ceri Morgan (bass) and Dean White (guitar) the sound is as strong as ever.

So on Saturday night we caught part two of the celebrations, and with Sullivan at the helm the band took their family of fans through four decades of nostalgic indulgence. The band may have graced many large stages in their long and varied career, but there is a special place in their hearts for Nottingham’s icon Rock City and they have played the venue many many times before.

We started with an absolute classic from 1984’s “Vengeance” in ‘Bittersweet’ which had the crowd bouncing around right from the start. Highlights included Lust for power (Impurity 1990), Angry Planet (Between Wine and Blood 2014) and Fate (The Love of Hopeless Causes 1990). In this section the band performed 12 tracks, ending on the brilliantly powerful Bad Old World (The Love of Hopeless Causes 1990).

Following a short break, Justin led the guys back on stage for the second set. This time, we had a further 18 tracks. A mix of heavy guitar laden tracks and softer acoustic material made for an incredible mix.

The second set saw Justin adorn the acoustic guitar for the most part. “Family Life” had the crowd singalong with Justin right from the start. The set built and you can tell the crowd were loving every second. Highlights included

Better Than Them (No Rest for the Wicked 1985), Here Comes the War (Single 1993) and Ballad of Bodmin Pill (Thunder and Consolation 1989).

For many in the audience, forty years may have gone by in a blink of an eye, but this night was full of memories of festivals, and happy days. But, an end must come to all good things and the night was rounded off with an encore. First up we have the incredible “Vengeance” from 1984 and the atmosphere reached a peak. Still as powerful as it was back then, the crowd singing along loud and clear. An incredible sight. Then finally we have “I Love the World” from ‘Thunder and Collusion’ (1989).

The sold out crowd, show that just as much as their life long fans still love their music, they are still gathering new fans , and there is a hunger for New Model Army still.

What an anniversary, and an honour to be a part of.