The Quireboys / The Old Cold Store / Nottingham
Back into Nottingham and one of its hidden music gems – the Old Cold Store, located at the Castle Rock Brewery, next to the Vat & Fiddle, close to the railway station. A great venue with atmosphere. Tonight we’re here to catchg The Quireboys on their “Wardour Street” winter tour.
First up on stage are local band Continental Lovers who delivered a fantastic opening set of retro 80’s glam punk rock. With that wonderfully over the top visual look they were thoroughly entertaining a set of bangers ready to dance to with a hint of fun. Singer Joe Maddox took every opportunity to converse with the crowd between songs. Highlights of the set were a new track Connection and the wonderfully entitled Out of my Head. Their sound is lively and exciting. It would be easy to class Continental Lovers as a kitsch 80’s parody, but they are far far from that. Their rock ‘n roll sound is authentic and stands strong as both authentic and fresh.
A really enjoyable opening set.
Next up we have Willie Dowling, who some may remember as the founding frontman of 80’s hard rock/glam band The Grip. He’s subsequently gone on to play in The Wildhearts, Honeycrack, and The Sugar Plum Fairies. He’s also playing on keys later for The Quireboys !
Dowling took to the stage accompanied only by a bass player, Andy, who also provided backing vocals. Resplendent in a black and white check suit and sunglasses and curly hair, Willie os not inconspicuous. He jokes to the crowd that he thought he looked like Jeff Lynne, but was more like Dave Lee Travis !
Very different from Continental Lovers, Dowling delivered a set of great music with a humorous twist, with most of the tracks taken form his latest album “The Simpleton”. Between each song he laughed and joked with the crowd and developed a great banter. Joking after one song at the slow applause, he said he’d stick his arm up after each song so we’d know when to applaud. He duly did…. And so did we. And with good cause. The musicianship was fantastic, and the sense of humour through the songs was pitched just right with tracks like I Killed My Imaginary Friend and at times political, taking a swipe at the political elite with songs like The Gravy Train.
Willie Downing went down a treat and shone not just as a musician but as a performer too. He left the crowd smiling, which is all you can ask for really .
A quick turn round and set up, and it’s time for The Quireboys to hit the stage. The Old Cold Store is sold out, and there is an air of anticipation in the room. The Quireboys were formed by vocalist Jonathan Gray (who everyone simply calls Spike) who moved from Newcastle to London when he was 17 years old and met guitarist Guy Bailey in a bar.
Stepping onto the stage, Spike’s character and style drew huge applause from the crowd. The Quireboys put on a set which balanced classic fan favourites and new material perfectly. New tracks like Like it or Not and I Think I Got It Wrong Again from their latest album “Wardour Street” were an instant live hit with the crowd, who were bouncing along. That intensity only grew with classic hits such as I Don’t Love You Anymore and 7 O’Clock. The highlight was a fantastic rendition of their classic Kings of New York which was greeted by huge cheers and the audience sang along with gusto. Spike opened the song with a tribute to his father and founding band member Guy Bailey who sadly passed away in 2023. It was moving and heartfelt.
Spike is the quintessentially cheeky and mischievous frontman, egging on the crowd at every opportunity and interrupting and hanging off Nigel Mogg (bass) and Luke Morley (guitar) at every opportunity, trying to distract them and generally having fun. The crowd lapped up every second of his antics.
The Quireboys are great showmen, and its clear to see why they still attract sell out crowds with their style of rock. A great night, and thoroughly entertaining from start to finish. Three very different takes on rock ‘n roll, that worked well together and left everyone very very happy.
