Review: Toseland at Think Tank Newcastle

James Toseland may be viewed as having a slightly charmed life. Blessed with good looks, perfect teeth and a pretty successful career in motorbike racing (until he got injured), he then goes and convinces Toby Jepson (a rock star in his own right in the Little Angels and now a producer and writer) that he can be a rock singer. It turns out he can. He is also a dab hand at tinkling the ivories. As if that isn't enough he goes and marries Katie Melua.  Anyway..about this show..

Opening for Toseland and for Chrome Molly were Great Man Theory. Now, I had heard a couple of their early tracks when playing them on my Jowheretogo Show on NE1fm (Thursdays 10-12). I thought they sounded pretty good. But when I heard the songs live from a band who have honed their craft for a few more months and written new material, I felt like I hadn't heard them before. There were wafts of Soundgarden, blues tinged rock that was still loud and proud and very new. I hope this band get the right push and find their way into the right magazines. They look the part and they sound great. Strong rock vocals, and a very tight band holding it all together.

Chrome Molly amazed me with their enthusiasm for their own songs, some of which were written 30 years ago. There was real energy on the stage from these veterans of rock. They are still making topical music, and played their hearts out for the small crowd at Think Tank. There is definitely a lot more left in the Chrome Molly tank.

Toseland has a fantastic band behind him, and played a blinding set where there was a natural chemistry within the band that I didn't expect as I had assumed they were all hired guns. James is an accomplished pianist and frontman and did justice to the songs released on the debut EP: Life is Beautiful, Gotta Be A Better Way, Burning The System and Renegade. The single, and live version of Renegade is faster and harder than the demo on the EP. Both are great but I am quite fond of the slightly ballady one on the EP. The rest of the material is sounding very promising and I'm looking forward to the album being released in 2014. We were treated to some cover versions at the end, some Elton John, Queen and ACDC...all played damned well and it's clear Mr Toseland has been wanting to do this for some time. The Album is being released on Pledge Music. Find out all about it on Toseland's official site. I've got my eye on the umbrella!