Let The Good Times Roll

Rose Hill Drive, Roadstar & The Answer @ Mean Fiddler, London
4th November

The final stop on the Let The Good Times Roll Tour was an awesome occasion, not only did I get to see the newly re-branded Roadstar (Or Hurricane Party for diehard fans like yours truly) and one of this years brightest classic rock sparks The Answer.

Mean Fiddler was the place, a small club in central London. So I headed out into the long haired abyss of the crowd of 70’s and 80’s mullet lovers wearing my Hurricane Party tee proud waiting to be rocked! The opening and third on the bill were American trio Rose Hill Drive.

These guys were pretty good for a warm-up act for the night. Not only were they pumping out heart pounding heavy blues but they really had some serious issue with hairdressers. The lead guitarist hasn’t had a cut since the 70’s and his Cousin It look was pretty impressive. Although they were good at the time I couldn’t help but feel… “Haven’t I heard this riff before”… quite a bit. No real standout tracks just a class in blues guitar which even brinked upon Prog with a 15 minute blues breakdown jam which showcased their talent. But the lack of vocal prowess and pop hooks were their downfall.

…And now the moment I had been waiting for. Fresh on the heels of their first full length LP Grand Hotel, Roadstar swaggered onto stage. Kicking off the set with the rip roaring track Killer from their first Ep set the tone of their set. Big hooks, Big Tunes, Big Choruses, Big Singalongs, Big Riffs, Big Hair… Roadstar do no half measures! Where the lead act failed, these guys had the crowd bouncing and singing along to yet another catchy chorus. This backed up with the two lead guitarists on top form with awe inspiring solos and duelling riffs absolutely rocked their hometown gig. Their rapport with the crowd was evident and the new tracks were well received.

The Answer headlined this tour and with one of the albums of the year under their belt this Northern Irish group this was another cracking show. They played another sublime set which included most tracks from their debut Rise. Their Led Zep and old bluesman hybrid stylings was superb. The heavy blues riffs were memorable and had real punch with oodles of melody to boot. the complete package was complete with catchy pop hooks and scream-a-loud chorus’s. The track “Under the Sky” (my track of the year thus far) was a real evening highlight. The best bits of this set were the songs which slowed the high pace of the evening and let you stand and appreciate the sheer bluesmanship, tracks such as Preachin’ and the set closer Be What You Want.

Rounding up, Rose Hill Dive are awesome live but I don’t think you could stay interested for more than 5 tracks on an album.
Roadstar was outstanding, sublime in every department and had the best tunes of the night, my favourite act (as if you didn’t guess that already). The Answer were also superb, but not quite as great as Roadstar!

As if the gig wasn’t awesome enough, outside we snuck round the side of the building and met Roadstar who were loading their van at the time! Such down to earth guys who haven’t quite managed to afford roadies to load their stuff for them, but that worked in our favour. I even got a picture with the two lead guitarists, an awesome end to a great night of good ol’ fashion rock and roll!

“Were on the Roadstar!!!!!”