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fluffyunicornofdanger · 5 years ago

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Double Trouble

A/N: I have been working on this for probably a week and I’m so glad it’s finally done. I was struggling with it so much, but here it is. It’s probably not the best, but I almost scrapped it, so it’s better than nothing I guess. I’ve been feeling like all my writings crap, though, which sucks. But, hey, at least I finished this! I am writing for a couple more bands now (Skid Row, Bon Jovi, and Aerosmith), if you’ve got any questions about that or what to request something, my inbox is always open. I hope you guys enjoy.

*~~*~~*

Masterlist

Nikki Sixx x Reader / Tommy Lee x Reader

Part one of ?

Summary: Vince and Y/n have always been the best of friends whether they’ve had time to hang out or not. But their friendship gets tested when he introduces her to his bandmates under the strict rule that nothing goes on between her or them. That ruler gets pushed to the breaking point when the Terror Twins take an interest in Y/n. Now, not only is Y/n and Vince’s friendship on the line, but Tommy and Nikki’s as well.

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: Language, alcohol

Vince opened the door, smiling when Y/n appeared behind it. “What are you doing here?”

She smiled, lifting up his jacket that he must have left at her place. “Giving you back your shit. Honestly, I’m surprised you forgot it, seeing as how you wouldn’t let it out of your sight when you first got it,” she chuckled, handing it over to him.

“Yeah, well it cost an arm and a leg.” He grabbed the fabric, opening the door wider and gesturing for her to come in. “The boys are here if you wanna meet them.”

Y/n shrugged, “Why not?”

Vince and Y/n had been friends for ages. It was one of those friendships that started because their parents were friends. So, whenever Y/n’s mom would go over to Vince’s house, she dragged the little girl along. Even after their parents grew apart, the pair remained friends. Though, they didn’t get to see each other that often with work and the band, the two always found time to catch up. Often times, they would go to a bar and drink until the place closed and wander back to who ever’s place was closest. Last time, it was Y/n’s and in his hungover state, Vince had left his jacket.

“Just no flirting with them, okay?” He asked before leading her through the house.

“If that’s what it takes to finally meet them then no flirting.”

Vince smiled in response. He’d meant to introduce her to the boys sooner but with conflicting schedules, it made it hard; plus, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to introduce her to them. Mick would be fine. The man was a saint compared to the other two. Tommy and Nikki, on the other hand, he was hesitant about. He didn’t want them to cause any trouble between Y/n and him. They were already great at causing trouble within the band and he didn’t want them to ruin his friendship.

“But what if they flirt with me?” she asked, following close behind him.

“Ignore them, I guess. Or you could slap them, give us all a show,” he said with a smile, to which she rolled her eyes.

Once, only once had Y/n ever struck someone. They were in high school and this one boy would never leave her alone. He was constantly trying to make conversation with her and always following her around. He was a football player and thought his athletic skills would win her over. It didn’t. And one day she’d had enough, he never got the message when she told him off, so she was going to show him a different way.

And after that, Vince never let her forget.

The two entered the massive living room to find his bandmates lounging on the couch. The taller of the three men jumped to their feet once their eyes landed on the girl, eyeing her up and down.

“Y/n, this is Nikki and Tommy,” Vince gestured to the pair that stood before her. She gave them a smile before turning back to Vince. “And this is Mick.”

Mick raised a brow, wondering who the girl was.

It wasn’t normal for Vince to bring chicks around. He’d pick one up any time they went to a bar, but he never cared to introduce them to the boys or bring them home.

“Oh, oh, you must be Vince’s friend,” Tommy realized after a few seconds.

“Yep, that would be me,” she nodded, glancing around the room. It had been a long time since she’d been by the house and she was still impressed by its size.

While Y/n took in the art the Vince had hanging on the wall, Nikki and Tommy took in her. She was beautiful, there was no doubt about it. But with the look Vince was giving the pair, neither thought it worth it to make a move with him around. Normally, they wouldn’t have even given the blonde a second thought, but they knew to tread lightly around Y/n. Vince would kill them if they didn’t.

Out of the corner of his eye, Nikki watched as Tommy’s eyes followed Y/n’s movement as Vince showed her around the house, completely ignoring them. Something like hunger was vivid in the drummer's eyes, making his blood boil. There was no way he was going to let Tommy get the girl first, not when he’d seen her first. It was childish, he knew that, but he’d seen Y/n once before and that had to mean something.

It was when the band had first gotten together. Y/n had come to pick Vince up after practice that day, they were gonna so surfing if the weather permitted. Tommy and Mick had left just before she pulled up, going to pick up pizza or something. The moment he laid eyes on her, he was hooked. She hadn’t stepped out of the car and the two hadn’t exchanged words, but something about her made Nikki want to get to know her. And that’s exactly what he was going to do whether Vince or Tommy liked it.

Vince and Y/n wandered back into the living room after she’d been given the grand tour. Once getting a glimpse of the whole house, Y/n wasn’t sure why Vince ever wanted to come by her place. His house was big enough to house a football team and it had a pool, which was definitely something she was jealous of.

“I think I’m gonna have to come by more often,” she joked, shaking her head as she looked around. “No wonder you never come by my place.”

The blonde rolled his eyes, “Whatever, but you should come by more. I miss seeing you all the time.”

Y/n nodded, she missed seeing him sober. More times than not he was drunk off his ass when he crashed at her place and a grump when he woke up with a headache in the morning. A change to that would be nice.

“Hey, you should come to the party we’re having tomorrow!” Tommy suggested, earning a glare from Nikki.

“I suppose I could.” Y/n wasn’t one for parties, but it would be a nice break from the lonely nights she’d been accustomed to. “If that’s alright with all of you.”

Vince nodded with a smile. He knew the party would probably be a little too wild for her, but it would give him a nice chance to catch up with her even though he had a feeling he knew why Tommy invited her. “We would love for you to come, Y/n.”

*~~*~~*

Weaving through the mass of bodies, Y/n raised her glass up to keep it from getting knocked out of her had. She should have known that everyone and their mother would be at the party as the house of bursting at the seams. To even get a drink she had to shove her way to the bar and fight for the bartender's attention. She’d already lost Vince somewhere between the living room and the bar, probably off with some chick like always. The man had always been that way so she wasn’t shocked.

Feeling a light tap on her shoulder, she let out a sigh, expecting it to be yet another random stranger asking if she knew where Vince was. She turned, careful not to spill her drink, and almost knocked into Tommy, who looked down at her with a sweet smile.

“I thought you got swallowed up in the crowd,” he laughed, steadying her.

“No, no, not yet anyway.” Y/n took a sip of her drink, wondering if the bartender was actually listening to her because what met her tongue was not what she ordered. “Pretty sure Vince has been.”

That was no surprise. Vince was always the first to disappear at any party. Some chick would just walk by him and pull him along behind her. The singer was easy like that, girls didn’t have to jump through hoops to get his attention.

“Hey, so I was wondering-” Tommy pulled Y/n out of the way as a drunk stumbled passed, tripping on the couch. “Damn, that dude’s hammered. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanna catch a movie with me sometime.”

Oh god, she thought. This was exactly what Vince didn’t want. Y/n knew for a long time, even though the blonde never stated it, that he didn’t want her to meet his bandmates in case anything close to romantic was to go on between them and her. He’d told her multiple times, each while he was wasted, that they were a bunch of pigs and no woman deserved them. From her encounter with them yesterday, she was sure that Mick wasn’t included in that.

“I… um, what about Vince? He’ll have a fit over that.”

Tommy shrugged, swatting at the air. “Don’t worry about Vince. He’ll get over himself. So, what’d ya say?”

“I guess, if I have the time then it sounds like fun.”

The drummer’s lips turned up into a wide grin. “Cool, I’ll get back to you on a where and when, doll”

Before Y/n could say anything else, something in the kitchen caught the man’s attention and he was gone as fast as he arrived. She was almost grateful for that because she was sure if Vince saw them together he would freak. Vince meant well, he really did, but sometimes it got annoying how protective he was. Y/n didn’t have any brothers to be protective over her, but it felt like she did with Vince around. It was nice when someone made her uncomfortable or when she didn’t feel safe in a certain part of town. She could always tell Vince about it and he would do his best to fix the problem. But times like this… it was anything but nice.

Y/n barely knew Tommy, from what she gathered from Vince’s drunk mumbles was that the man was a wild card, always down for anything. That may be so, but he seemed sweet to her. He didn’t look at her like a handful of other men she’d seen at the party had. He didn’t look at her like he was taking her clothes off. Kind eyes. Soft, warm eyes looked her over, not the eyes of a predator. Tommy had to be much more than Vince made him out to be, he sure seemed like it.

But did she really want to find out? After all, that was Vince’s bandmate and she had to respect that. His bandmates were also his friends and she had to respect that. He didn’t want them to have anything to do with her and she knew that meant she should stay away from them as well. It was only fair. It was only fair if the same rules applied to her, but would it even get that far with Tommy? They may only go out once and then never hang out together again. But was that a chance she was willing to take?

She shook her head, the music blaring from the speakers didn’t help her find an answer. It probably wasn’t the right time to find the answer as she had just enough alcohol in her system to cloud her judgment.

Stepping outside, Y/n hoped the brisk night air would at least clear her head. It was less crowded outside, meaning she didn’t have to worry about people bumping into her unless they were drunk.

Y/n was just starting to enjoy her newfound peace when everyone’s favorite trouble maker walked towards her, a devilish smirk plastered on his face. Nikki ran a hand through his black hair, moving it away from his eyes, as he approached her.

Here we go again, she thought as he stopped in front of her.

“Thought you weren’t going to show,” he told her before taking a swig of beer in his hand.

Nikki had been looking for her everywhere, hoping that he would find her before Tommy did, but so many people showed up that it made it hard to spot just about anybody. There were a couple times he thought the crowd would sweep him away.

Y/n shrugged, “Couldn’t disappoint you guys.”

He smiled, draping an arm around her shoulders. “So, I’ve been meaning to try this new restaurant downtown. It’s supposed to have a gigantic selection of booze. Just fucking huge. And I was wondering if you wanted to go with me.”

Letting out a sigh, she stared up at the blank night sky.

“What about-”

“Vince? Don’t worry about him, babe. You’re a grown-ass woman, you don’t need him to tell you what you can and can’t do,” the bassist told her like that was what she was getting at.

At this point, Y/n didn’t give a rat’s ass about Vince. She’d already been told that his opinion didn’t matter, being told a second time didn’t make it any more true. What about Vince? That didn’t seem to matter to his bandmates, but what about Tommy?

“Yeah-”

“Great!” He smiled, downing the rest of his beer. “I’ll call you tomorrow then.”

With that, the bassist walked into the house, probably in search of more beer, leaving Y/n in the same position she’d found herself in earlier.

“Goddamit,” she muttered, swirling her drink around - suddenly not in the mood to party. If she’d known she’d be bombarded, she’d never have accepted the invite. Being home, being lonely, was better than what she was stuck with. Now she had to deal with Tommy and Nikki, a nightmare, she was sure of it. She’d heard of the fights they’d get into with other people, making her hesitant to want to witness one between the pair - it would be deadly - no doubt.

Letting out a groan, Y/n tilted her head back, chugging the last of her drink, her throat burning as it slid down. She had to leave before someone else asked her out, there was no way she could handle it another time.

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speedilyloudpaper · 6 years ago

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1 0 t o w i n

‘OK Jeff. Which group supported Smokey Robinson on The Tears of a Clown in 1970?’

A clock sound effect ticks.

‘Um.. I think that were The Miracles’

Ding

‘Correct, well done! Question 10, listen carefully… name the song title and artist of the following 90s one hit wonder.’

‘You’ve got this, Jeff!’ adds the radio Dj, nonchalantly. Despite his genuine admiration at Jeff’s knowledge of music, he couldn’t make himself interested in the outcome of today’s Ten to Win.

And if you think

That I've been losing my way

That's because I'm slightly blinded

And if you think

That I don't make too much sense

That's because

I'm broken minded

Jeff did have this, he remembers playing a cover of it when he was younger. Suddenly he’s back on stage of the Hillsborough Working Men’s club, clad in freshly ripped jeans and a white T shirt with the sleeves rolled over his shoulders, thrashing his bass guitar like his life depended on it. Yes, he can see the setlist in front of him in his mind’s eye.

‘I think that was... Inside, by um Stiltskin’

‘Congratulations Jeff! That’s 10 out of 10, you really do know your music. You just won yourself a digital radio!’

Jeff feels immense elation having won the quiz, indeed this is the most exciting thing that has happened to him all year.

‘Aw fantasti-’

‘Yeah really well done. Is there anyone you’d like to give a shoutout to, Jeff?’

Jeff sits on the sofa in his living room with his new smartphone held next to his ear, wearing an old Aerosmith T shirt and dressing gown. The room is small and sparsely furnished, with a threadbare carpet and dated off white floral wallpaper. Beside the sofa is a small wooden cabinet. Across the room, next to a fireplace in which stands an electric fan heater, is a huge flat screen impulse-bought television playing on mute. There are no ornaments other than a few photographs on the mantelpiece and an ashtray on the cabinet. Old and yellowing white lace curtains droop over the window, allowing in a little light. In the corner by the window sits an acoustic guitar on a black stand.

‘Um, yeah.. There’s my cousin Derek, who’ll be listening at work’ says Jeff. His cousin wouldn’t usually be the first person to enter his mind, but hearing that track had started a flood of memories of his days in his old band, which Derek, or Del back then, was the lead singer, along with his best mates Tony and Gaz on drums and guitar. The memories bring a wave of nostalgia, but also something else.

‘Also my two sons, Will and Joey, they’re both at their mother’s today, but they said they’d listen t’ the show… um.. All the fellas at work and… and’

He stares at the bare wall above the television set. Suddenly his eyes feel weary and his face feels heavy. Another memory comes to him.

He’s sitting in the passenger seat of his uncle’s van with his bandmates, their equipment in the back. BBC radio 2 is playing over the speakers, for background noise and so the guys could complain to each other about radio stations never playing ‘real music’. In truth, Jeff quite liked the old pop songs they would play, but he wouldn’t have told any of the others. He liked and respected most genres of music, which was probably what made him the most talented at writing songs for the band.

A man had just lost a quiz and was asked if he’d like to mention anybody. It was always men or women of a certain age, who would proceed to reel off a pre prepared list of people they knew like they’d just won a BAFTA, usually followed by the line ‘and anybody else who knows me that I haven’t mentioned’, like everybody they’ve ever met is listening, and they can shout in all of their faces ‘Remember me? Look at me now! I’m on radio!’, Jeff thought.

‘Listen to this guy, makin’ such a big deal of being on the radio’ grunts Tony distastefully, his elbow resting on the window frame, holding a lit cigarette out of the window. ‘I bet this feels like his 15 minutes of fame. After he hangs up he’ll go back to being a fuckin’ nobody.’ The rest nod in agreement. ‘I tell you now lads’ he continues ‘we’re not gonna be like that. We’ll be on the radio alright, just not doing a stupid quiz’

‘Hopefully we won’t be played on a crap station like this.’ adds Jeff, earning him a few chuckles from the others. He didn’t like classing people as nobodies or successes, but he did agree with his mate. In fact each member of the band had a desire to make something of themselves. He supposed it was due to angst of growing up in a small northern town, however he was sure that in himself, and perhaps the others, it came from something much deeper, didn’t it?. It was about doing more with his life than he watched those around him do. He didn’t want to live in the future, in the past or only at the weekend, he wanted to really live for every second, following his passion and putting his heart into what he did; and what he was passionate about, more than anything, was music.

‘Jeff? Sorry I’m going to have to hurry you up’

‘Um yeah. Sorry. A-and...’ he lets out a sigh and a dry laugh, almost mocking himself.

‘And everybody who knows me who I haven’t mentioned’ he hears himself say.

The nostalgia recedes like an ocean tide, leaving him empty and all too aware of the present moment, the empty flat, the familiar silence except the sound of water running through pipes and occasional quiet whoosh of a car passing outside. The radio host says something but he isn’t listening, and he’s put on hold.

Jeff thinks of all the people who know him who he hasn’t mentioned. Other members of his family, who he keeps meaning to see more often, his friends he meets at the weekends to play pool and get drunk, and his coworkers, who he sees almost every day.

Cher’s ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ plays in his ear, distorted and crackling, as he pictures the last 20 years of faces, and with the faces, memories.

The band had played regularly for three years, playing to crowds that increased in size each night, earning themselves a small following. One of their best performances was at a nightclub in Leeds, to a crowd of over a thousand people. The frenzy of the crowd was like nothing the band had seen before. People were jumping up and down and bouncing off of each other like one giant crazy pounding mass of screaming faces and waving arms that could burst through the walls. The energy that came off this thing was immense, like a powerful force that spurred the band to another level. By the end of the show, each member of the band was utterly worn out and dripping with sweat, the pickups on Gaz’s guitar were splattered with blood from his fingers (which they all found extremely cool).

It wasn’t just the performance that made that night so special for Jeff, it was also the night he met his wife. After the show, the band had gone to the club’s bar, where each had necked the most refreshing beer they would ever taste. After ordering a second they were approached by a girl with red lipstick and a big wavy hairstyle, who introduced herself as Debbie, saying how great the performance was. She was clearly drawn to Jeff more than the others, to his surprise. Admittedly, being the bass player, he was often overlooked by their female fans after the show, something that Del and Gaz would enjoy winding him up about. Because of this, and the fact he was still coated with sweat and had beer dripping from his chin, he didn’t expect her to be interested in him, but she was, and the two got on well. She had travelled with the band for a while before moving into Jeff’s flat. She saw Jeff as a perfect opportunity to get away from her parents, and the fact he played in a rock band was an added bonus. Perhaps she had rushed things a little, but she did suppose she loved him.

Six months later. The two are in the kitchen. Debbie is pregnant. The two had known for a while, yet neither had really mentioned the changes that were soon to come, especially regarding the band. Eventually she decided they’d avoided it for long enough, and brought it up one day before breakfast. She explained that having a baby meant that he’d have to get a job with a more steady income, and that he wouldn’t be able to travel as much with the band anymore. Of course Jeff had already thought about this, he just didn’t want to face the truth. On top of this, she also said that traveling with the band had had an effect on her as well, and that they weren’t spending as much time together as she’d like. This he hadn’t thought about. Obviously they weren’t the only couple to have thought about this, as a day later, the band were in Gaz’s living room, his girlfriend in the kitchen, when Gaz suggests that they call it quits on the band. They all eventually agree.

Del manages to get Jeff a job at Hardy & Co, the factory where Del’s brother worked. Jeff remembers being in the interview, sat across from some miserable looking manager, who had huge bags under his eyes and yellowed uneven teeth and sour breath, trying to explain his O levels and how hard he was willing to work blah blah blah, when all he could really think about was leaving his dreams and passion behind for a 9 to 5 job that meant nothing to him. He got the job and since then life had gone on like it does for most. He and Deborah got married. The baby was born followed by another a year later. At the factory he worked his way from floor assistant to supervisor. He struggled to think of anything that had made his life much different from the thousands of other ‘nobodies’ his age, apart from, maybe, the fact that his wife cheated on him. Then again that might be more common than you think, he thought, if television dramas are anything to go by.

Of course, he hadn’t spent his life in misery, dwelling on the fact that his band never became a major success. He’d had his ups and downs like anybody. There had been moments of immense happiness, such as his wedding day or when he held his children for the first time. In fact, until hearing that song in the radio quiz, he hadn’t thought about his band or old dreams in a few years. He never forgot his love of music either, as he was always listening to new tapes and CDs, and was known by his colleagues as the man to go to to settle an argument about who topped the charts in what year, or who played a certain song. He had a job to do all day, friends to meet at the weekend, and kept himself entertained in his free time, like everyone does.

Only seeing the years flash before him now made it seem so empty and pointless, leaving him feeling overwhelmed with regret and hopelessness and with a sinking in his chest. He felt like he’d failed himself. Like he’d let himself down. He couldn’t just blame himself though, and he started to feel irritated at the whole world for screwing things up for him.

His talent, his dreams, his passion for music had come to nothing. Well, he had gained one thing from it all; winning this radio quiz. Maybe he’d impressed a few listeners. Maybe he’d --

‘Hello? Is that Jeff’

Jeff stands up quickly when he hears the voice, remembering he should be ecstatic that he’s won the quiz, but unable to shake that strange mix of wistfulness and exasperation.

‘Yeah... still here’

When did I become such a fucking failure

‘Hi, congrats on winning today’s quiz. Could you please tell us your full name and address so we can send you your Sony D.A.B radio?’

This is what his lifelong love for music had come down to. This is what he had to show for it all. A Sony D.A.B fucking radio. Maybe he could show it off to visitors. Maybe people would ask him where he got it from, and he could tell them how he had won the quiz. It wasn’t much but it was something. He snickers at himself again, sardonically.

‘Yeah yeah, it’s um Jeff Stephens--’

The phone beeps.

‘Hello?’

No reply.

He takes the phone away from his ear and looks at the screen. Instantly he realises the stupid phone has hung up, like it keeps doing all the fucking time. I don’t even get the fucking radio. He isn’t sure whether he wants to laugh or cry.

He stands motionless in the silent room for a few seconds. The empty hole inside him has quickly filled with white-hot rage.

‘FUCK!’ he screams at the top of his voice, straining the veins in his face.

‘FUCKING SHIT FUCKING--’ he aggressively lobs the piece of shit smartphone at his guitar in the corner, smashing the screen, snapping the case and leaving a huge dent in his guitar.

‘PIECE OF SHIT’ he yells, his voice faltering this time. He collapses into the sofa, his anger becoming despair.

‘Stupid fucking phone’ he cries.

‘Stupid fucking guitar, fucking band’ tears fill his eyes.

‘Fucking job... fucking kids...fucking...all this shit’

He opens his mouth to say something else but doesn’t, and slumps back further into his sofa and he doesn’t move for a while.

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rockzone · 6 years ago

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Review: The Quireboys & FM 2019 UK Tour with guests Bad Touch & Vega

Concert Date: 7 Apr 2019 Venue: The Ritz, Manchester

There were four bands on the bill last night at The Ritz in Manchester. The British melodic hard rock band Vega was first on stage, kicking off the proceedings shortly after 6pm. Having released five albums since their formation in 2009, the short time slot was not long enough for vocalist Nick Workman and company to display the full range of eclectic AOR that has made this band stand out from the crowd. They left the arriving audience wanting more. I suggest you check out their recent album ‘Only Human’. I’ll definitely be watching out for Vega when they are on the road again.

Next up was Bad Touch (pictured above), a young five-piece rock band from Dereham in Norfolk influenced by the likes of Led Zepplin, AC/DC, and Aerosmith. I first came across this band in 2016 when they released their second album “Truth Be Told”. However, prior to that they won ‘Best Live Band 2012’ at the Exposure Music Awards and were the ‘Marshall Ultimate Band Winners’ in 2013. I interviewed guitarist Dan Seekings (far right) last October shortly before of the release of their latest album ‘Shake A Leg’ and their UK headline tour.

Vocalist Stevie Westwood was on form once again, drawing in the crowd with a selection of tracks almost entirely from ‘Shake A Leg’, beginning the set with the rousing ‘Lift Your Head Up’ and straight into ‘Moving On Up’. Then we were treated to superb renditions of ‘Too Many Times’ and ‘When The Hammer Falls’. Bad Touch concluded the set with their rock radio single ‘99%’ from their ‘Truth Be Told’ album.

Last night was the first time I’d seen The Quireboys (pictured above). Even though they are described as one of the UK's finest Rock 'n' Roll Bands, of the four groups playing last night, it is The Quireboys’ music with which I am the least familiar.

Vocalist Spike (real name Jonathan Gray) has a very confident and enthusiastic stage presence, however, as the band played ‘There She Goes Again’ from their 1990 debut album, we struggled to hear Spike’s vocals at times as he held the microphone stand in the air supporting it halfway down its length, resulting in the mic frequently drifting away from his mouth. This problem subsided by the time they played their fabulous new single, ‘Seven Deadly Sins’.

For fifteen years, The Quireboys have produced rock music with edgy riffs, driving rhythms and a voice that I have to say, reminds me of Rod Stewart. The set list last night included ‘Hello’ and ‘Mona Lisa Smiled’ from 2008’s ‘Homewreckers & Heartbreakers’ album and a handful of other songs from their debut ‘A Bit Of What You Fancy’, namely ‘Whipping Boy’, a great rendition of ‘I Don’t Love You Anymore’, and the raucous ‘7 o’clock’.

I gather the song ‘This Is Rock ‘Roll’ is included on most tours, as it is a fan favourite. This time they dedicated it to rock legend Bernie Torme who passed away last month. Mention must also be made of ‘Troublemaker (Black Eyed Son)’ which I enjoyed seeing performed live, originally from the ‘Black Eyed Sons’ album of 2014. After their performance yesterday, I’ll definitely be making a point of checking out more of this band’s back catalogue.

FM (pictured above) played the main headline slot. When they formed in 1984, FM soon became the ubiquitous support act, touring with Bon Jovi, Tina Turner, Whitesnake, Foreigner, Magnum and Status Quo. FM’s debut album ‘Indiscreet’ came out in 1986 and was a favourite of mine at the time. It received critical acclaim and I was very pleased that several songs from it, and the follow up ‘Tough It Out’, featured in the set list last night.

Gremlins threatened the performance at the start, but frontman Steve Overland pushed on guitarless and unperplexed, as a stage hand worked frantically switching guitar leads and trying two more guitars before declaring the amp kaput. A replacement amp was tried before they settled on a third loaned by The Quire boys. From then on, FM’s performance was faultless, delivering outstanding performances of their timeless songs, ‘Love Be The Leader’, ‘Someday’, ‘Face To Face’, ‘I Belong To The Night’ and ‘Tough It Out’ to name just a few.

Anyone who has heard their latest live album ‘The Italian Job’ which came out last month, might have had some inkling what to expect last night. I particularly enjoyed ‘Killed By Love’ from their latest studio album ‘Atomic Generation’ and the encore which began with a superb rendition of ‘Story Of My Life’ (from 2013’s Rockville) which demonstrated Steve Overland’s tremendous vocal talent, and closing out the evening with ‘Other Side Of Midnight’.

Four great bands, one great night.

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