The Quireboys
w/ Support from Steve Ramone, Sisters Doll , BluHauz and Juvenile Wrecks
The Whisky a Go Go – Hollywood, CA
Wednesday, May 18th, 2022
Review/Pics: Will
Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way… With former singer Spike no longer being in The Quireboys, the dynamic of the band has definitely changed. After all, Spike’s drunken sailor charm is a force to be reckoned with. I will say though, that the people saying “No Spike, No Quireboys” are probably in a group that aren’t going to be attending the shows and therefore won’t be able to validate that opinion.
From my experience, and from the reaction of those also in attendance last Wednesday evening, The Quireboys are alive and well; are playing all that classic Honky Tonk Rock & Roll that you’re accustomed to and most importantly, still sound great.
The band on this night included guitarist and now vocalist, Guy Griffin (Who is one of the main Quireboys songwriters and has appeared on every QB album to date), Paul Guerin (guitar), Keith Weir (keyboards), Pip Mailing (drums) and for their U.S tour dates, the great Chip Z’Nuff (Enuff Z’Nuff) has handled bass and background vocal duties.
Griff’s vocals sound very much like Spike, so there’s no shock factor when you hear these songs sung by someone else. What you don’t get is as much “banter” between the songs and if you’re there for that part of it, then yes you’ll be missing out. If you’re there for the music, then you’re still in luck. The band sounded amazing and if you don’t believe me, ask some of the members of Faster Pussycat, Junkyard and even Tod Howarth (Frehley’s Comet) that showed up to support their fellow road warriors. As well as “Jason”. He caught them on an earlier date and traveled to the Whisky all the way from Kansas to catch the last show of their tour.
The set list housed all the great Quireboys songs you’d expect to hear including most of the hits from their star making debut, “A Bit Of What You Fancy“. (minus “Whipping Boy”).
The aforementioned friends who showed up this evening were of course Chip Z’Nuff who helped the band out on bass, as well as guitarist Luke Bossendorfer. Luke had a short stint in the Quireboys in the early 00’s and is also a longtime friend of Griff’s. He jumped on stage to jam set closer, “7 O’Clock” with the band. Also in attendance (and playing bass for opening act, Juvenile Wrecks), was original Quireboys bassist, Nigel Mogg (Nephew of the great Phil Mogg (UFO)).
This was my second time seeing the band in this form (the first being on the Monsters Of Rock Cruise in February) and yet another fun filled evening of great British Rock & Roll.
Editors Note: At the time of publication Spike had JUST announced his own version of The Quireboys featuring original guitarist Guy Bailey and bassist Nigel Mogg (see below for more Nigel). So stay tuned…
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One of the things the Whisky is famous for is having a ton of acts leading up to the headliner. The twist to this evening’s show was that the bands that I caught prior to the headliner were actually all really great.
Steve Ramone
Steve Ramone hails from Chicago and delivered a mix of fun rockin tunes. Steve played guitar and sang, but what was interesting about his set was that his band consisted of 3/4 of Enuff Z’Nuff. Yes, Chip on bass (pulling double duty this evening), Tory Stoffregen on guitar and Dan Hill on drums helped Steve blast out some good time tunes.
Steve was the first act I caught and played to a very sparse room, but they band as always gave it their all and put on a great set.
Sisters Doll
Stand up and take notice! Sisters Doll are a 3 piece (2 guitar and drums) outfit from Down Unda’ and these Aussies put on a belter of a show. The brothers Mileto; Brennan, Bryce and Austin, are a glam rock inspired band, that threw out a ton of enthusiasm and fun during their set.
They look like a parody of every 80’s rock band you’ve seen, with drummer, Bryce, looking like a Tommy Lee clone, right down to the similar looking stomach tattoo. But don’t let that distract from their contagious energy and catchy songs. They even threw in a version of KISS’ “Lick It Up” with a little of The Who’s “Wont Get Fooled Again” thrown into the middle for good measure.
If you’re in the Nashville area you’ll be able to catch them at “Creature Fest” this upcoming weekend. Make time to check these guys out. I look forward to seeing them again.
BluHauz
As advertised, a Blues Rock band fronted by none other than singer guitarist, “Bluhauz“. Another great set that had Bluhauz showing off some pretty nifty fretboard picking.
The frontman packs a ton of emotion into his playing and vocals and delivered a really entertaining set that concluded with a great rendition of Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads“.
Juvenile Wrecks
Juvenile Wrecks are an LA band that seem to span generations of music. Guitarist/Vocalists Jay Tea and Alan MP look like they were swooped right out of a Mods/Rockers fight from Quadrophenia. Add in the Fred Perry shirt and suspenders wearing Nigel Mogg on bass (Yes, The Quireboys Original bassist) and you’ve got one hell of an entertaining, interesting act.
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