Gig Review by Moose
Photo's by Crush Images

Personality and stage craft is not something Thunder are lacking - even bass player Chris Childs seems to be getting in on the act these days, larking about with the rest of the gang, while also showing he's got a few chops down as well with a couple of fluid flurries in a kinda impromptu solo spot at one point - very different from the solid but simple foundation role he takes in the songs normally.
 

Fortunately for me, Thunder have given the set a bit of an update - much needed, as they seem to have been pulling out nearly the same songs for the last eighteen months or so, and this is the fifth time I've seen 'em live in that timescale. We get Dirty Dream, The Devil Made Me Do It and the title track from the latest Robert Johnson's Tombstone CD, plus I Love You More Than Rock 'N' Roll and You Can't Keep A Good Man Down from the 2005 release The Magnificent Seventh. There's even a new track from the six track EP thing they've yet to actually get into the shops properly - Chain Reaction if you're interested.

For those that aren't happy unless all the old hits are pulled out for the zillionth time, they also play Love Walked In, Backstreet Symphony, I'll Be Waiting, Spin Doctor, River Of Pain and a few other old favourites from their extensive back catalogue. Harry gets to ham it up in the encore for the end of Better Man, and demonstrates a fine set of lungs and a decent technique on a jumbo Gibson acoustic too. Yes, we still get to scream, wave and jump up and down at Danny's command throughout the set, and why wouldn't we, but they seem to have got the audience participation part of the set under control a bit this time out, all helping with time to play an additional song or two - a definite plus point in my view.
 

If I was being super critical I'd say that the guitar sound was a bit naff at the start, with a very compressed nasal quality that I don't remember from previous gigs, but this seemed to improve as the set progressed and the sound man got things sorted. Maybe the drums lacked a little something too, especially if you were in the area by the bar. What was I doing there??? Getting the beers in obviously....... The bass and vocal sound was awesome though, while Ben Matthews seemed to have a bit more than his normal share of the solo's, maybe down to the slightly revised choice of material. Luke Morley got to jangle some acoustic and blow some blues harp during the set too, as well as throwing his Gibson V about like a man possessed for most of the night. I'm sure my fellow Bristol Rocks mucker Fred was taking notes at one point - nabbed some new stage moves for the next time you pull your Gibson V out of its case chap??