1ST FEBRUARY 2016
The Classic Rock Show venture into capturing the sound and feel of what makes rock great with The Top 20 Greatest Riffs Of All Time. Previously their hugely successful shows have been one of the few ways younger rock fans can hear tracks replicated accurately. This time round, not only do you get to just get wall to wall rock tracks recreated by bands who are no longer around such as Rainbow, Queen, Wings and Led Zeppelin, you also get to hear the crucial money shot that made their tracks so iconic in the first place: the riff.
So what exactly is a riff? The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as - a short repeated phrase in popular music and jazz, typically used as an introduction or refrain in a song. The rock fan will say it as that awesome bit in a song that you can air guitar and head-bang too. The Classic Rock show are a pretty fine way to have an enjoyable night out with some terrific versions of the songs that are the soundtrack to your life.
The band made up of Howie G (guitar and vocals), Wayne Banks (bass), Karl Penny (drums), Steve Parry (MD and keys), James Cole (guitar) and their talented vocalists Ricardo Alfonso, Emily Jollands (also keys), Alex Dee (also sax and guitar) take the audience on a journey through the tracks that define what we love about classic rock. It takes the crowd a while to get warmed up into the spirit of things, but when Ric Alfonso performs an outstanding version of Back In Black, the audience is well and truly eating out of his hand; by the time he performs The Show Must Go On later in the night, he has well and truly earned his stripes. Howie G's low, gruff vocals make him perfect for performing tracks by Dire Straights and Lynyrd Skynyrd, he's also an accomplished guitarist too. Emily Jollands gives a captivating version of Rhianna and provides some fine backing vocals on many other tracks, Alex Dee's tenor vocals on With A Little Help From My Friends wow the audience and stellar version of Won't Get Fooled Again finishes a fantastic set. The band must also be one of the few cover acts to receive a standing ovation for their show.
With so many great riffs to choose from there is inevitably some classic riffs that are left off the set list, for now, at least, like Don't Stop Believing and Sweet Child Of Mine. Even so, there is certainly some great hook that will have you singing along, and going all Wayne's World in your seat.
