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VOLBEAT/BLACK SPIDERS, The Garage, Glasgow
24 October 2011

What can you buy for £10 these days? A couple of pints, a gallon and a bit of petrol, two main courses at your local Brewers Fayre or a ticket to this excellent looking bill. In the current gig climate this one is a steal and the sold out signs proved I wasn't alone with that thought.

Volbeat had been due to play the same venue back in December 2010, but the tour was cancelled after front man Michael Poulson fell ill as the tour was about to kick off. This was also Volbeat's first gig in Scotland so anticipation was high on all fronts.

With the hall filling nicely, The Black Spiders took to the stage for a short, energetic set. I had read a lot of good things about The Black Spiders in the music press and wasn't disappointed by tonight's performance, put bluntly they kicked ass!

From the opening of 'Kiss Tried To Kill Me', through 'Stick It To The Man' to the closer 'Just Like A Woman' the band played like their lives depended on it. This is straight forward rock 'n' roll played as it should be.

A special mention should go to their drummer Tiger Si who appeared to be on day release from a mental institution, his facial expressions are a sight to behold! I will definitely be catching these guys again in the future.

The main event of the night though is Denmark's third biggest export after bacon and butter, the mighty Volbeat. The band are still relatively unknown in the UK but are playing in arenas to upwards of 10,000 per night across mainland Europe and are currently building a large following in the States due in no small part to their extensive touring in support to Metallica. Judging by the crowd reaction tonight the band won't be playing this size of venue in the UK for much longer either.

The band opened with 'The Human Instrument' before launching into the title track from their third album 'Guitar Gangsters and Cadillac Blood' and boy were they on form.

Having headlined arenas and played high on numerous festival bills, it would have been understandable if the guys had put in a little less effort in this setting, but nothing could be further from the truth. The band were as up for the gig as the audience and things just got better and better. Michael was in fine voice and the band commanded the stage as if they were playing to 8000 instead of 800.

Continuing with 'Heaven Nor Hell' from their latest album and then playing a good mix from their four albums, including my own personal favourite 'The Garden's Tale', they could do no wrong.

The guys appeared to be having as much fun on stage and appeared genuinely surprised at the warmth of the response from the Glasgow crowd. At one point between songs they took requests from the audience playing snippets of Motorhead, Metallica, Dio, Slayer and Queen, something for everyone!

Finishing the main set was singalong favourite 'Still Counting', the band took a well earned breather before coming back for five encores, talk about value for money! During one track 'Thanks' the stage was filled with members of the crowd to sing and dance along to add to the party atmosphere. Finishing off with live favourite 'Pool Of Booze, Booze, Booza' Volbeat completed an amazing show.

If you get the chance to catch Volbeat in an intimate club setting, grab it with both hands because believe me they won't be playing them for much longer. In fact forget the butter and the bacon, Volbeat are the tastiest Danish product by far.
 

Review and photos by David Wilson