Rebellion is a strange venue. Nestled in the underbelly of Deansgate train station, this small venue has put on some great shows over the years, and I’ve had a few good nights in there, one of those highlights being the ‘Enter The Grave’ full album performance by Evile which served as Matt’s last show with the band and a tribute to the late, great Mike Alexander. What makes this venue great is how condensed its floor area is. The stage is literally a few feet higher than the standing area and there is no barrier or separation which means the band and crowd can really connect and you can see some wild moments. Adding to those wild moments are tonight’s musical performances from Tailgunner and Armored Saint.

Kicking things off first for the night was Tailgunner, the fast-paced NWOBHM inspired 5-piece from the UK who are becoming a fast-rising star in the metal scene. Clad in plenty of leather, sporting white hi-top sneakers and an assortment of studded jackets, the band came on stage to the intro tape of ‘Zorba The Greek’ before they launched headfirst into their heavy metal barrage. Having not heard this band before they took to the stage, my attention was immediately hooked thanks to the blend of high tempo riffs, a thundering rhythm section and some seriously big vocal performances. ‘Beast Of The Night’ was delivered with explosive energy and some 80’s metal styled synchronised poses and guitar posturing. Galloping bass lines were delivered in the iconic Steve Harris pose but given the proximity of the stage to the crowd, the headstock of the bass was practically inches above the front row’s heads.

A guitar battle featuring Zach and Rhea trading neoclassical styled and technically minded shred licks took centre stage halfway through the set before they burst into a metal rendition of Grieg’s iconic ‘Hall Of The Mountain King’. Sadly this didn’t segue into a cover of the Savatage track by the same name but instead it went into a run of tracks which included ‘Revolution Scream’ which saw vocalist Craig brandishing a placard stating ‘Welcome to the Revolution’ and holding it up above the three pronged string based instrument attack. Along with a Union jack with the band’s name and logo across the middle of it, the band really got the crowd fired up in time for their closing number; a cover of the iconic Judas Priest track ‘Painkiller’.

You know what you’re getting with Painkiller and it is one of those tracks where any performance will be placed under intense scrutiny. Musically, it was fine, the riffs, the shredding, the colossal drum sound and relentless bass driven groove all hit the mark. Vocally, aside from Craig missing the first half of the verse due to trying to get out of his jacket at the side of the stage, it was a good effort. Air raid siren screams and shrieks were delivered and whilst they weren’t as intense as Halford’s offering, they were consistent throughout and it capped a great performance.

With the set over, a quick trip outside to get some air and a quick smoke, followed by a refill on the drinks was on the cards as the place was finally filling up in time for Armored Saint. Getting back in roughly the same spot as we had for Tailgunner, to the side of the stage, we proceeded to watch the roadie set up and sound check routine, whilst at the same time sharing a handshake and fist bump with Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan as they passed by and soon enough, the short walk from the waiting room opposite the sound desk to the stage was undertaken with the Saints marching through.

It has been 9 years since I last saw Armored Saint. Their main stage slot at the 2015 instalment of Bloodstock Open Air was a fantastic experience and I was eagerly anticipating a fantastic show from the band tonight. The small venue allowed for an intimate setting and being right down by the front allowed us a great vantage point for the set. As the band came on stage, they launched straight into “End of the Attention Span”. The energetic track which was fuelled by the drums of thunder Gonzo Sandoval, and Joey Vera’s low end rumblings was delivered with a crisp edge and John Bush’s vocals were fantastic, sounding pretty much like they do on the studio recordings. We were then promised an evening of hits and deep cuts for tonight’s set and the setlist certainly delivered on this. “Tribal Dance” lived up to its name, getting the crowd singing and moving and one of the promised deep cuts in the form of ‘The Pillar’ from 2000’s Revelation album featured some guest vocal lines from Phil Sandoval, doing his best Dave Mustaine impression as John would later describe it in some expository banter with the crowd later in the evening.

“Last Train Home” was one of the big anthemic moments of the night and it led to some fantastic vocal co-operation between John and Joey’s main vocal work and the crowd, all three parts seeming to switch round effortlessly to create a real vibrant and dynamic experience. “March of the Saint” was a powerhouse of a track. The call and response moments with the vocal delivery were spot on and the slick riffs and shred guitar work was delivered flawlessly. We got some animated stage poses and moves from Phil and Joey during ‘Over The Edge’ and the rhythm section really shone with this track, highlighting the raw power behind Gonzo’s drums and the way Joey Vera can mix it up with smooth jazzy influenced runs which shift into no nonsense metal grooves without anything sounding out of place.

The tolling of a bell signalled ‘Left Hook from Right Field’ off of 2006’s “La Raza” and things really kicked off. Heads banging along to the mighty tom and snare hits, voices shouting and fists clenched and held aloft, it was a real powerful moment musically and the extended mid-section before the solo allowed for John to freestyle some vocals in, showing why he is one of the best vocalists around, easily switching from gritty and powerful to smooth and soulful with little effort required. Some talking with the crowd led up to Bush introducing ‘Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants’, citing how this tour was the debut of the last studio material they released 4 years ago (thank you pandemic -!-) and it was delivered perfectly. The slow and atmospheric building intro into the tight grooves and massive choruses were phenomenal and the sing-alongs from the crowd was just amazing to hear and to be a part of.

‘Aftermath’ saw John leave the stage and appear on top of the sound desk, holding one of the support poles and belting out this emotional number before he made his way back through the crowd to the stage for 2015’s ‘Win Hands Down’ which gave us some phenomenal dual guitar lead moments, showcasing the extraordinary talents of Sandoval and Duncan’s linking up before Phil took centre stage to deliver a ripping guitar solo before shifting into ‘Can U Deliver?’ with its infectious rhythmic hook which commanded head-banging. Once again, the track was delivered flawlessly and effortlessly and John Bush’s high vocals towards the end of the track were spot on, as was the performance of their legendary ‘Reign Of Fire’, even with the heat sapping the energy levels somewhat this late into the evening.

As the final two tracks approached, we got some more talking time with John. He cited that they weren’t doing the ‘leaving the stage crap’ as he pointed to where they’d have to run to and from and said there was no point in doing that! He then talked about the early days of Saint and how he wished he could have gotten over to the UK sooner, but the record label was only ever interested in the band touring America, even lamenting the fact that Ratt of all bands managed to tour the UK before them. Joking about bitterness, he said the band were over it before he talked about how much they loved touring and playing and this segued into ‘Nervous Man’ from the Delirious Nomad album, which was again, delivered sublimely and this then set everything up for the final track of the night; ‘Madhouse’ (not to be confused with the Anthrax track of the same name of course!) which went down fantastically with the crowd in attendance.

With the set ending and the lights coming on, it was time to wrap the night up, but instead of being allowed to leave the stage, those on the front were holding out pens and memorabilia for the band to sign with John joking that they’d turned this into a ‘Meet n Greet’ before he started to sing along to Thin Lizzy’s ‘Dancing In The Moonlight’ which was playing over the PA as the venue emptied out and most of the crowd, myself included were headed up the ramp to Deansgate station in order to catch the last train home.

It was a fantastic night – solid music, extremely well delivered performances and an intimate venue which augmented the performance significantly. Armored Saint were pretty much perfect, delivering everything with a well-honed edge and laying down some awesome heavy metal numbers whilst Tailgunner were a well-oiled machine brimming with raw energy and ready to reach for the skies with their performance. I can safely say that I will be keeping an ear out for Tailgunner from now on, they can consider me a fan based off the strength of their live show! As for Armored Saint… I don’t think I need to say anything other than they are phenomenal both in the studio and on the stage, a band who are criminally underrated but as long as they can keep performing and making music, I don’t think they care about that!

 (Fraggle)