Opening proceedings tonight were young Irish rockers GLYDER. Heavily influenced by THIN LIZZY, GLYDER play a melodic yet powerful brand of classic rock, ideal as an appetizer for tonight's headline act. With two excellent albums under their belt, GLYDER's 30 minute set was always going to impress the Y&T fans, and they quickly had people interested within seconds of infectious opening number 'Gamblers Blues'.

Superb tracks like 'Stargazer' and 'Colour of Money' followed, delivered with great precision and no shortage of on stage swagger. This band certainly have the look as well as the material. 'PUP' is an excellent dig at the ludicrous behaviour of people on reality TV, and on a more serious note, hard-hitting set closer 'Die or Dance' is one of the best war themed songs I've heard for a while. This was a really impressive set by one of the best up and coming rock bands around at the moment, and by the end of this tour, they'll have certainly won over a few hundred more rockers.

In my humble opinion, Y&T are the most underrated rock band on planet earth. They have produced masses of great songs, and boast in their ranks possibly the finest lead vocalist and lead guitar all-rounder in the business. Dave Meniketti is an absolute genius. Live, his vocals sound almost exactly as they do on record – and as for his lead guitar wizardry – the only word you need is wow!

Y&T are known to give great value for money and after 2 hours and 20 minutes tonight, with the curfew well passed, the PA was turned off on the band halfway through what surely must have been the last song (although you never know with Y&T) 'I Believe In You'. This was an unfortunately abrupt ending to the night, but for those with work in the morning, it was getting rather late!

Y&T are best known for their rousing rockers. The headbanger 'Hurricane' worked great as a set opener, and 'Mean Streak' ensured that no momentum was lost mid-set. A real highlight of the evening was a rare performance of the frenetic 'Squeeze' where bass player Phil Kennemore screamed lead vocals, leaving Meniketti free to concentrate on one of his most over-the-top guitar performances on record. Y&T also like to throw in a good dose of the blues, with 'Dirty Girl' defining the word groovy, and the instrumental 'I'll Cry For You' featuring Menikietti's emotion oozing blues solo, complete with orgasmic facial expressions.

Meniketti also has a great knack for writing power ballads, and his two best examples 'Rescue Me' and 'Forever' sounded as awesome as ever tonight. It was also great to hear the lesser known 'I'll Keep on Believin' - a superb break-up song to rival that of WHITE LION's 'Broken Heart'. Y&T have been touring the UK regularly over the past 4 years, but they always keep things fresh by mixing up the setlist. For example, tonight was the first time I had heard 'Looks Like Trouble' (from the 'Down for the Count' album) played live – and it didn't half sound good.

The band have recently re-released their two hard to find mid-90's albums, 'Musically Incorrect' and 'Endangered Species' and a couple of songs were played from these albums in an attempt to entice the crowd towards the merchandise stand. The Hendrix style 'Fly Away' worked well, but the interesting 'Pretty Prison' showed a more progressive side of the band.

This was yet another fantastic Y&T performance. For those who have been lucky enough to discover the majesty of this band, live shows in such intimate venues are simply awesome experiences. As much as I wish all the success in the world to Y&T, I love the fact that I am able to see a band of such quality up close and personal. If you're into your classic rock, and you haven't yet heard of Y&T – you really need to get hold of some of their classic albums, probably starting with 'Earthshaker'. You will never turn back. Long live Y&T!

Y&T Setlist: Hurricane / Lipstick and Leather / Lucy / Dirty Girl / Don't Wanna Lose / Black Tiger / I'll Keep On Believin' / Mean Streak / Fly Away / Midnight In Tokyo / Loneley Side of Town / Winds of Change / Summertime Girls / Pretty Prison / Rescue Me / I'll Cry For You / Looks Like Trouble / Squeeze / Forever / Open Fire / I Believe In You

GLYDER Setlist: Gambler's Blues / Sweets / Weather The Storm / Colour of Money / Stargazer / PUP / Die or Dance

Y&T Rating: 4.9/5.0

GLYDER Rating: 4.5/5.0

Review by James Allman

Photography by Alexander Shaw

GLYDER

Y&T