steel panther live

Steel Panther have made it. I know this because my 75 year old mother says so. She saw them in The Sun, with the headline 'Living on a Parody'. When The Sun uses Bon Jovi song titles to make piss-poor comical headlines up about you, you're in the big league. Even the Daily Mirror had a competition to win tickets to meet them and said "we've never met true rock Gods as mighty as Steel Panther."

Steel Panther were also in the big league during this week playing arenas with the legendary bearded ZZ Top, but thankfully managed to squeeze in a smaller headline gig for Download promoter Andy Copping at Nottingham Rock City, and even throw in an aftershow DJ set for good measure. Opening with the trademark Eyes of a Panther, the band are tight and well rehearsed, as ever almost fooling the crowd that this is a serious matter... until the comedy kicks in as they drag the theatrical and over the top ending out and take it in turns to jump off the drum riser.

As with previous Panther shows this year, there's a fair smattering of spandex clad guys wearing big 80s hair metal wigs along for some fun in the crowd, and plenty of scantily dressed girls. The show is littered with similar rock clichés... the looks, the sounds, the words. It's big hair, spandex, sex and drugs, and catchy sing-along riffs galore in Rock City tonight and the crowd lap it up. For once the Nottingham audience is animated and up for it, a nice change from their usual apathy, and they punch the air and roar along to all the catchy songs on the band's debut album, Feel the Steel, such as Asian Hooker, Fat Girl, Party All Day and Turn Out the Lights. It's no wonder the album has gone to #1 album in Guam and sold twelve copies. Classics, one and all.

None of the crowd can help but admire Michael Starr with his effortless vocal range and clichéd rock star poses. Hell, can this man sing and play the role of rock frontman. Promoter Andy Copping must have floated on air as Starr crooned a little made up ditty for him. Airhead bass player Foxxx was as careful as ever to ensure his hair and lip gloss was perfect all night, touching both up regulary in his hand held mirror, and his hair solo was one of the best of the tour. For those in the crowd watching carefully, an ongoing ridiculous battle between Satchel and Foxxx ensued throughout the night, with each changing the height of each other's microphone when they swapped sides of the stage. The arguments between Starr and Satchel get more intense and lengthier every show with Satchel berating his singer for being a fat version of David Lee Roth. Starr retaliated with "No dude, I like to think of myself as a thin version of Vince Neil!"

Guitarist Satchel wowed the crowd with his lengthy and utterly mesmerising over the top guitar solo (in which he also managed to play the drums simultaneously) as he belted out Metallica, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and the infamous Doe a Deer scales in true rock style to much hilarity. It's easy to forget in between the catchy choruses and stand up comedy that behind the parody lie four supremely talented rock musicians.

The band turn any mishap into an opportunity for humour. Feedback during one song saw them lambasting their onstage sound guy, and Starr's forgetting of his denim jacket saw him demanding his roadie go get it from the dressing room diva style so that he could introduce the final song, its title emblazened on the cut-off denim... Death to All But Metal. Rock City went ballistic to the anthemic hit single and the band went off to a standing ovation, and a throbbing Rock City was left begging for more.

Originally paying their bills by performing rock covers on LA's sunset strip, any Panther convert looks forward eagerly to the encore of the current live shows in anticipation of which two classic 80's covers this audience will be treated to (remember, the band still only have a dozen of their own songs, yet somehow manage to fill a two hour set with only one album). The crowd were shouting for Motley Crue, Journey, Skid Row... but the band chose to regale them with

Guns'n'Roses Mr Brownstone and then Whitesnake's Here I Go Again.

They then entertained the rammed Rock City with fifteen minutes of musical and comedy genius. Mid-song Starr decided to do the song reggae style, and they pulled it off utterly brilliantly, showing the bands versatility and musical talent yet again. He then started a comedy routine explaining how every band has ripped off Here I Go Again with the band playing comedy versions from the likes of Weezer, showing how the riff's the same and morphing the song always back into Here I Go Again. The piece de la resistance was demonstrating that even Led Zeppelin had stolen the riff from it. The band cleverly make sure every gig is different enough so that the jokes and songs don't get stale for those that have seen them before.

Steel Panther have brought heavy metal 80's style back with a vengeance. Not only is it musical nectar to my ears, they also give everyone a bloody good laugh as always. 110% pure professional entertainment. Absolutely not for the easily offended overly politically correct prudes in society. Which is why I love them so very stupidly much. Gig of the year!

by Lynn Wyeth