It has been a good couple of years since Slash, featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, released the ‘4’ album. However these days he again has to fit solo work around Guns’ n’ Roses duties which have included stadium shows in 2022 and Glasto and Hyde Park last year, not to mention Myles’ Alter Bridge commitments. So it was only now that they toured the album, the London date at the Wembley Arena cattle shed completing for me a couple of days seeing the very very best contemporary guitarists, on the heels of Joe Bonamassa at the Royal Albert Hall.

There was also a bonus of a first chance for me to catch Mammoth WVH, having missed both their supports with Alter Bridge and the Def Motley stadium tour. Wolfgang Van Halen looks at home on the big stage, had a modest charm to him and was well backed by four musicians including rhythm guitarist Frank Sidoris who was doing double duty with Slash.

Wisely he avoids sounding anything remotely like Van Halen, though his excellent guitar work did include the odd arpeggio that would have made his old man proud, and he is a more than decent vocalist. The music is difficult to pigeonhole but is modern heavy rock with a melodic sheen. Alter Bridge and Shinedown would be comparisons at a pinch though truthfully Mammoth don’t sound awfully close to them either.

Highlights included opener ‘Another Celebration at the End of the World’ and ‘I’m Alright’, one of the more commercial songs though the song title is seemingly not to be found in the lyric. ‘Like a Pastime’ had a much more metallic feel and closer ‘Don’t Back Down’ was lively with a hint of Black Stone Cherry. The one downside of a set that nicely warmed us all up for Slash was that a half hour set was almost insulting for a band with two albums under their belt already. Fortunately since then a headline show at Islington Academy has been announced.

As for the headliners, for an arena show, every expense had been spared with the band playing to a plain backdrop of the album cover and no stage show to speak of. On the other hand there are few more recognisable and instantly charismatic sights in rock (indeed dare I use the overused word iconic?) than Slash in his top hat and shades, radiating an insouciant rock and roll cool and effortlessly playing his Gibson Les Paul, tilted at an angle.

So the music would have to speak for itself and a pair of openers in ‘River is Rising’ and ‘Driving Rain’ epitomised the Slash solo sound with the incomparable Myles Kennedy singing- very decent mainstream hard rock, if less maverick and edgy than Guns’n’Roses. They were followed by ‘Halo’ with its bouncy chorus, and ‘Back to Cali’ was well received as it interspersed new material, including ‘C’est La Vie’ which for once saw Slash trade his Les Paul for a flying V for a more metallic sound.

‘Actions Speak Louder Than Words’ was a grower with a fun commerciality but for all his vocal qualities Myles is not a naturally charismatic frontman and on this stage it showed. Indeed it was noticeable it took bassist Todd Kerns to rouse the crowd’s energy levels when he took over vocal duties, even if it was a cover of Lenny Kravitz’s ‘Always On the Run’. ‘Bent to Fly’  was a semi ballad and ‘Spirit Love’ had some interesting sitar- like guitar sounds but too much of the material, while decent and with the expected impressive guitar work, was a bit samey and ‘meat and potatoes’.

Indeed I think Slash is at a bit of a crossroads. Since returning to G’n’R these solo shows mainly feature his own material, but the crowd even where I was in the standing area seemed very static. It was noticeable they really came to life during the sole Gunners number and it wasn’t even one of their hits in ‘Don’t Damn Me’, once again sung by Todd including that great lyric ‘vicarious existence is a f**ing waste of time’.

‘Starlight’ was one of the highlights with Myles’ voice at its aching best and Slash playing with welcome delicacy, while ‘Wicked Stone’ was a  weaker song but a showcase for his one lengthy guitar solo, though it seemed to be the same riff just played ever faster. ‘April Fool’ was lively but a low was ‘Feel My World’, Myles introducing with a very un rock’n’ roll dedication to pets and his voice had an almost Steve Perry- esque smoothness.

The gig did belatedly warm up with some of the Slash solo songs that have had staying power with Todd again rousing the rabble during ‘Dr Alibi’, ‘You’re a Lie’, and ‘World On Fire’ complete with lengthy band intros and audience participation.

For the encore there was a real curveball as a pedal steel was wheeled out for Slash, the unlikeliest combination of man and guitar imaginable, added to Brent Fitz moving to piano from the drums. Even more surprisingly they played a reimagined cover of ‘Rocket Man’ which I absolutely loved, with Slash’s playing wonderfully mournful. A more conventional encore ended a set of well over 2 hours with Slash’s arpeggios progressing through ‘Anastasia’ and Myles again excelling on a minor epic.

It was a mixed night with a set hard to fault on musical grounds, yet a special ‘X factor’ was missing. Whether because people had been spoiled in years gone by with a G n R heavy set, or the band’s act is ill suited to the specific demands of an arena format, the atmosphere was oddly subdued.

Review and Photos by Andy Nathan

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Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

Next session: Sunday 19 January

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 1 December 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 3 December 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)

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