Review and Photographs by Linda McDermott

Waking the Angels

Support came from Waking the Angels, who I’d not heard much of, but I was looking forward to seeing them live. You could tell from the off that the guys have worked hard to produce some impressive classic rock songs.

I loved their spirit and exuberance, it’s great to see bands really enjoying what they do and interacting with the crowd, and I got the feeling that it wouldn’t have mattered if they were playing to one man and a dog or playing a stadium, you would still have got the same energetic performance from them.

‘Gypsy Queen’ is their latest single, which was released in September, but they have five tracks available on the usual platforms and a debut album coming in December. My favourite songs on the night were ‘Can You See Me Now’ and ‘Waking the Angels’ as they just stood out for me.

Apart from the album’s release, the guys are very excited for next year where they will take to the stage at the Call of the Wild Festival at Lincoln Show Ground at the end of May. Meantime, look out for them adding gigs to their diary.

They are:

Greg Dean – guitar/backing vocals

Mike Deeley – vocals

Greg Ison – drums

Biff – bass/backing vocals

Set List

Moment In Time

Prisoner

Can You See Me Now

Redline

Blue Tattoo

Destination Love Affair

Lost Child

Gypsy Queen

Black Heart

Throwing Stones

Toxic Lullaby

Waking The Angels

The Hot One Two

Now here’s a band worthy of your ear! The Hot One Two are a five-piece, rock band from Cambridge who, they say, ‘have the punchy swagger of 1980s greats but souped-up with punchy modern metal riffs’. So I went to Trillions in Newcastle to find out if it was true.

Well, they took to the stage with a ‘let’s do this’ attitude and let rip with the first number, ‘Playing with Fire’ and that was it, everyone was listening and lapping up the energy emanating from the band. They blasted out one great song after another, some with a bluesy, sleazy feel to them, while others were pure classic rock anthems. I loved the way the whole band engaged with the audience, they were slick and polished with great harmonies, putting on a fantastic show. They moved around the stage with high energy and a multitude of facial expressions and looked like they were having the best night, that’s infectious and what will get you wanting to go and see them again and again.

Kev Baker -rhythm guitar

Simon West – lead vocals

Nick Blackburn- bass/backing vocals.

Nick Manners – lead guitar

Joe Chivers – drums

They have had a very successful Kickstarter campaign to raise money to launch their debut album ‘Suberbia’ which will be on sale on the 10th of November. Check out the singles they’ve released from it, and you’ll get a feel for the high-energy rock music they produce. My favourite tracks were……. well, they all had me foot tapping from start to finish with their set ending with everyone singing along to the chorus of ’Tie Me Down’ but the next time I see them I might just get my air guitar out!

Set List

Playing with Fire

Bleed on Me

God Forsaken Blues

You’ve Got It

Demon Daze

Neon

Move & Shake

Is It Hot

The Fray

Feeling Good

Rolling Stone

Tie Me Down

The guys are touring extensively to get their name out there and if you have any sense you’ll try and catch them at a gig or festival. I can honestly say you won’t be disappointed. The Hot One Two are, as they were billed at Firevolt festival, ‘the ones to watch’.