The aptly named Billy Idol exudes charisma by the bucket load. From the second he stepped on the stage in Glasgow, he captivated the audience and endeared himself to the diverse crowd.
The three artists on the bill have all had very different careers yet they still captivate crowds wherever they play. The 70’s may have spawned all three acts, but it would be the 80’s that provided the platform for the spectrum of music that exploded from those halcyon days. Glasgow gave them all a ‘rebel yell’ to remind them where they were!
Toyah is no stranger to the big stage, whether that is to sing, dance, perform or act. She has had a varied career throughout the past four decades and is enjoying the limelight along with her husband, guitar genius Robert Fripp as the pair light up Sunday lunchtimes with their creative YouTube shows. This has led to a resurgence in her live performances, and she demonstrated she still has some considerable vocal prowess as she belted out the pop classics for the 30-minute set. The bubby effervescent singer did her best to infect the audience with her persona. She engaged with one fan who was sporting a 40yr old Toyah T shirt much to her amazement as she burst into “It’s A Mystery”. The set was short but endearing.
In stark contrast to the pop princess, Killing Joke brought their fire breathing dark industrial post punk to level the playing field. Big Paul Ferguson’s powerhouse drumming underpinned the entire performance as Jaz Coleman’s dystopian dialogue demonstrated that life imitates art as the prophetic poet’s lyrics realise the world we live in now. The recognisable hypnotic rhythms of “Unspeakable” opened the set and set the tone as the band relied heavily on their early back catalogue. This was almost just reward for any hard-core fans who had bought tickets when the band was announced to replace Television. The unmistakable guitar work of Geordie set Killing Joke apart from their peers and anyone who hadn’t heard or seen the band before were treated to a classic performance. There were two solitary figures at the barrier for “Wardance”, this demonstrated the nature of large, seated venues where even standing is discouraged, let alone dancing! The band powered through and closed out with their classic “Pandemonium”.
Covid had a prophetic effect on Billy Idol but also inspired him to release some very profound songs based on his personal life. He kicked off the set with a song that started his solo career as he left Generation X behind and realised, he could take on the world on his own merits. The band ripped into “Dancing with Myself”. The hits were all aired, and Idol showed he comes alive on stage. His infectious smile brought out his laughter lines, but he spoke to the crowd with a heartfelt story of how he was unable to attend his own mother’s funeral due to covid restrictions and turn his anger and frustration to inspiration and expressed this through his music. You could feel the waves of empathy in the room from the crowd. Billy moved on and with “Cage”, he showed he can still pen a great tune, but the crowd still reacted best to the old favourites. At times it was like the Steve Stevens show as he literally stole the show with the spotlight on him as he rasped an acoustic guitar Spanish style. The recognisable opening of “Stairway to Heaven” drew huge cheers from the packed audience and they held their arms aloft for “Mony Mony” as Billy moved into full on Rockstar mode. The OVO Hydro is a huge venue to pack and even harder to get the atmosphere going being seated but Idol did just that with the old classic cover. The stories of motorcycle crashes and his serious battle with addiction were peppered throughout the performance. Another new tune from his latest E.P. was well received. Billy exorcised his addiction by writing “Runnin from the Ghost”. One of the early tunes. a story of the first time he came to Glasgow resonated with many of the audience. The local council had banned punk gigs, but Generation X still played, and Billy recounted the tale of how loads of punks came dancing off their buses. Idol mimic’s this as Billy Morrison ripped into “100 Punks”. In stark contrast to the early Gen X song, Idol closed the set with two words, they needed no introduction and the crowd baited the spiked bleached blonde leather clad rocker and they screamed “Rebel Yell”. Idol left the audience wanting “More more more….” as he left the stage. It wasn’t long before the band retuned and showed their 70’s punk roots as they covered another classic tune, “Born to Lose”. Paul Trudeau came out from behind his keyboards to adorn a Gibson Les Paul so there were three guitars in the mix. The Heartbreakers classic went down a storm and ramped up the encore before the obvious “White Wedding” closed out the set.
From “idle” to “IDOL”, those distant school days that gave birth to his name came full circle along time ago but as long as there’s a stage, Billy Idol will continue to rock.
Words and Pictures: Raymond Thomson #punk4RT