It was a rainy night. The night the vibe went down. Cue twin Gibson attack, mirrored shades and reflective scratch plate, as Sheffield’s Thin Lizzy Experience kick off this year’s ‘Remembering’ – at The Button Factory – in muscular fashion. ‘Are You Ready?’ comes with added British steel, whilst ‘Waiting For An Alibi’ is tighter than a pair of Philip’s leather trousers.
The Low Riders effortlessly capture the swing and sweet melody of ‘classic’ Lizzy. Sublime guitar tone and telepathic synchronicity funk up ‘Angel From The Coast’ and induce dervish trances on ‘Opium Trail’. A slowed-down version of ‘Romeo And The Lonely Girl’ is given a jazzy nip and tuck, exposing its Van Morrison- inflected R&B DNA.
By contrast, Republic Of Loose find serenity in the shambolic. At times awkward and unsure, at others earnest and adventurous, their set is akin to watching a tightrope walker with a sprained ankle: heart-stopping and riveting. ‘Running Back’ is given an anarchic refit. The break down in ‘Emerald’ breaks down, with apologies from Mick Pyro, before redemption in the form of an anti-rock-free-form-solo-jam-off brings it back from the glen.
Dosh Nagle pulls some welcome rarities from the Grand Slam-era vault. Solid driving bass and stentorian vocals provide a platform for the lonely midnight blues and Steely Dan-styled jazz guitar wander on ‘Try A Little Harder’. The powerhouse three piece batter-rams ‘Military Man’, before turning it into a frenzied-fret-freeway of smoking hookahs. In a night of guitar gods this is deification.
The evening finishes with the return of Thin Lizzy Experience for an energetic and high octane closing set. A fitting end to a night of heartfelt homage to a musical icon.