Get Ready to ROCK!–Gig review: HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES

I was walking my dog in the park the other day, and a fellow dog walker come music enthusiast came into my space. I’m going to see The Hollywood Vampires tomorrow says I. Ooooh! Says he have you seen the review in a certain broadsheet, it slates it. Well says I, I’m not in the habit of reading fascist broadsheets so no I haven’t. After the gig, waiting for my last train to Clarksville, I thought I would have a gander at said reviews. There were two, from the London O2 and Glasgow SSE. They both said the same thing. You would think they were trying to topple a socialist government, rather than commenting on some harmless entertainment. Their lazy hack mentality hones in on Johnny Depp not being a bona fide rock n roller, Alice Cooper being over the hill and Joe Perry being the only rock star in the line up. But who gives a toss what they think, because let me tell you, there were 23,000 people in Manchester who loved the show, 20,000 in London and another 14,000 in Glasgow/Belfast, and I’m sure thousands more will love this show before it grinds to a halt. The squares just don’t get it.

It’s basically a bunch of mates getting together for an extravagant jolly. They really were enjoying themselves, playing songs of fallen buddies, no pressure, just fun fun fun till daddy took their buddies away. What a great way to celebrate your lost comrades, playing their music with arrangements of your own, with a couple of your own classics thrown in for good measure, like I’m Eighteen and Schools Out from Alice Cooper and Walk This Way, Bright Light Fright and Living On The Edge from Joe Perry (Aerosmith). Joe also took over vocals for a rendition of Johnny Thunders, You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory, playing a Vox teardrop guitar like Brian Jones used to play. There was a lot of guitar changing going on particularly by Joe. His guitar tech was kept on his toes that’s for sure. He had another change to play Beck’s Bolero, which was introduced by Alice as the best guitarist in the world – Jeff Beck, one sure fire way to make your guitarist try hard, but he pulled it off well.

Johnny Depp took over vocals for Killing Joke’s Death And Resurrection, and David Bowie’s Heroes Tommy Henrikson did the vocal duties for Highway To Hell, a bloody hard song to sing properly but he managed it, evoking the spirit of Bon Scott and Angus Young, while Joe Perry did the Malcolm Young solo. And here’s the thing, none of those guys are really singers, but it didn’t matter, they were doing it in the spirit of the show. This was rock n roll not the final of X Factor Alice Cooper also played rhythm guitar and harmonica, with a bit of deft maracca work thrown in too. Only a numpty would let any of this spoil the experience. The whole thing was tongue in cheek, as Alice Cooper has always been, but I feel it was also a heart felt tribute to all the dead musicians, who were listed on the screen during People Who Died, a Jim Carrol cover. And man there are a lot of people who are not with us anymore, including Jim Morrison who they played homage to with Roadhouse Blues with Alice blowing on bobo.

There was a bass solo by Chris Wyse at the beginning of Who’s Laughing Now, and a drum solo from Glen Sobel during The Who’s Baba O’Reilly. That’s the second bass solo and the third drum solo I have heard in almost as many weeks. They must be making a comeback, but luckily for the punters they are short and succinct, not the twenty minute bore fests they used to be in the 70’s. The line up was completed by Buck Johnson on keyboards, but he didn’t get to solo.

They kicked off the set with a couple of Vampires originals – I Want My Now and Raise The Dead, and threw a couple more into the proceedings as the show got underway, including the aforementioned Who’s Laughing Now, My Dead Drunk Friends and The Boogieman-Surprise.

The production values were second to none, with excellent graphics constantly on the screens, following the themes of zombie’s and vampires and a saucy little number to accompany The Velvet Undergrounds Venus In Furs. The moving lights were moving for sure and audience blinders in various colours were employed throughout the show. The Proscenium was the top row of a vampires teeth, but unfortunately it didn’t drip blood.

I’m sure Johnny Depp suffers some degree of imposters syndrome, particularly with the press banging this point home, but Alice Cooper hit the nail on the head while introducing him, saying this is the man of a thousand faces, but he likes this one best. And why shouldn’t he be doing what he is doing, actors turn to singing all the time, at least he spent time learning how to play the guitar to a pretty good level, I’m sure Joe Perry and Jeff Beck would not have tolerated him if he couldn’t cut the mustard. He looks good and has the all the moves. Leave him alone, he is now officially a rock star, not a movie star, and he’s enjoying himself.

They finished on an old blues song resurrected by The Yardbirds,The Train Kept A Rolling, and then Jeff Becks Hi Ho Silver Lining, which will get any audience singing along, but this one was primed and ready.

Going back to the beginning, The Jesus And Mary Chain were the support act for this gig, and having not seen them in their riotous beginnings it was quite a treat to watch them here, although they were a lot tighter than they used to be, I guess they would with forty years practice. I really enjoyed the whole set with the constant guitar drone and Jim Reids understated vocal . They did some new stuff, and threw in old favourites like April Skies and Candy Talking, and featured vocalist Simone Marie Butler on three tracks. Their whole set was back lit so you never actually saw them which I thought was a bit odd. Was this their decision to add to their mystique or were they not allowed to use the front lighting, I don’t know but I suspect the former. Jim Reid didn’t speak during the set except to say we are the Jesus And Mary Chain in case you didn’t know, even though The Jesus And Mary Chain was on all three video screens in big white letters. He seemed quite humble or shy at the end when he said I hope you enjoyed it, if you did come and see us sometime. I did and I would for sure.

All in all a great night of rock n roll encompassing all era’s and icons.

Review by Andy Sharrocks

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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 19 July 2026.

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). First broadcast on 21 July 2026

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Power Plays w/c 3 August 2026

STORMBRINGER Dirt And Bone (Attic Records)
SARI SCHORR Mr. In The Middle (Provogue Records)
JAMES KENNEDY & THE UNDERDOGS Shadows (Konic Records)
KATH & THE KICKS Sleep (indie)
VELVETEEN QUEEN Too Far Gone (Silver Lining Music)
SESAME GIRL Prettiest Girl In The World (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 3 August 2026

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)

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