O2 Ritz, Manchester – 17/09/2024
The Dead Daisies are a band I’ve seen a number of times over the past few years, but this was the first time seeing them since the reintroduction of singer John Corabi. His first tenure with the band ran from 2015 to 2019 and now he’s back in the ranks of David Lowy’s all star line up. With a new album in tow, this was a show not to miss.
Support comes from The Bites who have been making waves this summer at various festivals and The Treatment. Both bands delivered an electrifying warm up set and the crowd were already bouncing by the time The Dead Daisies entered the stage.
Onto the main event, the lights dimmed and the band enter the stage to an almighty ‘Light Em Up’ – these musicians are at the top of their game; they are the best and they’ve played with some of the greats too!
Rock star poses galore are exhibited by the band and they have the skills to back it up. Doug Aldrich is a modern day guitar hero and David Lowy alongside Tommy Clueftos and Michael Devin make up a thunderous rhythm section – Lowy has been affectionately nicknamed ’The Thunder from Down Under’ and you can really hear why as he chugs those power chords on his SG.
Song selection was good, three tracks from the latest album and then a good scattering from previous works. The two albums I was most familiar with, Radiance and Holy Ground weren’t too prominent in the setlist, which I thought was a shame, but John Corabi is a completely different singer to Glenn Hughes after all, with a completely different range.
It was such a fun show and everyone onstage was having a ball! It’s such a treat seeing musicians of this calibre in this size of venue. Songs like Mexico, Long Way to Go and I’m Gonna Ride allowed the band to thunder through the setlist and there were also a few good cover songs too; Fortunate Son and show closer Helter Skelter being particular favourites.
I absolutely loved it. The Dead Daisies as a collective put on such a great show and this was one of the best. If you haven’t seen these guys; put it on your list, you absolutely have to see The Daisies live!
