by Guest – Gill H
Well it was a cold and windy Saturday evening when I and three of the lovely, and incredibly dedicated, ladies from the Stone Gods fan site walked up the steps and into the Regent Theatre, Ipswich. While two of the gang had already been treated to the joys of the unleashed brilliance of the Stone Gods, two of us were in that delicious state of anticipation that is felt in those moments between seeing the gift-wrapped box and opening it. Would the present be what we wanted? While the others showed no doubts, my confidence varied between the arrogant “They are going to rock this place into next week” and a whimpering “But what if I don’t like it?”
As a kick in the goolies to the doubts, I bought the Stone Gods t-shirt. None of us would allow the lads to fail due to lack of visible support!
Anyway minutes were ticking down and the real decision time was coming near. Would my t-shirt go into the ‘too good to wear on ordinary occasions’ or the ‘OK to clean the van with’ pile? Excitement was really getting a bit unbearable.
Noise! We shoot across to the doors at the back of the arena. A sound check. Not much to get excited about, but it means they are really there and all the hopes and dreams of the last year are about to be put to the test. It was trip to the loo time – there was no way I was missing a note of this set!
The doors open and we find our seats, three quarters of the way back, but with a great view. But the place? Oooh, crickey! An old cinema, it is an all seated venue with a “sit back and come and entertain me” feel. Not what you would call a great atmosphere for a new heavy rock sensation. Had the cards been stacked against the lads before they started?
Shouts went up as they bounced on stage – there were a lot more than four Stone Gods fans then – and as they let rip with “Burn the Witch” the numbers were increasing every second. The sound just filled the auditorium like a storm that ripped any final doubts to pieces. Why had I wasted time worrying?!!!
Richie immediately dominated the stage. This is a man who was born to front a top-line rock band. Toby settled into the classic bassist role – driving the music along while seeming to be doing nothing. Ed laid down a solid foundation for the edifice of sound. And Dan? Well as soon as the head started to bounce backwards and forwards and the hair fly over the face it was obvious that he was back where he wanted to be – making great music with a great band.
The set flew by. Richie interacted with the audience, leapt in the air, asked for hands and got more and more people involved. Hands clapped, the noise got louder and the appreciation increased in leaps and bounds. I tried to get to grips with unfamiliar tunes but failed, always left wanting to hear them again. I could have happily sat through the whole thing again from start to finish. No! That’s wrong! There is no way I could have SAT though a minute of it! It would only be possible for someone with no love of great music and ears of stone!
Anyway, the end came too soon. There had been problems. Guitars had been changed perhaps more often than was usual and guitar techs had appeared on stage at unexpected times, but the problems did not spoil an excellent evening of superb music.
Stone Gods are on the road now and I urge you to do just one thing – give your ears a treat, your music soul a kick up the arse and GO AND SEE THEM.