The Dead Daisies / The Answer / Jackaman - O2 Academy 2 Birmingham, 19/11/16

Photo credit: Shari Black Velvet
Words: Alaina Henderson

Birmingham is being treated to a rock feast in the shape of The Dead Daisies, The Answer and Lynne Jackaman tonight.

The eager crowd has gathered early at the O2 Academy 2 to witness first up, described as the best female vocal since Janis Joplin, Lynne Jackaman’s acoustic set. Dressed in a flower child shift dress with attitude to match, she’s capturing the audiences’ hearts and minds, showcasing a mellifluous voice of an angel and, endearingly, the mouth of a sailor. Singing stories of lost love, or “ex assholes” as she states, while jokingly telling the “lazy flaggers at the back” to raise their hands and sing along.  

Next up is Irish outfit The Answer, bringing lots from their latest album Solas. Although somewhat underrated as they have been doing the rounds, (and successfully at that) for over 10 years, tonight’s audience are avid fans singing word for word and watching with intent. Starting with the title track, the foursome has a way of demanding attention; lead singer Cormac’s non-stop energy is a whirlwind of whiskey coloured curls and swinging limbs.

With typical Celtic charm, they relay tales of lunchtime pubbing, strumming the mandolin just like back home, before launching into In This Land; a stout taste of their home country of which they’re so proud.

The new album is a touch darker than previous releases, meaning the performance is missing the high octane, fast-paced vigour they usually display, so this show seems a tad restrained. This doesn’t stop fans’ beaming smiles throughout, while the older numbers are there to keep the majority content such as New Horizon, Spectacular and New Horizon with a Lynne Jackaman guest spot.

Thoroughly warmed through, the crowd are now treated to The Dead Daisies. It’s obvious this lot know their stuff, coming from Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake and Motley Crue. That’s the beauty of a super-group and you can smell the rock ‘n’ roll as soon as they hit the stage. The place is filled with energy as they churn out tune after swag-filled tune. Nothing in their catalogue is old enough for a classic, but each sounds stadium anthem worthy. Urging the crowd to Make Some Noise and never disappointing with presence and charisma, the people are happy to oblige. Especially to Long Way To Go, Lock ‘n’ Load and Something I Said.

Throwing in a few covers, including Credence’s Fortunate Son, the room looks like a Mexican wave of joy. If this crowd came for a night of pure, raw rock music, they got what they wanted.