The world that we live in is built on opinions. Without them, this place we call home would be pretty boring. And I'm no different to anyone else. I have lots of opinions on lots of different things. For example, in my opinion the toy in a Kinder Surprise used to be far superior to what it is now. When I was a boy you would get a catapult, a pull-back race car or a bouncy ball as your treat. Now, I bought one the other day for nostalgic value and I got a bird sitting on a perch - I rest my case. I also have an opinion on the current state of live music. And that opinion is that there is a serious lack of diversity. It's frustrating. You don't get rock & roll bands like you used to. You get bands that have been put in a blender with a touch of pop and a smidgin of electro. And the result is a mismatch of genres which produces music that sounds like anything you would hear on any radio station anytime of day. However, opinions can change. And Twisted Wheel are here to prove just that point.Tuesday saw the punk rock trio descend on The Lexington in London for the first of their tour dates in the capital. And they came complete with a selection of guitars, basses and a set of drums. There was no synthesizer, vocoder and or drum machine in sight. Twisted Wheel are a breathe of fresh air. There are no frills or spills with these boys. They just play good rock & roll music - and they play it pretty damn well.
Now, if you've had half an ear to the ground for the past year then you'll know that The Wheel have been championed by some pretty big acts. They toured with Oasis during the Manchester bands last stadium tour. They've been in Japan supporting JET; and they've even shared the stage with the Modfather himself, Mr Paul Weller. However to get out on the open road and do it all on their own is a totally different beast. But, it seems to be working.
In Jonny Brown, Adam Clarke and Rick Lees you have three musicians that are not only talented, but know how to play together. Being on tour enables a band to gel at a much faster rate than what they would normally. With this in mind, it's extremely obvious to see that The Wheel have been touring relentlessly. They compliment each other musically on stage. Adam supplies the beats which sets the tempo. Rick on the bass provides the framework to the groove which keeps everything moving. And with these two elements in place, Jonny is allowed full range to wonder over the top with his guitar providing anything from harsh riffs to subtle stabs. All combined with a tirade of the guitarists unique northern style vocals.Tuesday saw the band hit the stage of The Lexington running. They whipped the crowd into a drunken frenzy intertwining tracks from their debut album including She's A Weapon and Bouncing Bomb, with unreleased music such as UK Blues and Postman. With each record rolling straight into the next, they give no opportunity to let the crowd breathe. And believe me, that's exactly the way The Wheel faithful like it.
The biggest response was saved for their final two records. We Are Us and Oh What Have You Done twisted the crowd into absolute anarchy. Stage diving, crowd surfing and general mayhem followed as The Wheel smashed their way through to the evenings climax.As a band the Oldham lads are certainly making all the right noises. If they were about 20 years ago I would have no issue in saying that they'll go on to achieve great things. However, due to the current music buying public being brainwashed with humdrum conveyor belt music resulting in them buying the same regurgitated rubbish, it's difficult to tell how far they'll go. But as they are midway through their first sell out UK tour they are obviously doing something right. And there is absolutely no question where my opinion lies here; Twisted Wheel definitely get my vote.
Twisted Wheel played:
She's A Weapon
Lucy The Castle
Postman
Bang of the Beat
Turnaround
Let Them Have It All
What's Your Name
Bouncing Bomb
Bad Candy
One Night On The Street
UK Blues
Strife
You Stole The Sun
We Are Us
Oh What Have You Done
Photography by Chris Daffin
