Words & Photographs by: Erik De’Viking / Erik De’Viking Rock Photography
Billed as a triple-headliner featuring King Creature, DeeVer, and Daxx & Roxane, this was bound to be an electrifying night of rock. That couldn’t have been more right as I made my way into London’s 229 the Venue for a great night of live music. No stranger to the incredible Daxx & Roxane, this would mark the first time I would see King Creature and DeeVer in action. They certainly did not disappoint.
First up where Cornwall’s King Creature. The hard-rocking quartet were by far the heaviest act of the night, the band kicked up a rapid-fire set which included clear audience favourites, ‘Wrath’, ‘Dead Inside’, ‘Lowlife’, ‘King For a Day’, and ‘Fortune Teller’ before the set came to a raucous close with ‘Power’. Made up of Dave Kellaway on bass and vocals, Jack Sutton-Bassett on drums, Dave Evans and Matt K Vincent on guitar, the band creates an explosive musical combination, which produces a very big sound that will have your fists pumping, your head banging, and feet stomping along with wild abandon.
Next on the bill are Newcastle’s own DeeVer. Featuring ex-Inglorious guitarist Billy Taylor on guitar and vocals, as well as Stevie Stoker on guitar, Phil Appleton on bass, and Dan ‘Higgy’ Higgins on the drums, this band have really got it going on. Supporting their debut album You Need This, their set featured a number of songs off the album including ‘Alright’, ‘Fire At Will’, ‘Waves’, and ‘Only Enemy’. One of the surprises of the set was their absolutely blistering cover of ‘Rebel Yell’. The irony wasn’t lost on me that we had a Billy and a Steve on stage filling the roles of Billy Idol and Steve Stevens. As the song expanded the crowd were whipped up into a serious frenzy, and it was clear that DeeVer have what it takes to go the distance.
The final act of the night were Swiss ex-pats Daxx & Roxane. This ensemble cast of energetic and loveable miscreants blew onto the stage with their typical wild abandon and rocked the already stoked up room. Playing a number of songs off their first album, Ticket to Rock, the band also treated us to a few songs off their upcoming second album. There was no denying that the crowd loved new tracks ‘Loneliness’, ‘Sugar Rush’, and ‘Interstellar’, but the song that got the biggest response of the night is their amazing cover of the Stevie Wonder classic ‘Superstition’.
All three of these bands give me hope for the future of rock not just in the UK, but world-wide, as they all have a sound with international appeal. While they may be at the forefront of the British NWOCR scene, I suspect it’s only a matter of time before they leave these shores and achieve global success. If you’ve not seen any of these bands perform live, or don’t know their music, seek them out. You will not be disappointed!
Written by: Erik De’Viking
My Global Mind – UK Editor
Erik De’Viking is a London based freelance music journalist. His musical interests include music in all its forms, and he is constantly on the lookout for new bands and genres to discover and later preach about to the masses.
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