You have to be incredibly lucky in this business to hear an artist for the first time and KNOW beyond any shadow of a doubt that they are going to be a huge commercial success, your ears zone out of everything around you, the hairs on the back of your neck suddenly stand to attention and your belly burns..... thats when you know you are hearing something incredibly special to music and its why you are in the business - Im lucky that in my career it has happened to me twice..first in the late 70s and then two years ago. When I first heard Walkway they were supporting the fantastic Bonafide... they were young, raw, energetic and they had it in spades. Two years down the line and they are everything I expected and a little bit more. From the start of the set tonight at The Seven Wives to the final double encore - they held the audience. Ive managed to lose the set list sometime in the last 3 hours (sorry Chris and Alex) so from memory opening with Take Me To The Top from the new album Streetwise. TMTTT is not a glorification of ambition to make it big but a soulful love song........ BUT it might as well be a bid for stardom......... the title says it all and thats exactly where this band are heading...through Black Night, Love in An Elevator Walkway surpassed even my expectations.... I expect them to be good, Id be disappointed if they were average but this time this was Walkway with balls.... everything was beefed up.... new covers were thrown into the mix so the set isnt getting stale, new tracks from Streetwise were added but tracks such as Overrated and One Touch Too Much from Top Shelve Content still got an airing....and as for the band themselves - if Chris Ready was any cooler the audience would have hypothermia (He was born to sing Sharp Dressed Man) but instead of freezing everyone out he raises the temperature.... hes out Jaggering Jagger in the strutting, the hand actions and the self possession on stage are reminiscent of Steve Tyler and Jon Bon Jovi with Eddie Van Halen at his best thrown in for good measure - but is Chris a young Jagger, EVH or JBJ?? - no he is not - he is Chris Ready from Walkway and isnt imitating anyone, just taking the best from the past and using it to his own advantage.... his superb vocals alongside his stage presence gives him that perfect Rock God image to project. And Chris the arms are perfect now! There is no doubt where his influences come from, they are clear to see from every flick of his hair to every wrist twist and finger point...... he knows what hes doing is perfect and wants the audience to enjoy it with him. James Ready plays his guitar as tho it is an extra limb.... It is as much part of him as his left arm or his right foot.....talking of which great socks again.... and the Walkway Walkabout is wonderful - Ill be interested to see how he pulls that off at the O2 Arena!! The rendition of Parisian Walkway was stunningly sublime and reduced one member of the audience to tears - especially the long note held at, I think it was, 25 seconds but you might know different....... just pure undiluted class. James doesnt play the guitar - he IS the guitar but better still the guitar is him....... They are one completely in tune instrument who would give any globally recognised guitarist past or present a decent run for their money. Then there is Alex Rosedale wonderful bass playing Alex who prowls the stage all flailing hair and attitude......I dont do bass players - they are normally just plain weird - but Alex absolutely fills the stage with his desire to get the Walkway message out through his instrument .... A bass player normally disappears in a line up but not Alex - he is there full frontal every step of every song wielding his bass like a demented axe man on the rampage (thats a compliment as I told you Alex!) ..... And so to Joe Evans - drummer extraordinaire.... The first Walkway gig I saw was Joes first and apparently he practiced in the car driving to that gig - well the practice has paid off. Hes such an integral part of the band..... I cant wait to see him on a raised platform so the rest of the crowd see what I see from the front and sides.... the 4mins solo (I checked the time on my recording) was incredible but more important than solo and exhibition drumming Joe keeps the band tight.... from start to finish its his drumming that keeps it all in check and pumps through every song and makes the whole thing work. For anyone that hasnt seen the band - whats wrong with you - are you deaf or dead, for those of you who have you know what I am talking about. Its been said that these guys are the least un rock n roll Rock n Roll band and of stage thats true but put them on a stage, give them a few mikes and a couple of amps and they will tear the place apart. Oh and the harmonies - especially during Go Your Own Way and Paradise City were faultless. I loved loved loved their version of Cant Stop This Thing We Started. They are still without doubt the single best unsigned band in the country, their diary for next year bears testament to this with barely a date free, a tour of Europe in planning and support gigs for some major acts........... And no one should forget Michael Ready - he is the one driving this thing forward... making the right decision, the right choices at the right time. He is building this band into a world class act that is good enough to compete with anyone touring today - Ive said it before they make covers their own and their originals will become classics.... Cant wait for next years tour of Europe - just keep on doing what youre doing cos you are doing it just great........... Im so proud to be part of the Walkway experience. Oh and thanks for Freebird!!!! xx
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 01:09:37 +0000
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