REVIEW: Velvet Revolver live at Hammersmith Apollo 22 Jan
What can you say about this band that the statistics don’t say by themselves? No need to say how great they are, no need to remind you that their album’s cool, nor tell you that
"they’ve still got it live”. No need either to wax lyrical about how they’ve captured what made Guns n Roses great, and managed to update it while not making it sound cheap - blah blah blah. No need at all. Their album, after all, soared up the charts, they have been one of the most 'Googled’
bands of recent years and they recently sold out four nights in London. Let’s just take it as read - Duff, Slash and
Matt sound best together. While Slash’s Snakepit and Duff’s
Loaded had the hardcore GnR fans onboard, they never rose to the notoriety of Velvet Revolver - and, such is the popularity of the new band, some have gone so far as to say that VR are already superseding the status of frontman Scott Weiland’s
The Stone Temple Pilots. Whatever - this show was fucking amazing.
Through all the drugs and sex and violence, Slash hasn’t lost a touch of his guitar playing - and Duff is still coolly jogging about the stage to chat to Matt and new guitarist Dave.
It is undeniable that Scott Weiland is as near as anyone got to being like Axl since Axl. The clothes, the vocals (to a degree)
and - despite Scott’s very affected stage presence - the way he moves and interacts with the crowd. VR may think they’re lucky given their immediate success, but take it from me, we are the lucky ones. JG