Celebrating 25 years on the road, Buckcherry stopped off in Manchester to party like it was 1999 all over again.
Dear Superstar opened the bill and didn’t introduce themselves quietly. The local lads were eager to spark Manchester into life and noise levels were already peaking dangerously. Like a livid football manager wanting more, Micky Saltiar on vocals was an animated figure onstage where he orchestrated the cheers and never let the audience get bored. Backed by the thunderous power chords of guitarists Adam Smethurst and Stew Milton along with the chest-thumping beats of Benj Ashmead’s drum kit, they revived memories of Scuzz TV where teenagers would make a racket by singing their hearts out to chart-topping anthems much to the next door neighbour’s frustration.
Rubikon were up next and determined to blow away any rivals, they raised the volume even more to say that playtime was over and now that the kids had gone to bed, the big guns could barge in and show how a real rock show is done. In contrast to Dear Superstar, they took a heavier and groovy approach, leaning more towards southern rock with slower tempos. Jae Sims had a commanding presence, fearlessly showing off his versatility on vocals with smooth transitions from rough cleans to screams helped on by ferocious guitars and drums, adding extra authority to the sound.
The Treatment were the last of the support acts and just when you thought the academy couldn’t withstand any louder bands, these guys stepped in. With Manowar’s 139 decibel record under threat, one might worry if the marshals would have to stop the show before the ceiling collapsed. However, it stood strong and with a blistering set worthy of a headliner slot, The Treatment rolled back the years to the prime days of sleaze and aor/glam rock, the subgenre made for the cool kids to get naughty. Tom Rampton’s piercing vocals reminiscent of the time filled the room nicely while some contagious drumming and classy riffs ensured that everyone would move along.
You might be thinking that Buckcherry would’ve packed their bags and left after such a performance from the previous band but with a bouncing Manchester impatiently waiting to end the night with a bang, they stepped up to the plate.
You can try and move the spotlight away from Josh but he’ll always outrun it, energetically jumping and bouncing around from start to finish as if he had a pogo stick implanted in his legs. Entering the stage full of swagger, it wasn’t long before the jacket came off and his unmistakable tattooed shirtless figure shone. If there’s something that he can always do best is hypnotise an audience with his charismatic presence covering every acre of the venue while letting his signature husky voice take over.
Some material from their new record Vol. 10 was played but with it being such a special tour, the setlist was dominated by their top hits. Songs like ‘Sorry’ and ‘Lit Up’ set off shockwaves of ecstasy among the most hardcore fans reliving their earliest Buckcherry memories. Stevie Dacany and Billy Rowe’s crunchy guitar riffs and backing vocals added a much-needed oomph, enhancing the domino effect of people irresistibly singing along to old-school bangers with the occasional cheeky solo to widen their satisfied smiles. Meanwhile, Francis Ruiz did an excellent job of keeping the groove going as his precise, powerful kick and snare hits sounded smooth as silk to round off a solid showing by the Californian veterans.
Buckcherry haven’t shown any signs of slowing down in their decorated career and with a warm reception they got from the Club Academy, they proved that there’s plenty of fuel left in the tank.
