Photos by Vitor Lage
Last Wednesday, the day before the national holiday, we had a memorable night for any fan of good old hard rock, a double act from the UK with Grand Slam and FM making history and those who were there certainly felt it straight away.
GRAND SLAM
Originally formed in 1984 by Phil Lynott (lead vocals and bass), after the break-up of Thin Lizzy. O Grand Slam was active for a year until the untimely death of the iconic Lynott who died in 1986, but the band was revived in 2016 by original members Mark Stanway and Laurence Archer.
The band released their latest album "Whell Of Fortune" this year, with a sound that is very reminiscent of Phil Lynott while maintaining the essence of the band, and it was even clearer when the band played songs from this album such as "There goes my heart" or "Come Together (In Harlem)" to a still small audience at the LAV. It's a shame because those who were there could see all the intensity and love the band delivers when they take to the stage, a sacred place for any serious musician.
Vocalist Mike Dyer, always with an intense stage presence and very charismatic, gave it his all, even dripping with sweat during classics such as "Military Man" by another Irish icon Gary Moore, guitarist Laurence Archer, one of the founders of Grand Slam, is also a highlight with precise and very well-crafted solos, as well as bassist Rocky Newton, another legend of British music, and drummer Benjy Reid, who make up an overwhelming kitchen.
At the end of the concert, Grand Slam said they would have time for one last song and asked if the audience would like it. The answer was more than obvious and that's when one of the most emotional moments of the night came, the Irish classic "Whiskey in the Jar" sung at the top of its lungs by everyone present was a sweet and brilliant way to say goodbye to a band that knew how to arrive and warm up the engines for what was to follow.
FM
At 9:30 p.m. the British hard rock legends took to the LAV stage, with a slightly more composed but still rather empty room, and here's a shout-out to the Portuguese hard rock audience that keeps complaining that the producers don't bring bands of this style to Portugal, Clap Box this year gave us Winger, Grand Slam and FM bands that would almost never come to portugal and lacked support from fans of the style without a doubt.
Let's talk about good things, celebrating 40 years on the road, the Brits FM are a world reference in AOR/Melodic Rock, have just released their latest album Old Habits Die Hard this year and couldn't be in better shape.
With a set list full of classics, the quintet led by Steve Overland got everyone dancing right from the start with "Digging Up the Dirt", focusing on the albums Indiscreet and Tough It Out from 1986 and 1989 respectively and the band's greatest hits, such as "I Belong to the Night", "Bad Luck" and "Hot Wired", there wasn't a soul in the LAV who could stand still.
Showing all the love and dedication that the band has for the stage, vocalist and guitarist Steve Overland was a great example of passion and commitment, in terms of charisma he was a 10 and in terms of pitch and vocal range he was a 100, making the envy of huge names in hard rock who today only live by branding, such as Axl, Paul Stanley or Vince Neil, Steve gave a show apart showing why he was and continues to be considered one of the main vocalists of his generation.
There was still time for a luxurious encore, "Story of My Life", "Let Love Be the Leader" and "Other Side of Midnight" brought to a close a memorable and unforgettable evening for everyone who was at Lisboa ao vivo on Wednesday, October 30, a night when more than dancing, singing and having fun, we supported a hard rock scene that could be much better in Portugal.
Acknowledgements: Clap Box
Artists: FM, Grand Slam