Electric 6, O2 Academy, Birmingham - review
Even The Beast from the East couldn’t keep dynamic Electric 6 away from Birmingham, as they started a Dance Epidemic at the O2 Academy last night.
Kicking off the set with Rock and Roll Evacuation, lead singer Tyler Spencer - aka Dick Valentine – looked as laid back as ever with his slicked back hair and dark brown suit jacket.
To much laughter, he calmly spoke to the crowd: “Thank you for braving the ice and snow. It’s not easy out there. I walked to Nando’s and back, I know how it is.
“This was meant to be a sold-out show you know.”
The Michigan rock band, made up of lead singer Dick, guitarists Johnny Na$hinal and Da Ve, drummer Two-Handed Bob, keyboardist Tate Nucleas?, and bassist Rob Lower, got the audience going from the very beginning.
It may have a been a smaller crowd than they had thought, due to blizzard conditions outside, but excitable fans easily made up for it.
And Dick urged them all to buy a copy of their newest album - How Dare You - as they ‘needed a way to get to Milton Keynes for lunch’, the next stop on their UK tour.
The 46-year-old singer said: “I could fall in love with this crowd. I’m absolutely energised by you guys. Thank you so much for coming.”
After renditions of Naked Pictures, Satantic Wheels and Down at McDonldz, it was evident there was one song the crowd was eagerly waiting for.
Teasing the audience, Dick introduced lead guitarist Johnny Na$hinal, also known as John Nash, before belting out smash hit Gay Bar.
“Birmingham, it gives me great pleasure to introduce you to, in his natural habitat, this is the white wolf," said the frontman.
The fans started howling like wolves, before Dick praised them, adding: “You guys showed up tonight, you made the effort – we’re never gonna forget that.”
The singer was in his element most of the night, looking chilled and at home on the stage. And as soon as the band’s second famous hit High Voltage came on, he quickly had the audience singing along with him.
The punk rock band ended their 90-minute set with Buy the Drugs, before being cheered back on stage for an encore.
Dance Commander was quite aptly followed by the finale – Showstopper – the song that sees all six members of the band changes places.
Suddenly Two-Handed Bob was singing, much to the crowd’s delight, while Dick took his place on drums.
Dick said it himself; it may have been a ‘cold, wintry night’ but there was no Danger! of us missing Electric 6.
