Horsham’s Holbrook Club was transformed into a buzzing rock venue on Saturday 23^rd April with appearances from The Stuart James Band and headliner, ex-Gillan guitarist, Bernie Tormé. Local trio, The Stuart James Band, opened proceedings with their brand of classic blues rock. With some well-chosen covers as well as original material they will have delighted existing fans and almost certainly gained some new ones on Saturday.

From one power trio to the next, punters didn’t have to wait long until Bernie Tormé and his band, Chris Heilmann (bass) and Ian Harris (drums), took to the stage. Dublin-born Bernie Tormé first came to prominence in the late 70s/early 80s as the guitarist with the heavy rock outfit, Gillan. His distinctive riffing was as much an intrinsic part of that band’s sound as Ian Gillan’s famous vocals. And it’s all still very much on display for those watching Bernie Tormé and his band on Saturday. Fuzzed-up glam-punk, squealing Hendrix-style feedback and guitar wizardry galore, combined with great songs that span an illustrious recording career, Bernie and his band truly rocked the Holbrook Club.

Material from his post-Gillan solo career such as the storming Wild West, which kicked of proceedings, is combined with newer material from his two recent solo albums. The two albums Flowers & Dirt and Blackheart have proved to be something of renaissance for Bernie Tormé with excellent reviews and renewed interest from fans around the world. Songs from both albums are well received. There’s still room for a bit of nostalgia though and the main set ends with those two early rock n roll classics that were given a new lease of life by Gillan back in the early 80s: Trouble and New Orleans. The band are called back on stage for an encore and end the evening with an incendiary version of another Gillan classic: No Easy Way. Bernie Tormé is still rocking hard!

Setlist:
Wild West
Bullet
Blood Run Cold
Turn Out The Lights
Pain Song
Flow
Star
Dirt
Stoneship
Rocky Road
Can’t Beat
Trouble
New Orleans
No Easy Way

http://www.bernietorme.co.uk/

Previous reviews
Bernie Tormé at The Borderline 2014
Bernie Tormé at The Borderline 2015