Tag Archives: Rob Davis

Live review: Mud at the Factory Live, Worthing 20/12/24

Glam rock, Live reviews, Rock music, , , , ,

Thanks to a run of unforgettable festive hits during the period 1973-74, glam rock has been an integral part of the traditional British Christmas ever since. And apart from one year during the Covid pandemic, a trip to see a ‘70s glam rock chart-topper (whether that be Sweet, Slade or, ahem, Gary Glitter) has been an annual Christmas ritual for me pretty much every single year since I was a teenager back in the early ’80s.

But with Andy Scott’s Sweet not touring the south-east year, Dave Hill’s Slade not touring at all and Gary Glitter safely locked away in prison, it almost looked like it being a glam-free Christmas for me this year. But then a friend messaged me with the news that Mud were playing Worthing this year. Featuring the two surviving original members, Rob Davis and Ray Stiles, I would get my glam Christmas gig after all!

Taking the stage at the small but packed-out Factory Live venue, Ray Stiles began by paying tribute to the memories of the two who are no longer with us, Les Gray and Dave Mount. I’d seen Les Gray’s version of Mud back in the 90s, and I’d seen his former backing band doing their own Mud tribute many times over the years, but this would be my first time seeing Stiles and Davis together on stage.

Stiles (who has enjoyed a solid, almost four-decade career as bass player with the Hollies) takes on the frontman role in the rebooted Mud. As well as Davis on guitar, the glam-era connection is further underlined with the Glitter Band’s Pete Phipps on drums; alongside Stiles’ long-time Hollies band-mate, Ian Parker, on keyboards and veteran guitarist, Keith Read, providing additional guitar and vocals.

Ray Stiles

Things get off to a storming start with a rendition of Stiles and Davis self-penned ‘L-L-Lucy’ before we get a blast of Mud’s first three Chinn and Chapman hits: ‘Crazy’, ‘Hipnosis’ and the always-brilliant ‘Dynamite’. There’s no shortage, either, of the glam-themed remakes of those vintage rock and roll standards that Mud became famed for, songs like ‘One Night’ and ‘Oh Boy’. For the latter we are treated to a guest spot from Liquid Gold’s Ellie Hope who reprised her role on the original 1975 single, where she duetted with Les Gray.

As well as delivering his signature pounding beat throughout the set, Pete Phipps also gets his moment in the spotlight when he is invited to deliver the lead vocal on a glamtastic cover of the Glitter Band’s own smash single, ‘Angel Face’.

Mud’s brief dalliance with disco also gets a look-in with a rendition of their 1976 hit, ‘Shake Down’. For the benefit of anyone at all who may have been unaware, this gives Stiles the chance to point to Davis’s post-Mud career as a mega-successful songwriter, writing dance anthems. We get a short blast of Kylie’s ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’ over the PA just to prove the point.

Rob Davis

Though less familiar, and clearly nowhere as lucrative, Stiles is also keen to highlight aspects of his own post-Mud career. He introduces his wife Anne on stage to perform a couple of numbers from their corporate covers band days. In fine voice she delivers soulful-sounding covers of ‘Love Is a Battlefield’ and ‘Play That Funky Music’.

Then we’re back to more classic-era Mud with rocking renditions of ‘Cut Across Shorty’, ‘Rocket’ and ‘The Cat Crept In’. We’re coming to the end by now. There’s only time for two more songs. Everyone knows exactly what there going to be and we wouldn’t want it any other way.

First, Stiles puts on his best Les-Gray-Does-an-Impression-of-Elvis voice to deliver a glorious sing-along ‘Lonely This Christmas’. How wonderful to be hearing Mud perform this live on the fiftieth anniversary of the very week it was the Christmas number 1 – I felt quite emotional, even with all the daft ventriloquist dummy antics on stage reprising Les Gray’s iconic Top of The Pops appearance.

 Then we are all invited to give a hearty yell of ‘Yaaaaaaaaaaaay’ and it’s time for a barnstorming, rip-roaring rendition of ‘Tiger Feet’, one of the biggest hits of 1974 and one of the best songs of the entire glam era. What a wonderful evening and thank you Ray and Rob for taking us all back to the days of Mud Rock.

Meeting Rob
Meeting Ray
Signed gig poster

Related posts:

Before glam: the debut 60s singles of Bowie, Bolan, Slade, Mud and Sweet

Slade, strikes and the three-day week: the story of the greatest Christmas record ever made

Live review: We Love The 70s at Butlins, Bognor Regis 13-15 September 2024

This week’s featured artist: Tizane – new album out ‘Forever is Nothing’

Album reviews, Rock music, , , , , ,

Hailing from Dartford in Kent, Tizane began writing songs as a young teenager when chronic anxiety issues forced her to miss much of her schooling and spend many hours in her bedroom. By 2019 she began venturing out on to the open mic scene around the west Kent/south-east London borders where her talents as both a writer and performer were spotted by independent label, Burning Girl, who released her well-received debut album Cherry back in 2021.

The 22-year old singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has now followed that up with a second album, released on the same label earlier this Summer. Coming out towards the end of June Forever Is Nothing has picked up a slew of positive reviews.

The album is engineered by Pat Collier, a founder member of London punk band, The Vibrators, who has gone on to produce for artists like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream and X-Ray Spex.

Collier says of Tizane: “I think she’s (Tizane) one of the most talented and gifted artists I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with.”

Tizane shares writing credits on the album with fellow band members: guitarist, Charlie Harris; bass player, Nathan Gordon; and drummer, Greg Titmarsh.

Of particular interest to those who come to Darren’s music blog mainly for the glam content, however, is the track ‘Every Minute’ which is co-written with former Mud guitarist, Rob Davis. As well as writing songs like ‘L-Lucy’ for Mud, he went on to have an illustrious career as an in-demand songwriter long after the Mud hits dried up, most notably co-writing the Kylie Minogue smash-hit ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’.

Deliberately taking a slightly more muscular approach than its predecessor but still providing plenty of light and shade, Forever is Nothing is a pleasing blend of riff-driven alt-rock and jangly, brooding gothic pop. This, her second album, is an impressive showcase for Tizane’s haunting, ethereal vocals and intelligent, thought-provoking songwriting.

If this type of music is your bag and if you aren’t familiar with her work already, Tizane should certainly be right up there on your ‘one-to-watch’ list.

Forever is Nothing released 23rd June 2023

https://tizane.net/