As befits the start of a bank holiday weekend, it’s a cold wet night that sees us travelling up to Nottingham’s Rescue Rooms. Fortunately, the venue has developed the front area to feature heated shelters, which is just as well because it’s so packed (even accounting for the early doors), that people can be seen slipping out just to have a quick breather between songs.
Tonight sees two bands on the bill – British legends FM, celebrating both their fortieth anniversary and the release of the highly rated new album, Old Habits Die Hard; and rising stars Collateral. With the album released today, it feels like a celebration, and there’s a sense that people have travelled from far and wide to see FM lay siege to the stage.
Up first, Collateral arrive to an epic, orchestral intro. The band certainly have stage presence and, as singer Angelo struts on to the stage, you can feel the front rows lean forward in anticipation. Unfortunately, the triumphant arrival is marred by the tacked-on backing track of Glass Sky, which not only feels overblown, but which also quickly shows up the deficiencies in a mix that all but neuters the guitars. It’s so packed, it’s hard to say if the issue is less apparent up the front, but near the back, different elements spend the song fighting through the mud. Nevertheless, it’s clear there’s more than a few fans in attendance because the front rows are soon gamely singing along, helping to maintain momentum despite the sound issues.
Fortunately, the guitars return for the second track – the well-worn Mr Big Shot – only for the vocals to suffer in consequence. Given that you can see the band giving their all, and the front rows responding in kind, it’s a frustrating situation – and it’s only for the first of tonight’s ballads, No Place For Love, that the sonic elements finally slot into place. A mid-tempo piece, it’s the sort of thing Def Leppard might have used to break up the grittier material circa Hysteria and it gets a strong reaction. Now would be a good time for a heavier cut, but the band rather oddly follow it up with another ballad – the recently released On The Long Road – which is, frankly, a little sappy. Don’t get me wrong, there’s always room for a good ballad in a hard rock set but dropping them back-to-back like this doesn’t help the pacing of tonight’s show, and it also jars a little with the arena rock theatrics. The band wrap things up, however, with a raucous Midnight Queen, leaving the assembled throng gasping for breath and providing a somewhat uneven set with a suitably solid closer.
After a short set changeover, it’s time for FM to take the stage and we’re starting to wonder if there’s space for oxygen, let alone more people, in the crowded venue. The place is front-to-back packed with FM t-shirts, too, making you realise just how quietly popular this British institution have become over the course of their forty-years in the business.
Interestingly, the band’s intro contrasts neatly with that of Collateral. Where the former played it deadly serious, FM kick off with a series of film studio intros, including Twentieth Century Fox and the ear-shattering sound of the THX mastering system, before a voice over (displaying a very British sense of humour) announces the arrival of the band.
From the off, the sound has received a massive upgrade. What was somewhat muddy and incoherent now gleams and sparkles, with each instrument given depth and space. As the arena-strength drums of opening track Digging Up The Dirt set the place alight, the band pour some sugar on the stage for Steve Overland’s arrival. Forty years in, and Steve still has one hell of a voice – gritty when it needs to be, but with a soulful edge reminiscent of Paul Rodgers, and he tears into the song with aplomb.
The band are clearly on fire as they plunge headlong into the massive singalong of Tough It Out. Originally written for the 1989 album of the same name, its rippling synth arpeggio and pumping bass epitomises the sound of eighties hard rock, and it’s almost impossible to listen to it and not be transported back to a world of white limousines, blonde perms, and denim jackets. It’s just one of those tracks and, in the best tradition of Europe, Journey and their ilk, it’s a melodic banger delivered with consummate professionalism.
And really, that’s the night in a nutshell. FM are old hands at this sort of thing. The set is frontloaded with tracks that demonstrate exactly how to get the crowd on side. From the woah-oh-oh-ohs of Tough It Out and the yeah yeah yeahs of Killed By Love (from 2018’s Atomic Generation), to old school classics like Someday (You’ll Come Running), they have the whole venue singing along with gusto – at some points louder than the band – and it has the vibe of a family reunion throughout.
It’s also heartening to note that the new material is as rapturously received as the classics. While Old Habits Die Hardmay have only just landed in the racks, the band have been dropping singles for the last month or two, including Don’t Need Another Heartache and Out Of The Blue (both of which are aired tonight), and it’s clear that the audience have been doing their homework, because they know every single word. In an era where people are all too ready to dismiss the importance of the album, it’s fantastic to see a band receiving such dedicated support, and a reminder that rock ‘n’ roll will never die.
Frankly, with a crowd as passionate and as vocal as this, it remains a mystery why FM failed to hit the commercial heights of their peers – they certainly elicit a lot of love tonight and, from the monstrous opening to the closing bars, they have the audience entirely in their power. A blisteringly hot start to the tour, FM blew away the forty years like so many cobwebs to deliver a masterclass in melodic rock, and it’s hard to imagine anyone attending the remaining dates leaving disappointed.
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