Thunder - supported by Ugly Kid Joe / Kris Barras Band
Thunder
Supported by Ugly Kid Joe & Kris Barras Band
Live at Wembley Arena, London, England
28th May 2022
By Robert Corich
Photography by Eric Duvet
The mighty Thunder return to storm Wembley after previously scheduled dates were postponed due to the Covid crisis.
The seventeen song set was exactly as we’ve all come to expect from the London based veterans, loud, rocking and of course… well, thunderous.
Opening to the jagged riff of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck belting out of the sound system to get the already happy crowd jumping, the band launched into ‘Last One Out Turn Off The Lights’ from 2021’s ‘All The Right Noises’ album which started a trend kept up throughout the concert, namely playing brand new and very recent tracks from the aforementioned album and their latest effort, ‘Dopamine’.
There are not many bands today with the wherewithal or the balls to play so much new material in one hit live, but pleasingly Thunder have never been a band that has rested on their laurels and they are certainly not shy about pushing their latest releases.
Ten of the seventeen tracks aired were lifted from their last two albums with seven of those from the brand new ‘Dopamine’ album.
‘Western Sky’, a highlight from ‘Dopamine’ was a great advertisement for the new album and it’s nice to see a band so confident in their craft they can deliver new songs with such ease and confidence.
Keeping old school fans happy the band also delivered several classics such as ‘Loved Walked In’, ‘Back Street Symphony’ and ‘Dirty Love’ thrown in as an encore.
A rocking set throughout, Thunder left the Wembley stage to rapturous applause, once again cementing their position as one of the most reliable, competent and loved bands on the rock n roll circuit.
A night at Wembley where the only thing you can complain about is the exorbitant cost of mediocre alcohol ain’t such a bad evening.
All in all a highly rewarding night of uncompromising rock and roll.
Can’t wait until they are back.
Setlist:
Last One Out Turn Off The Lights
Western Sky
Higher Ground
One Day We’ll Be Free Again
Resurrection Day
Unravelling
The Devil Made Me Do It
Destruction
Low Life In High Places
Young Man
Black
Love Walked In
Across The Nation
Backstreet Symphony
Last Orders
Dancing In The Sunshine
Dirty Love
Support by Ugly Kid Joe it was a hard rocking, vibrant affair that certainly entertained and set up the crowd for the headliners.
The excellent cover of Motörhead’s ‘Ace of Spades’ worth the cover price on its own.
Early starter Kris Barras Band delivered a short but vibrant set as the entrée to the nights proceedings.
This is a band that warrants an extended viewing at one of their own dedicated gigs.
Photography by Eric Duvet