Support band for tonight were a quartet from Barnsley called Antiflow who played a unique blend of blues rock with a few psychedelic keyboards fills thrown in for good measure. They also did a decent job, playing a five song set and got a good reaction from the growing audience. Songs included current single, “Blown Mind” and “Spaces” but highlight was the imaginatively titled “Three Nights in Skegvegas”, which was both good fun and well played. This was a band doing something slightly off the wall and managing to enjoy themselves in the process.

It has been a couple of years since I last saw Eddie and The Hot Rods and I was encouraged to see a few more people in the Boardwalk this time, which made for a good atmosphere. Whilst the only original band member is vocalist Barrie Masters, the last three years touring have seen the current line up really gel and this is far more than a band going through the motions. Masters throws everything into it from the off as they open with “Teenage Depression”, which may no longer be quite so appropriate to most of the audience but who cares, just substitute “Midlife Depression” under your breath as you sing along !

Next up is the excellent “Bad Time Again” off their 2005 album “Better Late Than Never”, which not only shows they can still produce good quality material, it also gives bassist Dipster the chance to charge around the stage for the first time and dual with guitarists Richard Holgarth and Chris Taylor. Sound quality is excellent tonight and the only small glitch occurs when Masters accidentally pulls the plug on Holgarth’s guitar but it is barely noticed as they charge through “Quit This Town” and “Better Without You”. The set list covers virtually all the studio albums that Eddie & The Hot Rods produced and there are one or two songs that haven’t been played in a while “Circles” and “Alive” being worthy mentions.

Inevitably it is the material from the “Life On The Line” album that get the audience cheering loudest and “Do Anything You Wanna Do” is followed by “Life On The Line” itself, with the audience singing along to both. The former is one of the first songs that got me into music and I still love hearing it played live today. No rest for the audience or band though, as Holgarth and Taylor riff their way through “Ignore Them” and “Power and The Glory”, before the wonderful “Gloria” brings the main set to a rousing end.

After a short breather the band return to play out with an excellent version of “Born To Be Wild” and get the audience dancing along to “Wooly Bully” to finish the whole evening off. It may be 30 plus years since the glory days but Eddie & The Hot Rods can still play it like it means something and most of all, they know how to give the audience a great night out. My advice, get out and see them play live, you will not regret it !

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